Canadian ship is part of humanitarian run for Gaza
NØ-MØre-CØns
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."
Greg Carr
> July 2, 2011
>
> Canadian ship in Gaza flotilla halted
>
> POLITICS - A Canadian ship carrying aid to the Gaza Strip has been halted and uis
Spelling error you idiot.
under 24-hour
> surveillance in an effort to prevent it from delivering aid Palestinians living in the Gaza
> Strip.
Error in syntax should be a to before Palestinians.
>
> 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 isn't afraid of the aid. It wants to inspect it before it is
shipped in to ensure Hamas isn't smuggling in weapons and ammunition
and explosives they are a terrorist group after all.
>
> 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.
Lie. There were no Jewish ghettos in Germany during WW2. All Jews were
either sent to death camps or concentration camps or were killed
outright and all property seized and all rights abolished.
>
> In 2010 nine activists on a Turkish boat died when the Israeli military attacked a similar
> flotilla.
Nine terrorists died after they attacked an Israeli boarding party
with knives, clubs and chairs and even threw one Israeli military man
overboard. The Israelis open fire in self defense.
What a stupid post.
paul tatarewicz
> Canadian ship in Gaza flotilla halted
"Why is Israel afraid
of our aid?”
It's not that Israel is afraid of the aid. Most likely its criminal
regime wants to make it so miserable for Palestinians that they will
move out enabling Israeli thieves to steal the rest of their lands.
Greg Carr
If Israel wanted more lands it would just invade Lebanon or Syria and
take it. The Gaza Strip is a very small parcel of land and wouldn't do
much for Israel.
no_one...@whatbusterthinks.com
<NØ-MØre-CØn...@govt.ca> wrote:
>July 2, 2011
>
>Canadian ship in Gaza flotilla halted
They think the Israelis will respond and they'll have a
propaganda coup, but everyone here already knows what they're up to.
Viejo Vizcacha
You are saying it like Israel could very well invade any country they
want in the Middle East and take as much land as they want, and nobody
would stop them.
And you are right.
VV