Wave After Wave: Freedom Flotilla
The recent Freedom Flotilla ships seized in international waters by the IOF were not the first, nor the last to try to break the illegal naval blockade on the, now starving, population of Gaza.
Mskwaasin Agnew is aboard another vessel determined to draw attention to the issue and force western governments to act. She speaks about the need for risk and sacrifice, of making an impact and of how this is also part of the global Indigenous resistance to colonization.
Mskwaasin, is an Indigenous Harm Reduction worker and fierce activist based in Toronto.
Hosted by: Jessa McLean
Call to Action: Track and Draw Attention to the Conscience's Mission
Related Episodes:
- Blockades and Bail Conditions (May 2024), also with Mskwaasin, who shares her experience of being arrested during a recent railway blockade in Toronto in solidarity with Palestine.
- Freedom Flotilla Coalition (July 2025), Family physician and activist, Dr. Yipeng Ge, speaks from the deck of the Handala.
More Resources:
- History of Freedom Flotillas
- Greta Thunberg welcomed to Greece after deportation of Gaza flotilla activists
- Israel intercepts Gaza Sumud flotilla vessels: What we know so far
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Transcript
Greetings, friends. My name is Jess McLean, and I'm here to provide you with some blueprints
Speaker:of disruption. This weekly podcast is dedicated to amplifying the work of activists, examining
Speaker:power structures, and sharing the success stories from the grassroots. Through these discussions,
Speaker:we hope to provide folks with the tools and the inspiration they need to start to dismantle
Speaker:capitalism, decolonize our spaces, and bring about the political revolution that we know
Speaker:we need. And we're back. After pausing for a couple of weeks, the most amazing interview
Speaker:opened up, one with a previous guest who is currently doing everything she can to stop
Speaker:the genocide in Gaza. Will we all be able to look back and say as much? As I record this,
Speaker:dozens of activists kidnapped by Israeli forces, civilians from all over the globe, are arriving
Speaker:in Greece and other parts of Europe after being deported by the Zionist occupation. They had
Speaker:been part of another wave of ships, part of the Freedom Flotilla, that seeks to break the
Speaker:siege on Gaza. These were not the first ships, nor will they be the last. When we spoke with
Speaker:Dr. Yipeng Ji while he was on board the Handala, we talked about the history of activists using
Speaker:this method to draw attention to and break the naval blockade, the illegal blockade, on
Speaker:what is now a starving population of mostly children. The most recent large flotilla of
Speaker:humanitarian aid, over 40 ships, were first tormented by the IOF and then seized, all in
Speaker:international waters. As some of these activists are arriving home, we are also hearing of
Speaker:their inhumane treatment in Israeli prisons, something Palestinians have been telling us
Speaker:about for generations now. But none of that has stopped people from continuing to board
Speaker:ships still bound for Gaza. Our next guest included. Ms. Squassin is with us again, this
Speaker:time from the Conscience. She'll introduce herself in a moment. Now, despite our best efforts,
Speaker:the sound quality is what you'd expect from aboard a busy ship in the middle of the Mediterranean.
Speaker:Please stick with it, though. She is a force that needs to be heard. We were able to speak
Speaker:with her just before her drone watch shift and very much appreciate her time. We've also
Speaker:linked our previous interview with Ms. Gwassen, blockades and bail conditions. You can find
Speaker:that in the show notes. Before we get into it, do us a favor though, will ya? Share this episode
Speaker:with a friend. Give the show a little boost. I also want to give a big thank you to the
Speaker:folks who reached out during my little hiatus. There are good people out there. and I am grateful
Speaker:I found some of them through this little podcast. Keep taking care of each other out there. Now
Speaker:here's Ms. Squawson. So, okay, let's just give us the bare facts. Where are you right now?
Speaker:What are you doing? So I, we just sailed south across the Crete. I went to the port Fortaleza,
Speaker:right to see Chaka Asa, currently aboard the ship.
Speaker:Who else is on the boat with you there? Yeah, so we are a group of men and women journalists.
Speaker:Currently there are targets on the path of course, there's complete media block out and there's
Speaker:also assassinations on way to the city.
