Raw Mavi Marmara Footage Smuggled on Memory Card

Lara Lee, a Brazilian film maker who is now resident in the United States was making a documentary on the Mavi Marmara's mission to Gaza. When mobiles and other cameras were confiscated by the Israeli military Lara hid a memory card with footage of the attack under her clothes. She showed over an hours raw footage at the UN on Thursday and released it on the Cultures of Resistance website.  This is an edited 15 minute version.

Warning: this video includes distressing scenes

Israeli Attack on the Mavi Marmara, May 31st 2010 // 15 min. from Cultures of Resistance on Vimeo.

Action on the Gaza Flotilla

 FIRST HAND ACCOUNTS FROM THE MAVI MARMARA

A public rally to hear first-hand what actually happened aboard the Mavi Marmara  is being held tomorrow.The meeting will feature several activists from the Gaza flotilla along with other speakers. 7pm on Wednesday 9th June in Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London

Called by PSC and Viva Palestina with Trade Unions and other support

SIGN PETITION

Following Israel's attack on the Gaza aid flotilla, Avaaz.org has launched a global petition calling for an immediate, international investigation into the flotilla assault, full accountability for those responsible, and the lifting of the Gaza blockade. Please sign and circulate it. “investigate the raid, end the blockade”

Petition HERE

LOBBY YOUR MP

Please ask your MP to sign Early Day Motion 127 - Israel and the Gaza flotilla.

The motion, which has cross-party sponsorship, condemns Israel's attack on the aid convoy, supports the UN's call for an independent enquiry, and demands an immediate end to the blockade of Gaza.

 

Follow this link http://www.psc.iparl.com/lobby/50 to use PSC's  lobby tool, which takes less than two minutes

Convoy gets through - then Galloway deported

A volunteer hands over the keys to his vehicle

The Viva Palestina convoy have now handed their aid over to the Central Council of Charities - a non-governmental body of civic societies - at a ceremony in Gaza City. Convoy volunteers will now be visiting hospitals and other places where their aid will be put to use, as well as taking a tour of the devastated areas of Gaza.


Keven Ovendon, convoy leader, said "The level of support internationally for this mission has been tremendous. We`ve been understandably in a bit of a bubble - especially when we were barricaded in at the port of Al Arish. But we´ve got some sense of the scale of solidarity events and of media coverage.


"The sight of people lining the streets virtually the full length of the Gaza Strip, after waiting for 10 hours for our last vehicles to pass (thanks to further Egyptian delays) was the only vindication of that this initiative ever required.

"This was an incredibly diverse group of 518 people. Now we aim to build on that across the UK and internationally.

"Thanks to everyone who responded to the calls to action from the VP office. There are thousands of emails to respond to and we will do as soon as we can. We are now working on further plans for coordinated initiatives over the next 12 months, which will be announced shortly. "

British MP George Galloway was officially deported from Cairo today (Friday), when Egyptian plain-clothes police officers bundled him onto a London plane.


Galloway had been trying to return to Rafah after news broke that seven of the Viva Palestina convoy members were said to be arrested. Police, who at one point were numbered at 25 mainly plain-clothes officers, refused to allow him to return.

Information from Viva Palestina website

Viva Palestina Convoy Faces Riot Police

The following message has been passed on to me from the Viva Palestina convoy taking humanitarian aid to Gaza. Refused entry by Israel they attempted to cross via Egypt:

To all friends of Palestine


Our situation is now at a crisis point! Riot has broken out in the port of Al- Arish.

This late afternoon we were negotiating with a senior official from Cairo who left negotiations some two hours ago and did not return. Our negotiations with the official was regarding taking our aid vehicles into Gaza.


He left two hours ago and did not come back. Egyptian authorities called over 2,000 riot police who then moved towards our camp at the port.


We have now blocked the entrance to the port and we are now faced with riot police and water cannons and are determined to defend our vehicles and aid.


The Egyptian authorities have by their stubbornness and hostility towards the convoy, brought us to a crisis point.


We are now calling upon all friends of Palestine to mount protests in person where possible, but by any means available to Egyptian representatives, consulates and Embassy's and demand that the convoy are allowed a safe passage into Gaza tomorrow!


Kevin Ovenden
Viva Palestina Convoy Leader

Following her attention being drawn to the siutuation by Brent PSC, Sarah Teather, MP for Brent East has written to the Egyptian Ambassador and the British Foreign Secretary to urge humanitarian aid to be allowed to pass safely.

However the reply received to a similar plea by a Brent PSC member from the Foreign Office does not give much encouragement:

The UK Government's clear advice is against all travel to Gaza, and this is the advice we have given to the organisers of the Viva Palestine Convoy. While we understand the humanitarian motivation of such efforts, it is reckless to travel to Gaza at present and any medical and other essential specialist staff seeking to access Gaza should co-ordinate their entry to Gaza with the major international humanitarian organisations already on the ground......Entry to Gaza via Rafah is a matter for the Egyptian authorities and humanitarian organisations wishing to deliver aid to Gaza must work with the Egyptian authorities on methods of delivery. You should contact the Egyptian authorities for details of any planned openings.

URGENT: Help the Gaza Convoy On Its Way

The Egyptian authorities are blocking the Viva Palestina aid convoy at Aquaba by imposing impossible conditions ahead of it going through the Rafah crossing into Gaza. Viva Palestina is a registered charity which is delivering medical aid, food and educational materials following the devastation in Gaza carried out a year ago by the Isralei military. Israel continues to thwart attempts at reconstruction and recovery.

The Brent branch of Palestine Solidarity raised more than £500 from local people to help fund the convoy.  Martin Francis, Chair of the Brent PSC has written to the Egyptian Embassy asking that the convoy be enabled to go on its way.  His plea has been copied to Barry Gardiner MP for Brent North.

Readers may add their voices to this request by writing to the Egyptian Embassy at eg.emb_london@mfa.gov.eg and copying to their local Member of Parliament http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/

NO HIDING PLACE FOR LIVNI

The Brent branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign were organisers of a demonstration by the PSC and other Palestine solidarity organisations outside the Hendon Hall Hotel in North London on Sunday. The protest was against the Jewish National Fund's decision to ask Tzipi Livni to address their Conference at the hotel. Livni is the former Foreign Minister of Israel who justified the bombing of civilians during the Gaza offensive of December 2008 and January 2009 which resulted in the deaths of 1400 Palestinians, many of them children, and injured 5,000.

The venue had been kept a secret by the organisers to prevent demonstrators disrupting the event but protestors had discovered where the meeting was to be held by last Friday. A quick mobilisation by telephone, text and internet followed.

About 100 demonstrators braved a cold Sunday morning to make their views known. In the event it turned out that Livni had cancelled her trip for fear of being arrested for war crimes. See the Guardian

The Hendon Hall Hotel had been kept in the dark about who the special guest was and the manager has reportedly since apologised for having hosted the conference and told the JNF that they are banned from using the hotel again. She sincerely regrets any upset caused and said that she was unaware of the political situation in Gaza and Tzipi Livni's role. She has apparently offered a free B&B as a prize in a raffle run by any charity supporting Palestinians.

Full report on the demonstration and pictures HERE