 A French boat participating in the flotilla hoping to break the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip was detained along with its crew by Greek authorities in Crete on Thursday, CNN reported.
On Tuesday afternoon, organizers announced that the small French yacht Dignity had left waters near Greece with eight passengers on board en-route to Gaza. The Dignity was stopped while attempting to refuel in Crete, CNN quoted Maxime Gimberteau of "A Boat for Gaza" as saying.
| "Andreas, call the cops. We don't want their kind round here." |
| Boneheads. They departed illegally from a Greek port, have the Greek legal authorities and coast guard after them, and then decided it would be perfectly safe and reasonable to go to a Greek island to refuel. These people aren't smart enough to be chum. |
Greek coast guard spokesman Elias Sambatakakis said that authorities were "checking the identities of the passengers" and "the ship's documents."
| Ah yes, Greek bureaucrats. They've been developing their techniques for a long time. |
"It is not yet clear what will happen once procedures are completed," CNN quoted him as saying. "Obviously if the ship asks for permission to go to Gaza, this will be declined," he added. |