Speaker:How long have you been a sail? So we left September 30th but I've actually been abroad for quite
Speaker:some time. I have left SoCal's Cairns after the island on September 12th. That's the way
Speaker:it's happening here in the boat. I was originally in a Josio Corsica, which is the pilot sub
Speaker:of the Frac. I was with Dr. Suzanne Shiusho, who went to Seattle with him, unfortunately
Speaker:due to mechanical issues. We were not able to sail. And then I went to uh Kenya, which
Speaker:is in Sicily. I did some training there, then headed up to Toronto. uh
Speaker:It makes the flotilla all that more impressive when you understand the the routes everyone
Speaker:had to take to get there, but it just demonstrates, you know, folks' determination. I saw you
Speaker:talking to Rachel Smalld right before this. She talked about, you know, instilling the
Speaker:idea of pushing for more risk, perhaps, and sacrifice, and keeping that kind of mentality.
Speaker:Do you want to hit on that a little bit, expand on your mission there beyond, you know, Blake
Speaker:exposing the blockade and breaking the siege. uh quite ridiculous that civilians are coming
Speaker:to take this action. For two years, it's been genocide. The health center has been occupied
Speaker:for 48 years with several genocides of same. But it's supposed to show that it can be done.
Speaker:There are vessels that have reached the surface. And this has been a movement that's been happening
Speaker:for almost 20 years. There's people on this vessel that have failed in terms of the war.
Speaker:There's people that are here that were on the Pondoloff, that were imprisoned when I was
Speaker:the first strike. And we're talking about, you know, one of my comrades here, is in his 70s,
Speaker:is on the vessel again. And it just shows the determination that some people have in the
Speaker:face of miscarriage. People are willing to put their lives and their bodies on the line to
Speaker:take action. And this is what it takes. We can't rely on our government to do what's right.
Speaker:We stand in community. We've just been gaslit by the police and government so hard for the
Speaker:past two years. It's just, you know, even recognizing Palestine as a state but not placing sanctions
Speaker:on Israel, not implementing a two-way arms bar go. It's just meaningless. And as an Indigenous
Speaker:woman, we have the Two-Term Reconciliation Commission and the 94 Calls to Action. We have our own
Speaker:state-of-the-art Indigenous women and the calls to action there. None of those have been implemented.
Speaker:We're seeing our right to call as Indigenous people. trample on. so just comes as no surprise
Speaker:to me, really. But this is what it takes. And I think we're happy with the escalating people
Speaker:having to this for a long time. I mean, it is what it takes. We always say we keep us safe.
Speaker:And that doesn't just apply to in the streets. It's, know, globally, it seems our responsibility
Speaker:as well. There's almost comfort in that, though, in letting people kind of let that sink in.
Speaker:that it takes community, takes citizens, because even when we do rely on states, maybe we
Speaker:see some of the other European states launch ships, ah but that didn't stop them from being
Speaker:intercepted by the Israeli uh forces there. Forty-two ships just were uh intercepted,
Speaker:the activists kidnapped. detained. We don't know the status of all of them, but that's,
Speaker:you know, getting details here and there. Are you part of a larger group or is it just
Speaker:the conscience now that's a sail? So we just met up with the thousand-month lanes, as I'm
Speaker:sure if we're going to be continuing to sail with them, our vessel is quite large. It's
Speaker:incredibly how far they've come. weather that they've had to endure. So we're a little bit
Speaker:faster. there's technical stuff to consider. So it's not sure if we're going to be able
Speaker:to stay with them. But we just met up with them today and that was pretty incredible.
Speaker:And they left out of Catania. I talked to Yipaeng Ji about the mission there, wasn't just a
Speaker:single ship, but the focus was on the Handala at the time and there were some observer ships.
Speaker:but he spoke of creating wave after wave, knowingly that the chances of reaching the shores of
Speaker:Gaza were slight, that didn't deter anybody. And now it seems there is quite literally wave
Speaker:after wave. ah Is that your expectation that ships will just continue sailing until the
Speaker:job is done? Yeah, absolutely. Like I said, it's been 20 years of this movement, happily.
