On Saturday, October 11, activists converged for a “third wave” on the Port of Tampa at 6:00 in the morning to block the Israeli cargo ship ZIM Alabama from unloading. People drove from as far as West Palm, Sarasota and Gainesville to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and against the racist and brutal colonial project of Zionism.
The flashing lights of several police SUVs illuminated the 40 activists until the sun began to rise over Tampa. Protesters chanted, drummed and used the crosswalk frequently, slowing down semi-trailer trucks arriving every few minutes.
When police pushed them an unreasonable distance from the entrance, activists hung banners from their cars and started to drive in circles around the port entrance. Police immediately pulled them over. A police helicopter circled menacingly overhead, as cops in Kevlar threatened to arrest anyone who stepped off the sidewalk.
George Nasser of Students for Justice in Palestine at USF spoke to Liberation News about the reason for the action.
“We’re here to essentially block the boat from unloading goods that are associated with the apartheid state that is Israel. We’re here to protest that, much like they did during the protests they had against South African apartheid. It’s basically similar to that. It’s part of the BDS movement—Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions—in order to put pressure on the state of Israel. The end goal is to end the occupation, end the apartheid, bring liberation.”
George, who is Libyan, joined the Palestine solidarity struggle five years ago when he learned about Israel’s human rights violations and ethnic cleansing from the personal account of his friend’s grandfather.
“My friend’s grandfather lived in pre-1948 Palestine. He told me what it was like. He told me that he left and he was told that he would be able to return, but that never happened. It’s just something that really touched me, and a lot of us feel the same way. I’m Muslim, they’re Muslim, I’m human, they’re human,” he said. “They’re people that are struggling, in need. And how we feel connected, whether it’s through religion or supposed race or whatever you want to call it, at the end of the day, a lot of us stand in solidarity with them for the sake of their struggle for freedom.”
Yasmeen Yousef, a Palestinian American who lives in Tampa, told Liberation what brought her to the port.
“I’m here because what’s going on over there is wrong,” she said. “What I try to do when I go home at night is really put myself in their shoes. Imagine: I’m living here in Tampa, imagine people coming and taking over my home, separating me and my family and then at night, my mom tells me, ‘Yasmeen, go to the other room with your sister, just in case half of the building goes down, at least some of us can survive.’ That just alone makes me think, no, I have to go out there and say something about this. Just thinking about it makes me cry at night, thinking about what these people have to go through. I can never imagine having to do that. And this is the least I can do.
“I’ve actually been over there myself, in the summers,” said Yasmeen, “and what I remember very vividly, as if it was yesterday night, it was the middle of the night and it was me and my little brother. We were up because we heard tanks coming into the city, and he was so scared, he started crying. I was like, ‘Go to sleep, go to sleep, they’ll be gone sooner or later.’ And they actually started shooting into the houses. It actually went through our glass doors and the windows. It’s just a terrible moment when you don’t know what to say to your younger sibling, other than, ‘Just keep praying, God will protect you.'”
Mirna Abushanab, a young Palestinian woman who learned about the action at her mosque, spoke point-blank to Liberation.
“I’m defending my country. I’m from Palestine,” she said. “I came to the United States about eight years ago. In Palestine, there’s a genocide going on there and there’s people dying every day, and then people blame the Muslims or the Palestinians for it, but it’s actually Israel trying to take the land. Peace talks never work because America defends terrorist acts. Even though they’re saying they’re against terrorist acts, they’re the ones who make all the problems. No offense. I love America, because I live in it, but literally we’re the ones who went to Iraq, the ones who went to Syria, but it’s not even their problem, no one went and complained to them.
“I’m fifteen. My family is from Yatta in the West Bank. They’ve seen killing, innocent kids dying, hunger, thirst, no clothes, no shelter. And it’s not even on the news. Innocent children wake up and their parents are gone, their families are gone. They sleep with scarves in the middle of the night because they’re scared men will come in on them. Like, the building will tumble, so they sleep in scarves so they can run out quickly, because we can’t run out without our scarves. Just in case their house comes tumbling, they have to run for it and most of them don’t even make it out. It’s really sad,” said Mirna.
“A two-state solution would work if Israel actually agreed, stuck to their words,” said Dhikra Shatry. “How many times have they said, ‘Gaza is free,’ and then they’re back again. They’re never going to stop. It’s just Israel needs to realize what they’re doing is wrong. They’re killing innocent people for land. They have over half the country, what else do you need? It’s stupid.”
Block the Boat organizer Bailey Riley talked to Liberation about the logistics of the campaign, especially the importance of building a relationship with the local union.
“It’s kinda convoluted because with this campaign in particular, you have to go through the union workers for it to be the most effective. ZIM is the bread and butter of the union here. And some of the union members don’t even get to unload two ships a week, it’s kinda serious, it’s a really big deal for them. The Eastern longshoremen’s union is actually way less radicalized than the longshoremen’s union on the West Coast who helped Oakland block the ship.
“We’re really trying to get them on our side. The longshoremen aided in the struggle against South African apartheid, and didn’t unload ships coming from South Africa, so they have a history of being anti-apartheid. So really what we’re trying to do is let the longshoremen here know, ‘Hey, this is the history of your union. This is a really big deal. You’re a labor union. You’re struggles, your working struggles as working people are similar to the people’s in Gaza.’ We’re trying to bridge that gap. These are living people too. These are people who can’t even put food on the table for their families without fear of being killed daily.”
