00:00Thousands of protesters in central Paris called for the release of French nationals who were
00:11on board the charity vessel seized by Israeli forces as it tried to break the naval blockade
00:16of the Gaza Strip on Monday.
00:18The British-flagged yacht, Madeline, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom
00:23Flotilla Coalition, had aimed to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza and raise international
00:29awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.
00:32The fact that we feel really powerless, this kind of things like the Freedom Flotilla is
00:42civilians and originally doesn't even have to exist, but because there is this crazy
00:48lack of political action and a completely lack of the application of the international
00:53law that we feel that this is the only way we can act.
00:58And it is just crazy, like, how come two millions of people are starving and the only thing that
01:05the French government is saying is that, oh, we will make them come back to their country.
01:13No, that wasn't the goal.
01:15Their goal is to break this.
01:17On board were six French citizens, including EU lawmaker for the France Unbowed Party, Rima
01:23Hassan, whose founder, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, was at the protest in Paris.
01:28French President Emmanuel Macron has also called for their release.
01:33The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that the vessel was under Israeli control and said
01:38that the passengers were expected to return to their home countries.
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