Speaker:You know, I think as we approach winter months, it'll be harder for people to do that. We would
Speaker:see civilian vessels coming up close to Turkey, I don't believe are going that way. But you
Speaker:know, people doing everything they can and even if you can't get there on vessels and wait
Speaker:to get to sail there, you need to to take back some of your So you've just seen an uprising
Speaker:all over the world, people in solidarity with Palestine, setting down forests, blocking
Speaker:all forms of transportation and commerce that is completely being disrupted. So that's how
Speaker:we can fight actually, close to winter months. But I assume that as soon as people can
Speaker:and are fighting more flowchillers as we speak, I'm sure. Did you decide to get on the flotilla?
Speaker:Were you invited or were you determined to find a way to sail? Because we all feel like I
Speaker:want to do more and you certainly found a way to try to do more. So yeah, I've been organizing
Speaker:a long time. ah didn't start organizing yesterday. I didn't start organizing October 7th because
Speaker:I have a big community of people and comrades that I trust. And it was actually my colleague,
Speaker:Dr. T-Zam, who called me on a Sunday and was like, do you want to get on the slow pillow
Speaker:with me? And I was like, yeah, let's go. I didn't even think twice. It was just an immediate
Speaker:yes. And we left on a few days. So I had two days to prepare. But I didn't think twice
Speaker:about it, and unfortunately, ah She wasn't able to sail with me on the content, but she was
Speaker:here with me in my heart. We do a lot of work back together at home. We do frontline work
Speaker:back together at home. So I felt confident going in with her. She does incredible work. It was
Speaker:actually through her education that I ended up on this vessel. The folks of Canada, Bocasas
Speaker:saw the importance of the first nationals to be here. and supported me. So I'm really grateful
Speaker:for that. I've been following you on IG, or wherever ah you come across my feed. And I've
Speaker:noticed you're carrying some flags with you in your journey. And you left on a very significant
Speaker:date. Let's spend a little bit of space here tying Indigenous resistance movements between
Speaker:Turtle Island and Palestine. Yeah. uh So people have been seeing me carry this warrior flag
Speaker:around. was actually a gift from a week's date to someone who's a land offender. And she had
Speaker:actually brought that standing rock. So that's where it started. then of course there was
Speaker:a coyote camp. didn't get a checkpoint. so that flag was waving there. uh and now it's here
Speaker:with me on the way to Gaza. indigenous resistance is worldwide. It's not just on Toronto Island.
Speaker:uh You might have seen some of the images of the young Palestinian girl waving a warrior
Speaker:flag in Somalia, in Palestine. And so it's just, to me it's a symbol of strength, resilience.
Speaker:and honouring the origins of our ancestors in those true warrior teachings which is to
Speaker:take care of young and the old and consider the next generations, the generations that
Speaker:came for us, right? And so just practicing that and you know it was through Eve, if you can
Speaker:guess that flag, that I brought that flag here. Originally my comrade, Arthur Henson, who was
Speaker:a student from Great Greenland, was supposed to join me so he left her free-led leg so
Speaker:I'm flying that too. My partner who's in Tsunami uh is a warrior and uh he had his Tsunami leg
Speaker:flying up land by land for a few years so I thought that would be cute so there's just
Speaker:a lot of good medicine there that I've gotten with me. Beyond how long it took you and how
Speaker:many stops you made, what has been the biggest surprise of this journey to the Freedom Flotilla?
Speaker:For me, I was really surprised at that one vessel we could know. that I had flown away
Speaker:and that men and their crew were able to pass the Flotilla. I don't know how, I don't know
Speaker:what they did, but I'm like, wow. really hope that we have a chance to do something
Speaker:similar. There was a blockade of 20 IOWA warships. you know, even one zodiac is intimidating.
Speaker:They're facing water cannons, stump water, know, intimidation. These guys are armed.
