Gaza Freedom March u Kairu01. siječanj 2010.
Oko 200 prosvjednika prosvjedovalo je u petak ispred egipatskog veleposlanstva u Londonu, nakon što se proširila vijest da je egipatska policija u Kairu protiv mirovnih aktivista upotrijebila silu. Prosvjednici su egipatskog predsjednika pozvali da humanitarnom konvoju Viva Palestina dopusti da uđe u Pojas Gaze. Prosvjednici su uzvikivali parole poput „Mubarak opsada mora prestati“, „Mubarak Zid će pasti“, „Slobodna Palestina“ i „Mubarak cionist“.
Oko 500 aktivista Gaza Freedom Marcha iz više od 43 zemlje u Kairu je prosvjedovalo ispred izraelskog konzulata i tražilo okončanje opsade Gaze. Prosvjednici su pjevali: „Prekinite okupaciju“ i „Bojkotirajte Izrael“. Zatražili su od svojih vlada da odgovorne za ratne zločine koje je Izrael počinio u Pojasu Gaze i ostatku Palestine privedu pravdi u skladu sa svojim obvezama prema međunarodnom pravu. Prosvjednike je okružila egipatska policija za suzbijanje nereda. Egipatski građani koji su prolazili pored prosvjeda mahali su prosvjednicima ili trubili kako bi iskazali svoju podršku prosvjednicima i njihovim zahtjevima.
02. siječanj 2010.
VIVA PALESTINA bi 02. siječnja trebala krenuti na 20 sati dug put brodom iz Sirije do egipatske luke Al-Arish. Brodom bi trebalo putovati oko 60 aktivista i vozila s humanitarnom pomoći, a preostalih 450 ljudi koji ne stanu na brod trebali bi u Egipat stići avionima. Iz VIVA PALESTINE poručuju da su slijedeća 72 sata kritična za njihovu misiju, jer nije poznato što će egipatske vlasti ovaj put izvesti kako bi ih pokušale odvratiti od njihovog cilja. U konvoju očekuju najgore, no ne sumnjaju da će im na kraju vrata Gaze biti otvorena. Naravno, sve također ovisi i o vremenu. Za sad aktivisti očekuju da će u Al-Arishu (koji je od Gaze udaljen 25 km) biti u nedjelju poslije podne. Posljednji put kad je konvoj došao u Al-Arish, egipatska je policija vozila s humanitarnom pomoći i nenasilnim aktivistima gađala kamenjem i fizički zlostavljala aktiviste. Ovaj puta u konvoju očekuju isti doček i pripremaju rješenja u slučaju da se takvi postupci egipatskih snaga ponove. Najavljuju da ih nakon prevaljenih 5000 milja kopnenog i morskog puta, nekoliko udaraca šakama neće odvratiti od nakane da dostave humanitarnu pomoć u Gazu. Aktivisti očekuju da će egipatske vlasti odugovlačiti 2-3, a možda i više dana, prije nego konvoj puste u Gazu i za sad se nadaju da će se 06. siječnja moći vratiti kući. VIVA PALESTINA je na putu za Gazu od 05. prosinca 2009.
Više informacija: VIVA PALESTINA & Gaza Freedom March
Još nekoliko linkova o Gaza Freedom Marchu:
Gaza Freedom March activists target Egypt's complicity
To avoid the detention and harassment experienced at the hands of Egyptian security forces over the last few days, delegates travelled clandestinely to the venue in small groups and pretended to be tourists. Despite these efforts, a hotel housing a large contingent of the march participants was barricaded early this morning by Egyptian police. Nobody was allowed to leave for several hours, causing many to miss the protest. Outside the Egyptian National Museum, the hundreds of small groups waited for a secret signal and instantly swarmed together, forming one large group, and began marching down the road. This tactic had to be adopted because any large gathering of people before the march would have been broken up by police. After marching for approximately 20 meters, hundreds of Egyptian riot police rushed toward the crowd and encircled them. In an effort to peacefully hold their ground, marchers sat on the ground. In what was a surprisingly heavy-handed response to foreigners, the police began pulling, beating and kicking protestors to get them out of the road. While rows of riot police shoved the group from behind, police at the front and sides pushed back, causing panic and hundreds of individuals to fall to the ground. Several women were punched, kicked and dragged out of the road, while many elderly persons were pinned beneath others who had fallen on top of them. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries beyond a few bloody noses and people who had sustained cuts and bruises.
Gaza Freedom March
And, yet, it seems that we Americans have turned our backs on the people of Gaza; we are doing nothing to end the siege, which is creating enormous suffering. We have done nothing to compel Israel to end the siege. Indeed, the US is presently facilitating a strengthening of the siege: it was announced last week that the Army Corps of Engineers is assisting Egypt in further isolating the people of Gaza by helping in the construction of a huge underground wall. This wall will cut off the only remaining sources of food, clothes, medicine, and all other necessities of life, which now enter Gaza through tunnels from Egypt. How shameful that the US is working to increase the suffering of the people of Gaza rather than to diminish it. ... In Gaza, because of US complicity with Israel in the blockade, people do not have enough food, clean water or medicine. There are no books or paper for school children, and the schools that were bombed cannot be rebuilt because building materials are not allowed into the Strip. Unemployment is at 75 percent. There is little hope in Gaza. ... And, yet, when we US citizens attempt to speak with representatives of our own Embassy - in a client state - about our desires to help alleviate a dire humanitarian situation, we are detained for hours like animals and refused an audience. Is this the audacity of hope? Is this change we can believe in? We ask our government to live by the words of our president and to help us end the illegal and immoral siege of Gaza.
Gaza Freedom Marchers issue 'Cairo Declaration': End Israeli Apartheid
We, international delegates meeting in Cairo during the Gaza Freedom March 2009 in collective response to an initiative from the South African delegation, state:
In view of:
-- Israel's ongoing collective punishment of Palestinians through the illegal occupation and siege of Gaza;
-- the illegal occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the continued construction of the illegal Apartheid Wall and settlements;
-- the new Wall under construction by Egypt and the US which will tighten even further the siege of Gaza;
-- the contempt for Palestinian democracy shown by Israel, the US, Canada, the EU and others after the Palestinian elections of 2006;
-- the war crimes committed by Israel during the invasion of Gaza one year ago;
-- the continuing discrimination and repression faced by Palestinians within Israel;
-- and the continuing exile of millions of Palestinian refugees;
-- all of which oppressive acts are based ultimately on the Zionist ideology which underpins Israel;
-- in the knowledge that our own governments have given Israel direct economic, financial, military and diplomatic support and allowed it to behave with impunity;
-- and mindful of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (2007)
We reaffirm our commitment to:
Palestinian Self-Determination
Ending the Occupation
Equal Rights for All within historic Palestine
The full Right of Return for Palestinian refugees
We therefore reaffirm our commitment to the United Palestinian call of July 2005 for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) to compel Israel to comply with international law.
To that end, we call for and wish to help initiate a global mass, democratic anti-apartheid movement to work in full consultation with Palestinian civil society to implement the Palestinian call for BDS.
Minneapolis Demonstration for Peace in Gaza
