Two days ago, 1,360 Gaza Freedom March activists from 42 countries including the United States intending to enter Gaza for a commemoration of the Gaza massacre of a year ago, were confronted by Egyptian security forces on the banks of the Nile. These international activists have been continually denied access to the Rafah border crossing, and some groups have been confined to their lodgings, bus stations, and embassies under threat of deportation.
Amy Goodman of Democracy Now reported just 24 hours ago on the dilemma activists faced by Egyptian repression of the freedom march. Egypt is clearly carrying water for the Israelis, but obviously, so is the Obama administration, which is totally quiet about this event.
The Gaza Freedom March is scheduled to start in less than 8 hours when this next video from Democracy Now was taken. In a plea, members of the March asked viewers to “call (their) local TV stations and encourage them to carry news coverage of this peaceful action for human rights. The delegates will not be turned away by fabricated ‘tensions’ at the border. The Israeli, Egyptian, US and European governments must act to end the siege of Gaza, but they will continue to ignore the situation as long as the people are distracted.”
No doubt that the American press and media are missing in action on this international story.
More recently, footage was taken of the Egyptian security forces attacking Gaza activists on Cairo streets. Although hundreds of Americans are among the 1,360 activists, the Obama administration is silent. This video is dated today, December 31.
Just getting back into swing here. The Viva Palestina convoy is en route to Gaza after having been turned away from entry into Egypt on a security fabrication if the convoy entered Egypt through a Red Sea port. After Turkey officials attempted to intercede, the convoy returned to Syria in order to enter Egypt through El-Arish, which is located on the Meditteranean. The convoy is now en route and will apparently miss, along with the Gaza Freedom March activists, the December 31 commemoration of Israel’s brutal massacre of a year ago.
Updates from the Cairo protests
Protest and police in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. (Photo: diptychal)
Mondoweiss reader Michael Brown sent this:
I finally found my Dad in the crowd. We were split up when he was pulled out first by the head. I got a vicious kick to the ribs around that time, but wasn’t pulled out for another two minutes. A woman, in tears, was thrown on top of me. I just read that Desiree Fairouz was thrown over a fence or barricade. Many were roughed up. Felt like open hand to my head, but it was the kicks that I think probably hurt people the most. Medics said I checked out ok. There was an Italian woman there who fainted and needed medical attention for a considerable period of time.
We stayed until about noon when the legal team thought it wise to get my father out. He’s 80 and it was a pretty strenuous morning, particularly as he’d been in the street and not on the sidewalk.
Here’s a video of Egyptian police moving protesters out of the street from Kayvan Farchadi with Sam Husseini:
And this report from Dave Bleakney, a Canadian delegate to the Gaza Freedom March:
SHAME ON THEM – FROM THE STREETS OF CAIRO
Too long to quote. LINK HERE: http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/updates-from-the-cairo-protests.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+feedburner%2FWDBc+%28Mondoweiss%29