Speaker:This is no joke. There's really occupation forces here, not a joke. So when I saw that,
Speaker:was like, it's possible, it kind of happened, and we could make it to Gaza. And to me, it
Speaker:felt real. And then also just seeing like health city and fishermen being able to fish
Speaker:without being shot at. I cried tears of joy that made it worthwhile for me to see people
Speaker:like that just for the first fish on their land and their waters, which they have every right
Speaker:to do. And you know, of course, being part of nation's fisheries is a part of our life, our
Speaker:way of life. Actually, before I just came to be in France,
Speaker:It'll be interesting for me to hear from you after all of this, just as a reflection on
Speaker:the experience, but you must understand that a lot of folks are watching you and getting,
Speaker:you know, feels and getting inspired and are grateful. What other kind of impact are you
Speaker:hoping to make on, you know, your comrades back in so-called in Toronto? I hope people shut
Speaker:it down. I people shut it down. I just like, I'm like, please. do something.
Speaker:That's my greatest hope. I hope that people who are athletes start becoming athletes. I
Speaker:have a bad knee. know, I'm tired today. I saw what you're There was a white national hockey
Speaker:rally that happened in the... I was like, hell yeah, it's somebody who doesn't normally go
Speaker:to actions to often and it was just a friend of mine that I was like, I'm gonna get up and
Speaker:move in a couple of days. So just little things like that, messing with just like that, you
Speaker:know, know, I know, people who might not be politically aware or even understand what's
Speaker:what's happening in Palestine are starting to pay attention now. so just creating that, that
Speaker:awareness, creating that, creating that spark in other people has meant a lot. I hope that
Speaker:it can continue and show itself in a lot of different ways. How will it feel if you see
Speaker:the shores of Gaza? I'm going to cry. Probably collapse from exhaustion.
Speaker:Obviously, there's people in Palestine that are watching us and it's giving them hope,
Speaker:but they've given us more than we could ever give to them. I know that over the two years,
Speaker:people that have come into Gaza, people that I've tried to support. know, through me trying
Speaker:and whatnot. Just thinking of those two boys. You know, do you see? I did that all my life,
Speaker:because I'm really starting my journey. Really showing up in the biggest way that I can. So,
Speaker:it's gonna feel... I don't know. I'm gonna have a lot of feelings. And I'm pissed off. I'm
Speaker:pissed off. You know, like, I'm f***ing a lot ways too because that this is that we've had
Speaker:to do this and this is what it's taken and I know people reach out to me and say we're worried
Speaker:for you and some of those people haven't said a word about Palestine and it's like why Why
Speaker:is my life more about the school life than the college student? the answer is racism. The
Speaker:answer is xenophobia. The answer is poverty. uh People know that there's a genocide happening.
Speaker:They just don't care. Or they're blinded by money. Or it just seems like it's a world away.
Speaker:It's not. It impacts us. It impacts our democracy. You've seen how Palestinian solidarity protests
Speaker:have created bubble zones, protest zones. And I know that you've spoken about that and talked
Speaker:to people about that. It's like, man, this is impacting your own democracy. And it's like,
Speaker:how come I'm pissed off because it's like, how can we have to do this to make people care?
Speaker:Like, where's the humanity in our school? So I just have like a whole range of emotions
Speaker:and our anger is secret. Our anger is secret and so we have to hold onto that. Yeah, I saw
Speaker:someone tweet or just, you know, express that they never thought they'd spend like the last
Speaker:two years losing respect. for a huge amount of people in their inaction. And sometimes
Speaker:that's one of the hardest parts to grapple with. when we see folks like you and the other, you
Speaker:know, hundreds and hundreds of people who have signed up for the Freedom Flotilla have gone
Speaker:or who are waiting to go, it reminds us that Not as a whole, haven't lost our humanity.
Speaker:um The flotilla is just so demonstrative of what we want everything to be. I know it sucks
Speaker:so bad that our comrades are on ships, risking their lives, and you're going out there and
Speaker:making these sacrifices. But like I said again, that's what it's going to take anyway. The
Speaker:UN won't save them. And if they do, what will that mean anyway? oh It'll mean more levels
Speaker:of colonization and it's just, it's astonishing. But it is astonishing that we're at this point.
Speaker:yeah, again, I was watching you on live right before this and talking how we've been locked
Speaker:out of government, right? And the folks you were talking about to get to this point, right?
