Derry IPSC activist taking part in 'Global March To Gaza'

The Derry branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) has announced  its weekly Bridgil will focus on the "illegal detention" of the volunteers onboard The Madleen.

The Bridgil, which will take place at Derry's Peace Bridge at 5.30pm, is also in support of a local women - an activist with Derry IPSC - who is taking part in the Global March to Gaza on June 15. 

The sailing boat Madleen – operated by activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition – departed from the Sicilian port of Catania in southern Italy, on June 1, 2025.

It's aim was to reach the shores of the Gaza Strip in an effort to bring in some aid and raise “international awareness” of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the activists said at a press conference, ahead of their departure.

However, on June 9, 2025, Israeli forces seized the Madleen and detained Greta Thunberg and other activists who were on board, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the Israel-Hamas war.

Thiago Avila, one of the volunteers on The Madleen, is currently on hunger and water strike in an Israeli prison.

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In their statements, The Madleen volunteers declared they had been "kidnapped and forcibly brought into Israel against their will". They stressed their sole mission was "to break the seige on Gaza and deliver aid".

When the court asked whether they were aware of the naval blockade, they "firmly responded that the blockade is illegal under international law".

Under the Entry into Israel Law, individuals who have been issued deportation orders are hels in detention for 72 hours before being forcibly removed, unless they agree to leave earlier. The human rights organisation, Adalah, is demanding their "immediate release" of The Madleen volunteers so they can return home.