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http://www.rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/gazadelegation/2009/12/1300-activists-co nverge-cairo-we-are-blocked-we-will-not-be-st Code Pink Canadian Delegations to Gaza Coming up on December 31, 2009 is the Gaza Freedom March. Follow Canadian delegates David Heap and Wendy Goldsmith as they prepare and travel for the march, and join more than a thousand activists from around the word in an international action to open the borders to Gaza. For details of this initiative see: www.gazafreedommarch.org Following on the successful delegation of March 09 (which included rabble publisher, Kim Elliott), more than six further Code Pink delegations, including a delegation of Canadian Members of Parliament, traveled from Cairo to Gaza this summer to pressure the opening of Rafah border, and an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The border has effectively been closed since July 2007, when Israel imposed a blockade. Delegation members Kim Elliott, Sandra Ruch, Ehab Lotayef, Medea Benjamin, and Libby Davies have shared posts in this blog. For more on Code Pink's initiatives on Gaza, see: http://www.womensaynotowar.org/ 1300 Activists converge on Cairo: We are blocked but we will not be stopped By Wendy Goldsmith | December 27, 2009 Crowd of Gaza Freedom Marchers in Tahrir Square, Cairo (photo by Brandon Delyzer) 1300 Activists Converge on Cairo: We're Blocked But We Won't Be Stopped After two Gaza Freedom March actions and meetings today were shut down by Egyptian Police, over 1000 activists met outdoors tonight at Tahrir Square (our indoor meeting permit had been cancelled earlier). We are told that no buses will be allowed to leave Cairo with GFM participants headed for Gaza. However, at 7am tomorrow morning we will be at the garage where we were originally to depart from, ready to board buses to El Arish. Despite the setbacks, spirits are high and activists are willing to do what it takes to press for an end to the siege. Vive la France! The French Government has reportedly negotiated an agreement which will allow some 250 French marchers to travel to the border and cross into Gaza. Canadian participants are asking, "What about our government? Where is the official support for our humanitarian mission?" As different groups try diverse ways to get to Gaza and put pressure on authorities to ease restrictions, one thing is certain- things will continue to evolve quickly in the crowded, polluted chaos that is Cairo. ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
