IWGB Statement: Calling for the Immediate Release of Gaza Flotilla Activists

The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) condemns in the strongest possible terms the Israeli government for the unlawful detention of the peaceful humanitarian mission near Gaza.

Our union represents and is led by some of the most precarious and low-paid workers in the UK, with members from all around the world. For a movement founded on the struggles of migrant, outsourced, and overlooked labour, international solidarity is not an abstract concept - it is a core principle. The detention of activists attempting to deliver life-saving aid to those under siege in Gaza is a matter of urgent concern for all of us.

We are appalled that hundreds of peaceful human rights advocates, including Ewa Jasiewicz, a dedicated social justice campaigner and IWGB member, were seized from the Global Sumud Flotilla less than 60 nautical miles (69 miles) off the coast of Gaza. The mission’s sole purpose was to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid through the current blockade, which has created a humanitarian crisis in the region.

We demand urgent and concrete action from the UK Government and the Foreign Office to secure the safety of all those unlawfully detained by the Israeli Occupation Forces and to ensure their immediate and unconditional release.

We specifically call upon Keir Starmer, as Prime Minister, to take swift, decisive steps to:

1. Secure the immediate release of all those abducted from the flotilla.
2. Establish effective, protected humanitarian corridors to ensure aid reaches the starving population of Gaza without further delay or interference.
3. Hold Israel accountable for its actions and ensure the protection of civilians.
4. Suspend all arms sales and logistical support to Israel until verifiable measures are in place to prevent further harm to civilians.

We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to human rights and international solidarity. As a union built from the ground up by workers fighting for dignity and justice, we insist that the UK Government acts urgently to protect civilians, uphold humanitarian norms, and ensure accountability. The struggle for workers’ rights is inseparable from the global struggle for human rights and justice.