“While Governments Fail to, We Will Continue to Act”: Interview With Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s James Godfrey

Of the 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza, about half a million are facing imminent death by starvation, as part of a famine being produced by Israel, according to Al Jazeera. At the beginning of the Gaza genocide, that masthead used to report the region’s population as 2.3 million, but the publication now estimates The Strip’s population has declined by about 160,000 over the last 18 months.

So, it was against this backdrop that allegedly Israeli government drones attacked The Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s ship, the Conscience, off the coast of Malta on 2 May 2025, as the volunteer group that was about to embark on a mission to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza was getting close to launching, and this had all been organised in a complete media blackout.

So, it appears the Netanyahu government is so determined to ensure that the Palestinians of Gaza don’t receive any lifesaving assistance whatsoever, that it’s prepared to clandestinely and illegally carry out an attack upon a vessel containing 16 foreign nations, in an action that seriously damaged the ship and could have easily killed the civilians onboard.

However, taking such illegal action in international waters likely doesn’t raise an eyebrow in Israeli political circles, as successive governments had been imposing a goods and persons blockade on Gaza since June 2007, while the complete starvation drive occurring now commenced in October 2023, and since then, it’s only been paused from late January  until 2 Marc 2025.

Not backing down

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) was established in 2010. That year the group attempted to sail a fleet of ships to Gaza, in order to provide the population with aid, as it was under a blockade limiting the amount of food entering the region. However, the Israeli military launched an operation to block the boats, which saw soldiers board the MV Mavi Marmara ship and kill nine people on 31 May 2010.

James Godfrey is a member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, who joined the group not long after the murder of some of its volunteers in mid-2010, while on the day of the recent federal election, he garnered local media attention, as he confronted finance minister Katy Gallagher, in regard to her own complicity and that of federal Labor in respect to Israel’s wholesale slaughter.

Sydney Criminal Lawyers spoke to Godfrey about the attacks that recently took place off the coast of Malta, the form of the Australian Labor Party in terms of how it has been dealing with the mass slaughter of civilians carried out by a nation that this one considers an ally, and how the Freedom Flotilla Coalition is not deterred and will be continuing on with its mission until Palestine is free.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s ship the Conscience was attacked by two drones just after midnight on 2 May, and the identity of the nation or entity behind the attack remains unknown.

The attacks seriously damaged the ship and injured 4 of the 16 civilians and crew members on board, at a point in time when the Conscience was stocked with humanitarian aid, as it was bound for Gaza.

The other FFC volunteers were scheduled to join those on board in the mission aiming to chart a humanitarian corridor to Gaza, in order to assist an entire population of over 2 million Palestinians being purposefully starved to death.

James, you’re a member of the FFC, and you’re currently in Australia. So, what are you thinking about the gravity around this attack on civilians, the implications it carries, and considering all this, why has the media coverage been underwhelming?

Some might say that the attacker is unknown, but we don’t really have any doubts that it is the state of Israel that’s responsible, and if it isn’t, they’re welcome to say that it wasn’t them who did it.

But they’ve got form in this. They’ve attacked Palestinian boats in Palestinian waters. They’ve attacked Palestinian solidarity boats in international waters.

So, they’ve got form, and we believe it was the Israeli government, given the research we’ve been able to undertake so far.

We’re continuing this research, in terms of what sort of craft was nearby the Conscience, and we’re putting together materials to demonstrate who exactly was involved, how they were involved and what was involved.

Palestinians in Gaza have the right not to be starved. They have the right to receive humanitarian aid, and according to the International Court of Justice, such aid should be increased.

Yet, the only ship that was carrying and preparing to receive more aid and sail to Gaza has been attacked by drones 14 nautical miles from the Maltese coast.

In terms of the media coverage, and the Australian mainstream media, well, it’s again been distracted by the Israeli government talking points, rather than focusing on the Israeli siege and its impacts, as well as the drones that attacked an unarmed humanitarian ship, which was 2,000 kilometres away from Palestine.

So, the world is entering what we might describe as a new phase, and we now need to determine whether we’re going to condemn and respond to actions like this, or are we going to give away all notion that international law has any meaning?

Despite the ship carrying civilians having been attacked not so far off the coast of Malta, the assistance that nation provided was initially disappointing, although it has further come to the table since those first days.

However, even with Malta determining to provide assistance, the FFC has since demanded that Maltese authorities don’t go out to the Conscience to assess the situation by themselves, as you’re calling for independent monitors.

In fact, the FFC has a whole list of demands that relate to how it considers the investigative approach to the crime and the assessment of it is undertaken.

Could you give us a rundown on what the FFC wants involved in the response to the attack on its vessel? And looking at the group’s past experiences, what can we expect is likely to occur?

In the first instance, we are after protection. We are after a harbour for our ship the Conscience. We are after guarantees for the crew that are still on board the ship, and the ship itself.

We need independent investigations, and we need the ability to repair the ship and change the crew, who warrant an enormous amount of care and respect.

So, these are the sorts of things we need. We need UN inspectors, independent inspectors, to be able to appraise the type of ordinance that has been used and the type of damage that has been caused.

