George Galloway - From London to Gaza

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Huddersfield businessmen join £1m aid convoy to war-torn Gaza
Feb 14 2009
Huddersfield Daily Examiner

IT’S a case of from Huddersfield with love on Valentine’s Day. Local volunteers are today joining an aid convoy of more than 100 vehicles driving from Britain to war-torn Gaza. Zahid Akbar, 40, Pervez Rafiq, 38, and nephew Azeem Hussain, 27, will leave Westminster in London today with MP George Galloway and hundreds of others to deliver a gift of love to people affected by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The aid convoy is supported by the Stop the War Coalition and has been arranged by George Galloway and journalist Yvonne Ridley in conjunction with campaign group Viva Palestina.

Mr Rafiq said: “We were really shocked when we saw the news about Gaza and wanted to help. We’ve had a fantastic response from local businesses and got £30,000 of aid. The convoy is important not just for aid but to raise awareness of the atrocities out there.”

Fartown dad-of-two Zahid will be among those behind the wheel making the 5,000-mile trip over 17 days. The group will travel via France, Spain and the North coast of Africa until they reach their destination – Rafah on the Egyptian border with Gaza.

He is volunteering his services as a heavy goods driver to transport £1m worth of medical supplies, food and clothing. He said: “When I saw what was going on it touched me on a humanitarian level. I’m so lucky that my children are safe and warm while there are so many there suffering."

Each person involved has collected their own goods and financed their own trip. Mr Rafiq, of Crosland Moor, and Mr Hussain, from Thornton Lodge, have raised £30,000 worth of aid in just four weeks from Huddersfield businesses. This includes a Sprinter van for their journey and a caravan, discounted by Goodalls at Shepley. Both vehicles will be left in Gaza for use by charities or conflict victims. The aid items will also be handed over to charities working on the ground to distribute to the most needy.

Mr Rafiq, who runs Huddersfield legal firm, Ouch Compensation, will fly back. Kirklees College student and qualified psychologist Mr Hussain – who is being sponsored by Tint-A-Mania.co.uk – plans to stay on for six months to counsel some of those traumatised by the fighting. He said: “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of something amazing.”

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Sky have been much more fair in their reporting of Galloway's comments than the Glasgow Herald. But I still don't like the use of 'intifada'. I'm not even sure of the exact meaning, but the general understanding is that it means an uprising.

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It's clear from the decals on the vans that they were terrorists eh? This can only have been caused because of police ignorance, not intelligence.

[luke]

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Terror suspects in aid convoy
David Leppard
February 15, 2009
Sunday Times

THREE Islamist terror suspects who were arrested in northwest England on Friday night planned to leave the country under the cover of a humanitarian convoy to Gaza led by George Galloway, the maverick MP, senior police sources said.

The three suspects were among nine men arrested in a joint operation by police and MI5 while they were driving two vans on the M65 near Preston, Lancashire. Six were later released and three men, aged 26, 29 and 36, remained in custody last night. The men had been under surveillance for some time as part of what police described as “an ongoing intelligence-led operation”. Although details of the surveillance remain unclear, one source said the men were believed to be planning a terrorist operation abroad.

Police sources said the men were driving to Ramsgate to join a “Valentine’s Day convoy” of 110 vehicles due to leave the port yesterday. The relief convoy is being led by Galloway, the Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow. It comprises hundreds of volunteers and has the backing of various Muslim groups. The MP aims to deliver £1m of aid to Gaza, which is facing a humanitarian crisis after Israel’s military offensive. Photographs of the arrest scene showed a van bearing an image of a Palestinian flag. There is no suggestion that Galloway or any of the convoy’s organisers knew of the men’s plans.

Patrick Mercer, chairman of the Commons counter-terrorism committee, said the arrests highlighted concerns about the alleged international links of UK-based terrorist suspects.

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The second last paragraph indicates that The Times are directly alleging that these men were up to no good. But I can't imagine why, if they were intent on getting involved in some kind of direct action that they'd want to hide amongst others in this way. If they had the paperwork to travel on the convoy there'd be nothing to stop them from simply getting on a plane and flying to Egypt.

