Barcelona urges Spanish government to ensure safety of Gaza aid flotilla

The Barcelona city council approved on Wednesday an institutional declaration urging the Spanish government to guarantee the safety of the Global Sumud Flotilla destined for Gaza.

The proposal was approved with votes in favor from left-wing Comuns, pro-independence Esquerra, and the ruling Socialists, with pro-independence Junts abstaining, and right- and far-right parties PP and VOX opposing it.

The text calls on the central executive to take diplomatic action to ensure the safety of the expedition, which left Tunis port a few days ago and is now near Sicily.

"The flotilla is doing what European governments are not doing," Comuns councilor Marc Serra said, adding that guaranteeing their safety is "an international rights obligation."

Esquerra councilor Rosa Suriñac said that "our citizens are putting their bodies and lives at risk," noting that the activists feel "abandoned" by governments.

Meanwhile, pro-independence Junts justified their abstention, saying the action "puts peoples life at risk."

Conservative PP criticized the flotilla as an "spectacle" and a "campaign act" by former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, who is participating in the expedition.

Far-right VOX described the mission as a "holiday" for some councilors and criticized the city council for involving itself in international issues while facing local problems.

The declaration comes a day after fifteen countries, including Spain, Turkey, Ireland, and Brazil, expressed concern for the safety of the flotilla.

The governments warned that if the activists are detained "illegally" or their ships attacked in international waters, there will be "accountability."