We are working with Forensic Architecture, a respected nongovernment organisation. But we need forensics experts to be onboard the ship to be able to make a further appraisal of the evidence onboard this crime scene.

As to what we expect will occur, we don’t hold out enormous hope for independent investigations or for international legal bodies to step up, as they’re slow to act and sometimes, they don’t act.

So, then it is the job of us in civil society to put pressure on our local members of parliament and institutions to take action so that international law is applied, and such crimes on the high seas are investigated, with the people responsible being held to account.

After about 14 months of a wholesale slaughter and starvation program in Gaza perpetrated by the Israeli government, the Trump administration arranged for a pre-US presidential inauguration ceasefire to take hold in Gaza.

Yet, now in mid-May, the mass killing of civilians has recommenced and the block on humanitarian aid was reinstated on 2 March.

Following his inauguration, US president Donald Trump said his nation was going to remove the Palestinians from Gaza and take control of the territory itself. However, as of last week, Netanyahu is now saying the same.

A shift seems to have occurred in the way that the Gaza genocide is now being dealt with compared to the time prior to the January ceasefire. This came about post-Trump’s inauguration.

So, how would you describe what this change entails and what sort of shift has occurred around the way that the globe is perceiving the Gaza genocide?

There has definitely been a ratcheting up of pressure on Palestinians in Gaza, in the diaspora and the whole of civil society, here and across the world.

In response, we have observed here and around the world simultaneously that there seems to be a significant increase in support for the Freedom Flotilla and other actions that directly challenge Israel’s ongoing genocide, and the complicity of governments with that genocide.

That is the shift that has gone on as this genocide has developed into mass famine now occurring in the Gaza Strip and is being accompanied by relentlessly increasing bombardments, whilst there are aid trucks queued up at every possible crossing trying to get in.

We are trying to bring our small ships into the port of Gaza to try and open up a humanitarian corridor for other people to fill the urgent need of the Palestinians in Gaza for food, water, fuel and medical supplies.

On election day, you were caught on camera at a Canberra voting booth having a heated discussion with Labor finance minister Katy Gallagher about her party’s form when it comes to the Gaza genocide.

The Albanese government has been in office over the entire course of the mass killing.

So, how would you sum up federal Labor’s approach to the mass murder so far, and how do you expect it to change, if at all, now that the party has taken out a landslide victory at the recent election?

The Albanese government has been cowardly and deceitful, and it has been complicit in genocide.

Only one in three adult voters gave the Labor Party their number one vote, so to characterise this as any kind of landslide victory, well, it may be with seats in parliament, but that reflects on the parliamentary system we have, as opposed to the actual people’s confidence in the Labor Party.

Labor has seen a significant number of MPs re-elected on preferences of people, who didn’t actually give a Labor candidate a number 1 vote. We hope Labor reflects on that and acts accordingly.

There is going to be ongoing community pressure, and we hope that this will force change. We hope that our Freedom Flotilla can play its part.

The Albanese government has got a choice at the moment. This choice is whether it’s going to condemn and respond to these criminal acts.

Is the government going to stand up and ensure that Australia retains its sovereignty, that it protects international law, humanitarian principles, global peace and the law of the sea?

Will it stand up for these things? Will it acknowledge the rulings of the International Court of Justice and promise to adhere to the warrants issued by the International Criminal Court?

These are questions for the Albanese government now. We hope the members of parliament that have been elected from all parties and the independents, will speak up now and ensure there is change.

Also, those who continue to be responsible for genocide and those who are responsible for being complicit in genocide, which, as your readers would know, is illegal, under article 3(c) of the 1948 Genocide Convention.

So, complicity in genocide is an offence that is punishable, and those who are responsible, and may have committed complicity in genocide, should be prosecuted with this offence.

Lastly, the 2 May attack could have proven fatal for some of those on board. And while it’s not confirmed that Israel perpetrated the attack, when Tel Aviv has attacked FFC operations in the past, it has killed numerous civilians.

The bombing of the Conscience was certainly not the first time the current iteration of the FFC has experienced setbacks.

The Freedom Flotilla attempted to sail a ship carrying 5.5 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza in April 2024, but it was blocked that time when Guinea-Bissau was pressured into removing its flag from the ship, which meant the operation could no longer proceed.

James, the FFC has experienced similar setbacks to last week’s incidents, which go right back to the group’s beginnings.

So, considering all these setbacks, especially the fact that you’ve had two failed launches in respect to the current Gaza genocide, will FFC be continuing? And if so, what can you tell us about FFC’s determination, and what can you say about the logistics?

Without a doubt, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition is continuing. We certainly won’t be deterred by the platitudes of the Labor government or by bureaucratic obstacles, and we won’t be deterred by bombs.

We are continuing to prepare various vessels of all shapes and sizes, which will expose and continue to disrupt the Israeli blockade on sailing to Gaza.

Whether they reach Gaza or not, we will be continuing to do this, and we won’t be deterred.

Our course is the conscience of humanity, and we will continue to sail until the genocide ends, until the blockade has ended and until Palestine is free.

Since 2008, we have sailed over 35 vessels ourselves, which includes our predecessor organisation, The Free Gaza Movement.

We are not backing down. It is our responsibility to act, and we will act – while governments fail to, we will continue to act.