Artists call for Belgian and French diplomatic protection for Gaza flotilla
A collective of artists and public figures has on Saturday requested diplomatic protection from the Belgian and French governments for the international flotilla heading for the Gaza Strip.
“We call for immediate action by the French and Belgian states to ensure humanitarian access to Gaza and put an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people,” wrote more than 140 artists, content creators, writers and journalists in an article in the French weekly Nouvel Obs.
The signatories, including singers Angèle and Zaho de Sagazan, DJ Snake and influencer Lena Situations, demand “the protection of the flotilla” and “diplomatic and consular protection for the vessels carrying French and Belgian citizens on board”.
They emphasise that “16 countries, including Spain and Ireland, have granted diplomatic protection to their citizens in the fleet, and that Italy and Spain have sent military vessels to ensure their protection”. “The French president and the Belgian prime minister remain completely silent on the fate of their citizens,” they also state. “International law obliges France, Belgium and all states to protect citizens in conflict zones and to allow the transport of humanitarian aid.”
The fleet consists of more than 50 vessels and hundreds of citizens, including 15 Belgian and 54 French citizens. Among those on board are artists, activists, humanitarian workers, doctors and members of parliament from more than 45 different countries.
The Gaza flotilla © PHOTO ANSA/ORIETTA SCARDINO/ZUMA Press
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