STAY HUMAN Freedom Flotilla Renames Voyage in Honor of Vittorio Arrigoni
Organizatori Flotile slobode 2 odlučili su da će svoje slijedeće putovanje u Gazu u čast Vittoriju Arrigoniju nazvati: Freedom Flotilla – Stay Human. Stay Human je naslov Vittorijeve knjige i rečenica koju je često ponavljao. Svoje je tekstove i izvještaje redovito završavao riječima Stay human ili na talijanskom Restiamo Umani - Ostanimo humani, ostanimo ljudi.
The murder of human rights activist, Vittorio Arrigoni, is a tragedy for his family, for those of us who knew him, and for the Palestinians who loved and admired him. The Steering Committee of Freedom Flotilla 2 condemns this senseless murder and the people who are behind it. They took the life of one of the most passionate supporters of justice for Palestine. This murder is damaging to the Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice as well as our work in support of that struggle. In his honor, we are naming our next voyage, FREEDOM FLOTILLA – STAY HUMAN.
Mourners demand justice for slain theater director
Vittorio Arrigoni nije jedini aktivist ubijen u posljednje vrijeme (15. travanj 2011.)
Ožalošćeni prijatelji i obitelj ubijenog glumca i kazališnog redatelja Juliana Mer Khamisa sastat će se u nedjelju s palestinskim predsjednikom Abbasom i predati mu peticiju, te održati mirni prosvjed, kojima će tražiti zaštitu Kazališta Sloboda u Jeninu. Juliana Mer-Khamisa iz Haife u Izraelu ubili su 4. travnja 2011. nepoznati naoružani napadači koji su se u vozilu s palestinskim registarskim oznakama provezli ispred Kazališta Sloboda u izbjegličkom logoru u Jeninu na Zapadnoj obali. Istraga nije otkrila mnogo o ubojicama. Palestinske vlasti na Zapadnoj obali su uhitile jednu osobu, no ona je nakon ispitivanja zbog nedostatka dokaza puštena na slobodu. Međunarodnim je aktivistima savjetovano da neko vrijeme ne dolaze u kazalište zbog njihove sigurnosti. Nakon ubojstva palestinski umjetnici i intelektualci Palestinskoj su samoupravi uputili peticiju kojom su zatražili temeljitu istragu ubojstva, objavljivanje identiteta ubojica i njihovo privođenje pravdi. Također su zatražili zaštitu kazališta, zaposlenih i studenata koji su izloženi stalnim prijetnjama.
Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank unite in mourning of slain activist Vittorio Arrigoni
Palestinci u Gazi i na Zapadnoj obali oplakuju ubijenog aktivista Vittorija Arrigonija (15. travanj 2011.)
U petak (15. travnja) su organizirana okupljanja ožalošćenih građana u Gazi i Ramalli. Građani su odali počast ubijenom aktivistu, a pred sjedištem UN-a u Gazi održan je prosvjed. Tjedni prosvjedi koji su održani nakon džume u selima Bil'in i Al Masara bili su posvećeni Vittoriju Arrigoniju. U subotu se u centru Nablusa održala komemoracija na kojoj su sudionici osudili Vittorijevo ubojstvo i slavili njegovo djelo. Vittorio aktivno podržava pravednu borbu palestinskog naroda već 10 godina. Proteklih 2 i pol godine je s Međunarodnim pokretom solidarnosti pratio izraelska kršenja ljudskih prava i podržavao nenasilni otpor palestinskog naroda protiv izraelske okupacije u Pojasu Gaze i informirao javnost, kako u svojoj domovini Italiji, tako i širom svijeta, o tamošnjoj situaciji. Vittorio je o Palestini pisao za talijanske novine Il Manifesto i Peacereporter i zalagao se za bojkot, dezinvestiranje i sankcije protiv Izraela. Vittorijev prijatelj iz Palestinskog centra za ljudska prava Khaleel Shaheen je izjavio: „Ovo je crni dan u palestinskoj povijesti. U potpunosti osuđujemo stravično ubojstvo našeg prijatelja Vittorija. Zahtijevamo od lokalnih vlasti da odgovorne što prije privedu pravdi. Vittorio je zauvijek u našim mislima. On je heroj Palestine.“
Gaza in shock as Islamists kill kidnapped Italian
"He's very well-known, he lives among the people," said Huwaida Arraf, a co-founder of ISM. "Vit has repeatedly put his life in danger, put his life on the line in support of the Palestinians." A journalist colleague at the Italian daily Il Manifesto said he was "astounded" by Arrigoni's death. "We're also wondering how a pacifist who was wholeheartedly pro-Palestinian could be killed by Palestinians, even though you have to ask who those Palestinians were," Maurizio Matteuzzi told AFP. In Jerusalem, shocked Italian volunteers who had just left Gaza converged on a hotel in the city's annexed eastern sector, the horror evident upon their faces. "He was a lively, lovely person, we made fun of him because he was more Palestinian than Italian," said Simona Ghizzoni, a 34-year-old photographer who worked in Gaza for the Italian NGO Cospe. "He was a real believer and a real activist for Palestinian human rights. "When we got to the Palestinian checkpoint before Erez, there were all these Palestinians coming and saying 'We are sorry, we are sorry.' All the Palestinians I met are completely shocked and sad," she said. Arrigoni is the third ISM member to be killed in Gaza -- US national Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in March 2003, and a month later Briton Tom Hurndall was shot and critically injured by the army. He died in January 2004. In Gaza City, several hundred people rallied in the Square of the Unknown Soldier against the killing, while in the West Bank, around 100 people, most of them foreigners, marched through Ramallah to a house of mourning in El Bireh, an AFP correspondent said.
