The Danica Violet is a ship — part of a seven-vessel fleet — operated by H. Folmer & Co., specialising in explosive cargo. In December 2024, it delivered over 18,000kg of demolition explosives from India to Israel. This journey was just one of twelve the fleet has made since December 2023.

The Danica Violet’s explosive cargo was denoted as “HMX prepared explosives (10 KG)” in bills of lading — contracts between shippers and carriers that detail the type, amount, and destination of goods being moved — obtained from India. These explosives may have been used in recent home demolitions in Jenin in the West Bank.

Following recent research about the fleet by the Progressive International and the Palestinian Youth Movement, which revealed that the Danica Violet was headed to France, legislators from La France Insoumise raised the alarm and called on Emmanuel Macron and the French state to deny the ship harbour.

"At a time when Donald Trump threatens to ‘rekindle hell; and plans the U.S. annexation of Gaza, allowing this stopover would be a clear act of complicity in the extermination of the Palestinian people," said La France Insoumise.

"Reports from international organisations and independent observers continue to mount, leaving no doubt that we are witnessing a crime against humanity… We will never accept that France becomes a link in the chain of this crime."

Shamefully, the Macron/Bayrou government permitted the Danica Violet harbour in Toulon, contributing to genocide.

One week ago, another ship from the fleet, Danica Sunrise, left Haifa en route to Cartagena, Spain. It is currently in the middle of the Mediterranean. The Danica Sunrise’s sister ship, the Marianne Danica, was denied harbour at the port of Cartagena by the Spanish Foreign Ministry in May 2024.

More recently, an American vessel named the Sagamore delivered a new shipment of 2,000-pound bombs from the US to Israel. This is the same boat used by the Joe Biden administration to construct the so-called “Gaza pier” — a $320 million structure erected for 90 days off the coast of Gaza to support Israeli occupation forces in carrying out the genocide. The Sagamore was operated for almost a decade by Maersk and is now run by a New York-based company named Sealift Inc. The Palestinian Youth Movement has documented the ship’s role in reports prepared for the Mask Off Maersk campaign.

We call on progressive forces across Europe and around the world to help track, trace, disrupt, and dismantle the arms traffic to Israel.

Latest from the Movement

WE ARE HIRING: Coordinator — Arab World and The Hague Group for Palestine

The Progressive International is recruiting a coordinator as (1) Arab World Regional Lead, and (2) Program Support for The Hague Group for Palestine — to manage organizational expansion, campaigns, and actions in and related to both.

You can read more about the role and learn how to apply by clicking here.

Ecuador

The Observatory of the Progressive International has expressed critical concern regarding the integrity of Ecuador’s electoral process as the country prepares for the second round of its presidential election. First, we note the false claims of electoral fraud made by the incumbent Daniel Noboa, which lack substantiation. These unverified allegations, coming from the highest levels of government, and the release of the only exit poll authorized by the CNE, whose results contradicted by far the official results presented by the electoral body, undermine confidence in the process and destabilize the democratic system.

Second, we are troubled by the spread of disinformation online, particularly the baseless accusations against Andrés Arauz, Executive Secretary of the main opposition Revolución Ciudadana party, which allege his systematic orchestration of fraud with foreign assistance. Such claims are entirely unsubstantiated and appear to be part of a deliberate strategy to delegitimize the opposition and contribute to a climate of general hostility.

Third, we highlight the activities of the Armed Forces, which continue to exceed their mandated competencies as established in the Ecuadorian Code of Democracy. The operation of an electoral monitoring unit represents a significant overreach for the military in the democratic process in Ecuador and raises questions about their neutrality in the coming weeks of the campaign.

The Progressive International remains vigilant in monitoring these developments — and calls on all political and social actors to refrain from spreading unfounded allegations, engaging in intimidation, or otherwise interfering in the country’s electoral process.

We urge respect for the popular will and reiterate our commitment to promoting free, fair, and transparent elections in Ecuador and across the region.

Support for The Hague Group

This week, UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, published an article in The Nation magazine endorsing the formation of The Hague Group of Nations. She argues, “If we are to salvage an international legal order in this current moment and move toward one in which imperialism and colonization do not continue to dictate its application, the international community, and the Palestinians most of all, must see this initiative grow.”

Read her full article here.

Also this week, La Via Campesina (LVC), the global movement representing millions of peasants, small-scale farmers, landless people, Indigenous communities, migrants, and agricultural workers, welcomed the establishment of The Hague Group. In a statement, LVC argued, “The Hague Group must serve as a vehicle for decisive measures that enforce international law and end the impunity that has emboldened the perpetrators of genocide.”

How to win an Energy Embargo for Palestine

Energy Embargo for Palestine and shado mag are organising an event “How to win an Energy Embargo for Palestine” on Thursday evening in London, supported by The Watermelon Index.

The event will reflect on organising beyond a ceasefire and their recent research which exposed BP’s supply of oil to Israel through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, despite Turkey’s supposed trade embargo.

The People’s Academy

Guided by the intellectual and practical work of socialist construction in the Global South, we are building a platform to enrich the debates, theories and strategies that underpin our common struggle for a better world. You can learn more about the program and sign up on the People’s Academy website.

Art of the Week

Varunika Saraf (1981, India) is an artist and art historian based in Hyderabad, known for her large-scale paintings on Wasli. Saraf has said Thieves in the Forest symbolises “every forest where human greed plays out.” The artwork portrays development as a euphemism for repression, violence, mass displacement and extraction of natural resources “leading to deep humanitarian and ecological crises.”

This artwork, limited to 100 prints, is part of a series of limited-edition artworks on creative resistance, inspired by Indigenous solidarity with Palestine. Proceeds from the sale of this artwork support Progressive International. For more info visit the PI Workshop.