A Flotilla Story: Voices from the Frontline

 

Discovering the people, the missions, and the movement that continues to challenge the blockade and sail for Gaza’s freedom

 

Friday 14 November 2025 – 19:00

Program

19:00 Door open

19:15 – 20:30 Dialogue with Maria Elena Delia, coordinator of the Global Sumud Flotilla in Italy, has been at the heart of the movement’s development for years.

20:30 – 21:00 Dinner

21:00 – 22:00 Screening: Staying Human, the Al Jazeera documentary Staying Human tells the story of Vittorio Arrigoni, the Italian journalist and ISM activist who arrived in Gaza with the first flotilla and chose to remain among its people.

Contribution: €10
(All proceeds will go to humanitarian aid in Gaza)

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Stories of Solidarity at Sea and on Land

The Global Sumud Flotilla represents the strength of civil society activism: individuals and communities who, outside institutional frameworks, act according to ethical responsibility and human solidarity.
It is a collective affirmation that peace and justice are built through the courage of ordinary people who refuse to normalize injustice.

This event will explore one of the most enduring expressions of international solidarity with the people of Gaza: the civil society movement that has taken to the seas to challenge injustice and affirm the right to freedom and dignity.

Through testimonies, film, and dialogue, the evening sheds light on the people who have turned solidarity into action, transforming the sea into a space of resistance.

 

Dialogue with Maria Elena Delia

Maria Elena Delia, coordinator of the Global Sumud Flotilla in Italy, has been at the heart of the movement’s development for years.

Delia will recount the story of the flotilla that set sail in 2025, an international fleet bringing together crews, movements, and organizations from across continents, echoing the Italian general strike and the mass mobilizations that have filled streets and ports in solidarity with Gaza. From this wave of activism, she will trace the flotilla’s history back to its beginnings in 2008, when two small boats first reached Gaza’s shores, breaking the siege that has been imposed since 1967.

 

Screening: Staying Human

The Al Jazeera documentary Staying Human tells the story of Vittorio Arrigoni, the Italian journalist and ISM activist who arrived in Gaza with the first flotilla and chose to remain among its people.
Arrigoni’s life and work embody the principle that became his message to the world “Stay Human” a call to preserve compassion and dignity in the face of oppression.

Through his writings and presence, he became a voice of international conscience, documenting daily life under the siege imposed by Israel. He reminds us that solidarity is a concrete choice to share in the struggles of others.

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