The discussion within the parliamentary committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities arose following a motion of condemnation initiated by Livre regarding “the attack” on the “Família Madeira” vessel, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, “expressing the [National Assembly’s] solidarity with all those involved in the ongoing humanitarian mission.”
On the 9th of this month, the flotilla released a video showing a descent shot and the image and sound of an impact, identified as a drone attack on the vessel that caught fire while docked at the port of Sidi Bou Said, near Tunis, the capital of Tunisia.
In a second video from another angle, it is apparent that two activists, one being the Portuguese Miguel Duarte, narrowly escaped harm.
Also on board were the coordinator of the Left Bloc, Mariana Mortágua, and actress Sofia Aparício, though they were not on the vessel at the time.
“A clear explanation is needed on the authorship… [but] it seems like an attack by a foreign country [Israel] on a ship flying the Portuguese flag, with a Portuguese citizen on board, in the port of a third country,” stated Livre’s deputy Jorge Pinto.
“If we continue to tolerate crossing red lines, international law loses its value. If we continue to devalue the reports from independent UN commissions [like the one today accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza], there are no longer any limits,” he argued, asserting: “We believe in international law, and this condemnation is an obligation of the Portuguese parliament.”
For the PS, João Torres considered the ship to have been deliberately attacked and “deserves condemnation.”
Moreover, the socialist reminded that the Portuguese State has the duty to provide assistance under international conventions, adding that the PS questioned Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel about what steps the Government has taken in this regard.
PS deputy responded to Paulo Neves (PSD), who earlier stated that the flotilla is “a civil society initiative and does not bind any State, least of all Portugal,” before noting that “details are very scarce.”
Diogo Pacheco Amorim, from Chega, said, “there is no conclusive evidence that an attack on the so-called freedom flotilla occurred,” suggesting the incident could even have been caused by “a lighter or a cigarette.”
This statement drew a rebuke from Livre’s deputy, who questioned: “Do we consider it normal for a civilian boat to be bombarded without an apparent reason? Would anyone think it normal if it was an attack on a commercial ship and joke that it might have been a cigarette?”
The committee vote was postponed until next week.
In the same meeting, Chega saw its congratulation project to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for “combating international drug trafficking” rejected by PS and Livre votes, with PSD and Liberal Initiative abstaining.
“It’s not militant ‘Trumpism’ but rather recognition of his fight against the malady of drugs,” argued Pacheco Amorim.
