Viva Palestina 5 Convoy Log. 21 September
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Picture: Turin Welcome by Asif B
21-9-2010
It should have been an easy ride from Lyon down through the Italian border and to Turin and then Milan. It didn't turn out that way.
As the first vehicles arrived at the border they were greeted by an arc of French border police. It was clearly pre-arranged. As lorries and cars sped across unaccosted VP5 vans were flagged down, each person had to hand over a passport and then that was phoned in to, presumably, police computer operators. Many of them were also searched - 'What, no weapons?' the senior police officer joked. Possibly!
The process meant that the convoy was split and each van left on its own into the Frejus tunnel which leads to Italy. Two hours later the last van was allowed to leave.
This meant that the day's programme had to be substantially curtailed as the delay wiped out several of them. However the Italian police were much more accommodating, dozens of motorcycle cops were on hand to escort the convoy into Turin, passing dozens of supporters, several of whom sent off smoke flares of welcome.
After a rally in beautiful Castle Square in the dying sunlight the vans set off for Milan and the first night under canvas.
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Viva Palestina leader appeals to Egypt not to exile him from Palestine.
Viva Palestina's international leader George Galloway today responded to the statement by the spokesman of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry that he would not be permitted to enter Egypt. The British parliamentarian is currently leading an international convoy to Gaza which intends entering the besieged Palestinian territory through the Egyptian port of Al Arish. Responding from Paris he said:
" I am currently leading a huge international effort to break the siege on the Gaza Strip, imposed by Israel and its allies to punish the people for how they voted in a free, democratic election. The convoy will travel through France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Syria and thence by ship to Al Arish. It will be joined by convoys which set out on the same day from the Gulf and from North Africa. I intend to continue to lead this convoy and I appeal to the Egyptian Government to reconsider the decision announced last night in Cairo. I was not deported from Egypt and I am not "persona non grata" there. No official notification of either has ever been conveyed to me. I have no wish to have a fight with the Egyptian government; my fight is with Israel.
"We have already shown our willingness to co-operate with the Egyptian authorities by re-routing to Latakia in Syria where we will complete all formalities required by Egypt. I am already forbidden to enter Palestine by Israel. If I am now unable to enter through Egypt this amounts to an exile from Palestine, a country I have struggled for these last thirty five years and which is deep in my heart. I ask my friends in Egypt to do all they can to persuade the government to change this decision. Meanwhile I will continue with my responsibilities to get the convoy of desperately needed aid through, and try to break the siege on Gaza. Long live Palestine, free, Arab, dignified."
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