"A Beautiful Soul, a Big Heart": Italian Peace Activist Vittorio Arrigoni Slain by Militant Captors in Gaza Strip (video)
Salafijske skupine u Gazi sada tvrde da nisu umiješane u pogubljenje Vittorija Arrigonija.
And then the video popped up on the internet, showing him bound and blindfolded, with his face a little bit swollen and bloodied. Despite that—we started working right away, talking to everyone we knew, putting out an appeal to secure his release, and making sure that whoever had him knew what a tireless advocate for Palestinian rights Vittorio was. But, you know, even the horror of seeing that video and knowing that he was being held in that state, we didn't think—it didn't really cross our mind that they could harm him. He is such a beautiful soul. Anyone coming into contact with him would know just how committed he was. And I was sure that just if his captors would talk to him, they would see that, you know, ... All I know and all I could say is that Vittorio has one of the most beautiful souls, big heart, of anybody I've ever had the honor of meeting. And his killing is truly a loss for—you know, not just for those of us who knew him, but for all of Palestine.
Jeff Halper: REMEMBERING VIK
Vittorija je tijekom njegovog rada s palestinskim ribarima ranila izraelska vojska koja redovito otvara vatru na palestinske civilne ribarske brodiće u moru Pojasa Gaze. Izrael je na taj način u proteklih 10 godina ubio 18, a ranio oko 200 palestinskih ribara, te uništio mnoge brodiće i opremu. Vittorio je i prije proboja izraelske blokade brodovima 2008. aktivno pomagao Palestincima na Zapadnoj obali. Izrael ga je 3 puta pritvarao i zatim deportirao.
Vik was truly a person greater than life. He was so filled with energy, a mixture of joy, camaraderie and impatience with the confines of boats and prisons like Gaza, that he would suddenly lift you into the air, or wrestle with you – he was a big, strong, handsome guy, ebullient and smiling even in the most oppressive and dangerous situations – as if to tell you: Yaala! These Israel naval ships shooting at us and the Palestinian fisherman cannot prevail over our solidarity, outrage and the justice of our cause! (Vik was wounded in one of those confrontations). He would come up behind you and say: The Occupation will fall just like this! (and he would wrestle you to the ground, laughing and playing with you as he did). Vik, who like me received Palestinian citizenship and a passport when we broke the siege of Gaza and sailed into Gaza port in August, 2008, was a peace-maker exemplar. … He was especially known for accompanying the fishermen as they tried to ply their trade despite almost daily shootings at them from the Israeli navy, who confined them to the fished-out, sewage-filled waters near the Gaza coast. At least eighteen fishermen have been killed in the past decade, about 200 injured, many boats wrecked and much equipment ruined. But he was intimately involved wherever he was needed in Gaza, among the farmers as well as traumatized children, in times of distress – his book, Gaza: Stay Human, documents his experiences among the people during Israel's three-week attack in 2008-09 – and simply being with the people in their coffee shops and homes. Vik was what we call a “witness”: someone who put himself physically with the oppressed and shared with them their triumphs, tragedies, sufferings and hopes. Yet he was one who through his actions tried to affect genuine change. He, like Juliano, Rachel and so many others who have sacrificed themselves for peace and justice in Palestine and the world over, leave a huge hole in our hearts, our lives and in the struggle.