Speaker:We pleaded with them, we asked for this, that, and the other thing. They gave us recognizing
Speaker:the state of Palestine and they're hoping we go away. and using other tools to scare us
Speaker:to go away. But no, no, the movement is relentless. What do you hope the flotilla gives the movement
Speaker:as a whole? A little bit of boost? Yeah, yeah. I mean, I was kind of blown away by people
Speaker:celebrating the fact that the Italian and Spanish vessels had joined the Samud. And it was kind
Speaker:of like... From the beginning, I had really mixed feelings about that, because one, it
Speaker:demonstrated that these countries could have been sending humanitarian aid the whole time.
Speaker:The other was just a complete sabotage of their mission to try and convince them to hand over
Speaker:their aid to what? Even to the Israelis, right? And even Maloney making the comment that the
Speaker:flotilla would somehow damage or... somehow impact the peace talks that Trump is having
Speaker:with Israel. And it's just complete nonsense and utter bullshit. I don't understand how
Speaker:people don't see through it. it's like, you know, even Canada talking about sending troops
Speaker:over for a peace mission, we know what that looks like. We saw what happened in Iraq and
Speaker:Afghanistan. It's no secret to us. And we shouldn't think that this is going to be any different.
Speaker:And so the people of Palestine have their own sovereignty. their own agency and they deserve
Speaker:their whole independence from the river to the sea. Right? And it doesn't mean a two
Speaker:state solution. And that's what this is about. Yeah. I mean, not a lot of liberals listen
Speaker:to this show, so everyone else is just like, you know, nodding along with you, Ms. Gwasson,
Speaker:for sure. Like no one I think is at least listening here is is falling for that kind of shit.
Speaker:You know, we are very hungry for any kind of kernel of hope. So I do understand when, you
Speaker:know, someone declares they're sending warships to escort the flotilla. It's that glimmer,
Speaker:that state recognition to maybe the uneducated is like, ooh, ooh, something, But it's obviously
Speaker:sometimes far more dangerous. And again, like, yeah, it's just, there's no sense in waiting
Speaker:for the state all this time. We've been petitioning them and calling them. And I heard you say
Speaker:that is important and it is, but we're really talking to each other. Right. We need each
Speaker:other to rise up. We don't need our politicians to do the right thing. Cause that's just piecemeal
Speaker:shit. Right. As if it does, if this, this does anything, uh, it's build a worldwide uh movement
Speaker:that's so much more determined and educated and experienced. Um, and I feel it. it'll
Speaker:lead us somewhere, you know, even beyond a free Palestine. I do. I've definitely seen a shift.
Speaker:mean, like, in the past, you know, month that I've been traveling around the EU, you know,
Speaker:just the uprising that's happening around the world, you know, it just it gives me hope.
Speaker:even if people, like I said, aren't on a flotilla, they're shutting down those ports and they're
Speaker:shutting down those rail systems. in every way that they can. We're seeing unions step
Speaker:up like they never have before. Hopefully, know, North Americans can take some inspiration
Speaker:from that as well. But yeah, it does give me hope. uh I think I uh just from my standpoint
Speaker:here, you know, just looking at everything happening and just being so immersed in this genocide
Speaker:over this past month has just really... kind of giving me, giving my head a shake a little
Speaker:bit. I bet that's an understatement. Yeah. Um, I, again, I appreciate you taking the
Speaker:time to come on and let us know how you're doing and what you're doing and why you're
Speaker:doing it, even though, you know, we, we understand, um, it seems silly to say stay safe out there,
Speaker:but I still want you to stay safe out there. We need you comrade, but ah I understand what
Speaker:you're doing and I applaud you for it. And even then that's again, major understatement. ah
Speaker:So yeah, do stay safe sister and get some rest when you can. I will. Thank you so much, Jessa.
Speaker:It's always a pleasure to talk to you and just keep doing the good work. Thank you so much.
Speaker:You too, sister. Okay, bye for now. Bye for now. Take care. That is a wrap on another
Speaker:episode of Blueprints of Disruption. Thank you for joining us. Also, a very big thank you
Speaker:to the producer of our show, Santiago Jaluc Quintero. Blueprints of Disruption is an independent
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