Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament (MEP), has embarked on a humanitarian mission aboard the ‘Madleen,’ a vessel organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. This initiative aims to challenge the ongoing blockade of Gaza and deliver essential aid to its residents. Accompanying Hassan is Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, along with other international activists, underscoring the global solidarity behind this endeavor.
In an exclusive interview with Céline Semaan for Everything is Political, Hassan delves into the motivations, risks, and aspirations tied to this voyage. She emphasizes the mission’s objectives: to condemn the humanitarian blockade, highlight the ongoing crisis in Gaza, and galvanize international awareness and action.
Hassan’s participation reflects her longstanding commitment to advocating for Palestinian rights and addressing humanitarian issues. Born in the Neirab refugee camp near Aleppo, Syria, she relocated to France at the age of nine. After acquiring French citizenship in 2010, she pursued a career in law and activism, founding the ‘Refugee Camps Observatory’ in 2019. Her political journey led her to join La France Insoumise (LFI) in 2023, and she was elected to the European Parliament in 2024.
The Freedom Flotilla’s mission not only seeks to deliver aid but also to draw international attention to the conditions in Gaza. Hassan and her fellow activists hope that their actions will inspire global support and prompt meaningful change.
The interview is in both English and French.
CÉLINE: Rima, tu es à board du Flotilla, je devais y être aussi, je vous enveloppe de prières. Avez-vous à bord des aides pour Gaza? Qu’apportez-vous?
Rima, you are on board the Flotilla, I was supposed to be there too, I am enveloping you in prayers. Do you have aid for Gaza on board? What are you bringing?
RIMA: Oui il y a un danger pour tout l’équipage, il y a 3 scénarios possibles :
- On arrive à Gaza
- On est arrêté en milieu de chemin soit par Israël soit par des forces alliées à Israël. On peut même être arrêtés par l’OTAN
- Soit on est attaqués, le dernier bateau a été attaqué en eaux internationales près de Malte par des drones
Pour le Israel ne s’est pas publiquement prononcé sur notre action mais nous savons que nous sommes surveillés par différentes autorités.
📌 Yes there is a danger for the whole crew, there are 3 possible scenarios:
- We make it to Gaza
- We are stopped in the middle of the way either by Israel or by forces allied with Israel. We can even be stopped by NATO
- Or we are attacked, the last flotilla boat was attacked by drones in international waters near Malta
Israel has not publicly commented on our action, but we know that we are being monitored by different authorities.
CÉLINE: Y-a-t-il un danger immédiat?
Is there an immediate danger?
RIMA: Les menaces me concernant elles sont continues depuis mon entrée en politique et depuis que je dénonce publiquement le génocide, l’équipe qui se prépare n’est pas pour le moment individuellement menacée mais encore une fois nous savons que nous sommes surveillés de près et faisons très attention à notre préparation, on se prépare à tous les scénarios
📌 The threats against me have continued since I entered politics and since I publicly denounce the genocide, the team that is preparing is not individually threatened at the moment but once again we know that we are closely monitored and pay very attention to our Preparation, we prepare ourselves for all scenarios.
CÉLINE: Comment pouvons-nous vous protéger?
How can we protect you?
RIMA: La dernier navire qui a été attaqué avait décidé de partir sans communiquer, sans campagne de sensibilisation, pensant arriver discrètement à destination, cette fois-ci pour nous protéger nous avons décidé de lancer une campagne de sensibilisation en prenant le temps et le soin de communiquer sur la raison d’être de cette action et ce qu’elle symbolise politiquement sur le blocus à Gaza, on compte sur la mobilisation citoyenne pour dissuader toute attaque contre nous.
📌 The last ship that was attacked had decided to leave without communicating, without an awareness campaign, thinking of arriving discreetly at its destination, this time to protect ourselves we decided to launch an awareness campaign by taking the time and care to communicate about the reason of being of this action and what it politically symbolizes on the blockade in Gaza, we rely on citizen mobilization.
CÉLINE: Comment pouvons-nous vous protéger?
How can we protect you?
RIMA: Vous pouvez donc nous aider en nous soutenant publiquement et en donnant de la visibilité à cette action.
📌 You can therefore help us by publicly supporting us and giving visibility to this action.