With Great Shock and Sorrow, PCHR Condemns Murder of Italian Activist, Vittorio Arrigoni
On Friday morning, 15 April 2011, security services found the body of Arrigoni in a house located in the 'Amer project area, west of al-Karamah building in the west of Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip. In his testimony, a PCHR staff-member reported signs of beating on the victim's face, signs of handcuffs on his hands, and signs of strangulation around his neck. The Ministry of Interior in Gaza issued a press release on Friday, condemning this heinous crime. It declared the arrest of two members of the group and the continued search for others. Arrigoni had worked in Gaza since 2008, when he arrived on board the "Free Gaza" flotilla, organized to break the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip. He devoted himself to the defense of Palestinians' rights, and participated in a number of activities against the closure, against violations committed by Israeli Forces against Palestinian civilians, particularly fishermen, and against the Israeli decision to impose a ‘buffer zone’ in the Gaza Strip. He was arrested by Israel forces on18 November 2008, while he was accompanying a number of fishermen off the shores of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. However, he returned to Gaza a few months later via Rafah International Crossing. Arrigoni was also in the West Bank for a few years before coming to Gaza. He has been known for his activity with the International Solidarity Movement.
Vik Vittorio Arrigoni (video)
Vittorio Arrigoni: pacifist supporter of the Palestinian cause
But Arrigoni's life was anything but safe. In September 2008 he was injured accompanying Palestinian fishermen at sea. Two years ago he received a death threat from a US far-right website that provided any would-be killers with a photo and details of distinguishing physical traits, such as a tattoo on his shoulder.
Solidarity Statements in honor of Vittorio Arrigoni
Vik you were dedicated, full of humanity, and fun. Your love for life, music and laughter meant that your presence always created a nice atmosphere for our youth and children in different occasions. You shared our lives in Gaza for more than 2 years. You danced Dabbka. You would always reach out and shake hands with little boys and girls in the streets. You would play football with them. You were there in our funerals as well as our weddings. And, more than that, you protested daily as a member of the ISM alongside with Palestinians on the borders against the buffer zone created by Israel where farmers were unable to reach their land. Viktor you were always there with the ISM and Palestinian people, in peaceful protests against the occupation, calling for justice, peace and a free Palestine. I have known Viktor for more than 2 years. He arrived in Gaza with the Free Gaza Movement in August 2008 and stayed in Gaza during the siege and the different ongoing atrocities committed by the Israeli occupation. He was a real radical revolutionary comrade. On another occasion we met at al Aqsa hospital in the middle of the camps when Bianca, a member of the ISM, was shot by the Israelis in another peaceful protest against the buffer zone. He was so angry and showed his anger in a very open way. An angry young man, with smiling, beautiful, and peaceful eyes. In my apartment in Gaza city we had a light dinner with friends and he was so happy and sang the nice famous Italian song Bella Ciao and translated it for us. I felt empowered and inspired by him.
Vale Vittorio Arrigoni, 'hero of Palestine'
Even after Israel's forces deported him from the West Bank he still took part in a direct action, associated with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), to highlight Israel's deportation of peace activists, taking a flight to Ben Gurion airport in the hope of being allowed to attend a peace conference in Bethlehem – only to be deported after spending Christmas 2005 in detention. I first met and interviewed Arrigoni while he was preparing for this action. He described to me how, after some years of suffering depression, he undertook volunteer work in Africa and Eastern Europe. He soon found himself in Palestine as part of ISM and felt that he had to do all he could to help bring about equality and human rights for Palestinians living under occupation and to raise awareness outside Palestine of the difficulties and injustices of their lives. … Arrigoni's brutal murder comes after the murder of a settler family and the shooting of theatre director Juliano Mer-Khamis last week. Writing as someone who has spent a great deal of time in the West Bank over the years, these events seem alien to the Palestinian culture of resistance I have come to know and respect. Such actions smack of some kind of dirty war, based on motives that have little to do with the ongoing struggle for Palestinian self-determination.
Vittorio Arrigoni: The man I knew
Vittorio se uskoro namjeravao vratiti u Italiju kako bi posjetio svog teško bolesnog oca, odmorio se od Gaze i ponovo se vratio s međunarodnom flotilom brodova koji će u Gazu ploviti u svibnju ove godine.
Vittorio Arrigoni tag on ISM site
Mother of slain Italian activist to sail to Gaza, flotilla change name in honor of Vittorio
Majka ubijenog talijanskog aktivista najavila je da će sa slijedećom međunarodnom humanitarnom flotilom slobode ona umjesto svog sina putovati u svibnju ove godine u Gazu. „Želim vidjeti Gazu koju je moj sin volio i za koju se žrtvovao. Želim upoznati dobre ljude o kojima mi je Vik uvijek govorio“. Dodala je da će se Vittorijevo djelo nastaviti kroz djelovanje njegovih prijatelja, te upozorila na činjenicu da je njenom sinu smrću prijetila jedna američka desničarska organizacija.
