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Resistance See other Resistance Articles Title: Canadian ship in Gaza flotilla halted POLITICS - A Canadian ship carrying aid to the Gaza Strip has been halted and uis under 24-hour surveillance in an effort to prevent it from delivering aid Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip. After months of remaining secret, the location of the Canadian ship participating in Freedom Flotilla II to Gaza was found off the coast of the Greek seaside town of Agio Nikolaos. Greek authorities boarded the ship and tried to seize the ship’s transit log, which is needed to sail into the coastal waters of Israel. Flotilla organizers say acts of sabotage against other two ships in the flotilla of aid ships happened earlier this week. The Greek government, under pressure from Israel (and probably hoping for handouts since its under enormous financial strain right now), has blocked the Canadian boat and other ships from setting out to try and sneak past the Israeli sea blockade of Gaza and to deliver humanitarian aid to poor Palestinians who over the past decades have basically become prisoners inside their own country. “We are being Gaza-fied,” says Lyn Adamson, 59, a lifelong Toronto activist and chair of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace. “What we’re doing is perfectly legal and we haven’t given up,” says Adamson, one of 22 Canadians aboard the Canadian boat Tahrir (Arabic for “Liberation”). The ship is named after the square in Cairo where Egyptians gathered and toppled Hosni Mubarak early in 2011. “It’s clearly coming from on high,” said Adamson. “It’s really a shame that this Greek government would be pressured, as it has been, into stopping these boats. Why is Israel afraid of our aid?” Israel claims its sea blockade stops weapons from reaching Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, but it also stops food shipments, medical supplies and basically anything else you can think of. The conditions in the Gaza Strip are deplorable, similar to Jewish ghettos in Germany during WWII. In 2010 nine activists on a Turkish boat died when the Israeli military attacked a similar flotilla. On Friday night 36 delegates on the Canadian boat (including activists from Belgium, Denmark, Australia and Turkey) were sleeping aboard the Tahrir. 11 journalists from seven countries are also present on the ship. The activists come from all over, all ages and all religious/atheist backgrounds. The average age of people on the ship is 45. 33% of them are grandparents. Meanwhile... An American ship named “The Audacity of Hope” (after a book written by President Barack Obama) made a run for open water Friday. The Greek coast guard intercepted it after half an hour. So for now the ships sit in legal limbo, unable to leave Greek waters and head towards Israel's territorial waters. The food and medical supplies aboard just sit and wait. Updated: Sat Jul. 02 2011 ctvmontreal.ca Activists planned a quickly-organized demonstration Saturday at 4 p.m. at Bleury and President Kennedy's in response to the Greek government's decision to stop a flotilla designed to offer aid to residents of Gaza. Similar protests were planned for Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. The demonstrations were sparked by a decision made by the Greek Minister of Civil Protection to order the Greek coast guard to prevent the flotilla from departing Greece. Stephan Corriveau who was to be on the Tahrir, a Canadian ship in the flotilla, described the Greek action as "illegal." Corriveau promised that the Canadians on the flotilla, which includes four Quebecers, will take all possible non-violent measures to continue the voyage. Corriveau said that inspectors found nothing illegal in spite of their repeated searches of the vessels. He said that they were forced to remove a small rowboat Saturday full of first aid equipment. Activists are also unhappy with the attempt by Greek coast guard to arrest Sandra Rush -- a Canadian who refused to hand over the boat's registration papers. No one was arrested in the incident, but the boat was ultimately prevented from leaving the port for Gaza. Organizers are hoping to sail the Tahrir among a flotilla of nine Greek and foreign-flagged ships carrying humanitarian aid supplies to Palestinians in Gaza, in contravention of a blockade Israel says is needed to prevent weapons from reaching the Hamas militants who control the territory. Beyond decrying the blockade, the flotilla organizers also claim two of their ships -- one Irish vessel in Turkey and a Swedish ship in Greece -- were sabotaged by Israel earlier in the week. But Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor dismissed the allegation on Saturday, calling the charges "ridiculous" and "sad conspiracy theories."
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
Oh right, anything pointing a finger towards Israel is just a "sad conspiracy theory"....
#2. To: FormerLurker (#1)
Next to those in the war department the folks in the foreign service are the most notorious liars and hoodwinkers.
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