Overview
- Departures are scheduled for August 31 from Genoa and Barcelona, with additional boats leaving September 4 from Sicily, Tunisia and Greece, weather permitting.
- The coalition says dozens of small vessels will carry participants from 44 countries, including medics, lawyers, journalists, artists and activists, with Greta Thunberg among those expected to sail from Barcelona.
- In Italy, Music for Peace and the Collettivo Autonomo Lavoratori Portuali are leading a Genoa drive to gather roughly 40–45 tonnes of food for loading before departure.
- Organizers argue the action is protected by international maritime and humanitarian law and emphasize a strictly civilian, nonviolent presence at sea.
- Plans proceed despite recent precedents of Israeli interceptions, drone strikes on vessels near Malta, and arrests and long entry bans for activists on earlier attempts.