I don’t know if it was planned or just a tremendous historical coincidence that the boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla were intercepted by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) between the night of October 1st and the dawn of this October 2nd. Be that as it may, the fact shines like the Sun to draw our attention to this anniversary. Because, the first thing that comes to my mind is to send an emotional greeting: Happy Birthday, Gandhi!

Yes, because more than 500 activists from 47 countries, using methods of non-violent struggle, sailed with “ahimsa hearts” toward Gaza and managed to break through the worst of sieges, the trivialization of evil, with which no human being should ever collaborate.

It’s true that today we did not break the siege to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and it is most likely that the tons of food meant to ease famine—together with medicines, anesthetics for surgeries, infant formula, and prosthetics for the children who lost their limbs—all carried on these boats, will end up piled alongside other shipments of humanitarian aid that never reached their destination, left to rot or deliberately destroyed by the malice and corruption of Benjamin Netanyahu’s genocidal government.

This is yet by itselve another war crime, added to a very long chain of violations of international law committed by the Zionist government of Israel.

The Mahatma, a saintly thinker who was also a lawyer, had strong legal and ethical arguments, yet even so, he was arrested and sentenced twice, in 1922 and 1942, by British courts when he was only exercising his legitimate and non-violent resistance to the oppression of the British Empire over the Indian people.

Today the empires are different, some in clear decline, and this, whether we like it or not, compromises, weakens, and limits the action of good and principled people in Parliaments and at International Courts, who are faced with the challenge of defending —bravely, swiftly, and effectively— their own Constitutional principles or theTreaties, Conventions, and laws they have upheld since their foundations.

I believe that, much like Gandhi, the Flotilla activists act with full awareness of their rights. And despite the chaotic Global scenario, they find themselves merely paused at a bend in the river of history —and they will not stop!

The response given to the IOF soldier’s radio orders by Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila, who was commanding the Flotilla from his boat Alma, is striking.

The Israeli soldier said:

  • “You are entering an active war zone. If you attempt to break the naval blockade, we will stop your ship, confiscate it, and through ‘legal procedures’ take you to court to answer for your actions.”

Were Thiago’s response, shouted from the deck of the Alma with a voice trembling with indignation and the effort of a non-native English speaker, was roughly this:

  • You say we are entering an active war zone. What you should be saying is that we are entering a place where you are committing war crimes. This is against international law, since the International Court of Justice has issued a Provisional Order forbidding the detention of any humanitarian mission in Gaza. And if you comply with the orders given to you, you may be held responsible and become complicit in the crime of genocide. The International Court has declared your Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, a war criminal who should already be under arrest, and among his crimes is the waging of hunger and famine—using starvation as a weapon of war, which kills children. Therefore, it is our moral duty to keep sailing; and it is our moral duty to reject any attempt by this occupying force to control humanitarian aid for Palestinians. They have the right to sovereignty and self-determination, and therefore the right to control their own borders. So we do not recognize you as legitimate controllers of the humanitarian aid that must reach Gaza. We ask you to withdraw, not to commit yet another war crime, not to confront us any further in our peaceful, non-violent, humanitarian mission —a mission of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Shall I repeat it? Shall I say it again?

If our dear and admirable Thiago had been Andalusian, it would be enough for him to say, loud and clear: ‘He needs to let me through!’ {And if you had been there, you would understand not just the saying, but the absurd hardness of a world where such simple, righteous confidence becomes an act of defiance. (“¡Qué me deje!”)}

But it was spot on! His approach was cautious, and at the same time, through some well-run social media accounts —less powerful and influential than the major media outlets but far more respectful of International law—, he has been teaching us more about strategy and substance than all those endless TV talk shows and debates going on in the meantime.

Well, here we are on October 2nd—a date declared by the United Nations as the International Day of Non-Violence. And today, alongside Gandhi, the spirits of other great pioneers of this struggle will surely awaken in countless hearts.

Here, at this bend in the river of history, we find a magnificent and defiant movement of international solidarity. A movement that erupted in streets across the globe and now sails steadfastly across the Mediterranean.

So today, whether on sea or on land, a cry can ring out: Luther King is with us, present!

Because today, as Silo —the Argentine thinker and another great advocate of Non-Violence— once said, we live in “an adventure launched toward the future.” I recall this here because, right now, while I try to finish writing these words before heading to the demonstration in Seville, the news keeps pouring in: despite conflicting numbers, reports indicate that Israel has intercepted 43 of the Global Sumud Flotilla’s ships, which was composed of at least 44 boats, and that at least one of them, the Mikeno, managed so far to break through and reach Palestinian waters. Meanwhile, a fleet of nine vessels from the Thousand Madleens to Gaza and Freedom Flotilla collectives is navigating the stretch between Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula and Crete, on a course for Gaza.

Of course, there remains much to be discussed, especially in legal terms. From the legal teams of the various delegations that make up the GSF, copious documentation reports all violations of the Convention on the Law of the Sea—qualifying Israel’s actions as state piracy—as well as breaches of international humanitarian law enshrined in the Fourth Geneva Convention, the San Remo Manual, and repeated violations of UN resolutions and International Court of Justice rulings.

Look, there’s still a lot to cover & write, but I want to… —I need to—, be at the demonstration today.

So, dear Gandhi, I’m off now. But before I go, I just wanted to say that the Nobel Peace Prize you never received has today found some worthy representatives of your teachings —people who truly deserve it. Francesca Albanese, for instance, or the Global Sumud Flotilla. Can you imagine? What a wonderful birthday gift that would be, hey!

Yes, because they, alongside countless unknown others, have accomplished a crucial feat: despite the systematic slaughter of journalists in Gaza, they have forced the world to witness it and compelled the soldiers of Israel’s illegal occupation to handle with caution—whether dealing with the anonymous or figures of hard-earned renown like Greta Thunberg, Ada Colau, or Nkosi Zwelivelile (let us not forget Mandela’s grandson) —to whom we must also say: They are with us!

(1) Translator’s Note: The name “Ahimsa Hearts” draws from the Sanskrit term Ahimsa (pronounced uh-him-saa), a core philosophy in Indian traditions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, meaning “non-violence” or “non-harm” . The concept extends beyond merely refraining from killing to embody a profound respect for all life. It entails avoiding causing physical or emotional pain—through one’s actions, words, and even thoughts—to other beings and to oneself . At its most profound, Ahimsa is understood as a positive and active state of compassion and universal love . Thus, “Ahimsa Hearts” can be understood here as representing hearts of compassion, profoundly committed to causing no harm.