I see that The Daily Mail are indirectly (though, when considering the utter rabidity of their readers, it is very much a direct connection) linking Galloway to the suggestion of terrorism though... CLICK

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Terrorism arrests as men head for Gaza convoy
Police are questioning three men arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorism as they made their way to join a convoy to Gaza.
Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent
telegraph.co.uk
15 Feb 2009

Three vans were stopped by police on Friday night on the M65 in Lancashire as they made their way to London to join the humanitarian aid convoy of more than 100 vehicles led by the MP George Galloway. Lancashire police sources said there was "no imminent domestic threat" but refused to be drawn on whether the men were planning activity overseas.

Six men have been released without charge, while police were granted further time to question three aged 26, 29 and 36 – two of whom are thought to be converts. The arrests followed a surveillance operation by MI5 and officers from the North West Counter Terrorism Unit and Lancashire Police are continuing to search five houses in the Burnley area.

Wajid Khan, Labour councillor for Daneshouse with Stoneyholme, where the homes were being searched said Muslims in the area were concerned that the operation was aimed at stopping aid getting to Palestinian refugees. He said one of the men arrested and later released was a "respected member of the community who has been working in the community for many years" who was involved with Viva Palestina, the umbrella name for the group organising the convoy.

Mr Khan said all five mosques in Burnley had been involved in raising money for the convoy and added: "I think the biggest frustration within the community is that a lot of money's been raised for Gaza, you're trying to help people in a humanitarian crisis. "Some people might be thinking, is all this because this aid is going to Gaza or is it police conducting a counter-terrorism operation? If this was because the aid was going to Gaza then it would be a very devastating consequence for community spirit." He added: "We're very close knit and we all know each other. It's shocking for any community to have to deal with. It's important that people remain strong and co-operate. The police are doing their operation and we have to be patient. It's a difficult time for us."

Lancashire police put letters though the doors of local homes asking for residents' support and assuring them that the searches would be conducted with sensitivity. A police spokesman said: "Searches are ongoing at five houses in Burnley and three vehicles seized as part of the operation are also being searched as a priority in order to release them as soon as possible so they can continue on to their destination."

The convoy, led by Mr Galloway, the Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, is backed by the Stop the War Coalition and a number of Muslim groups. The vehicles gathered in Hyde Park before leaving for Ramsgate on Saturday and have now reached Bordeaux in France. The participants are aiming to deliver £1m of humanitarian aid including vehicles, medical supplies, food and clothing to the Palestinian territory which suffered during Israel's offensive against the extremist group Hamas in December and January.

Rob Hoveman, one of the organisers said they had not been contacted by police but the arrests were a "matter of concern." "The convoy has all been very spontaneous and bottom up," he added. "We know from our Manchester organisers that the six people released have had their passports returned and are hoping to catch up with the convoy, but we don't know if that will be possible."

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How odd that the Telegraph are the only 'quality broadsheet' that seems to have given the situation a fair appraisal.

[Brown Sauce]

it's weird that the only attention that the media is giving to this convoy, is the "arrest" of these folk. concentrating their efforts on made up belligerence and allegation instead of the humanitarian reality of it all only helps stoke the fires of radicalism.

is that what they want ?

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I think it's just that typically short-sighted heavy-handed police attitude. If they had even the slightest clue as to what was going on (they'd have needed someone with the ability to use the internet!) then this wouldn't have happened.

I'm guessing what they have on these guys is that they might have said something like 'fuck Israel, I'm going to help' and that was taken as a threat of terrorism. They've made a point of saying that they took at least one computer away, but real terrorists don't use their computer at home ffs!

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Not as easy as it sounds
Yvonne Ridley
17th February 2009

If you ever thought travelling in a convoy was easy, think again. This latest drive from Bordeaux in France to Madrid via San Sebastian in Spain was back-breaking and some of the vehicles just simply gave up ... unlike their drivers.

The indomitable spirit, true grit and determination of those on board Viva Palestina refused to be beaten by mere mechanical failures and set backs which challenge long distance travellers. Tool kits, spare parts and willing hands were in evidence everywhere, along with lashings of wonderful hot tea brewed by a man wearing a bright red Fez.

I'm not sure what time the main body of the convoy rolled up to a sports hall on the outskirts of Madrid but it is now 3am (gmt) on Tuesday and I know scores of my fellow travellers are still on the road. Unable to face the challenges of the steep hills, some have simply headed south to the ferry where they will wait for the rest of us to catch up.

Spirits were lifted in San Sebastian when all the vehicles pulled in to a giant car park where they were greeted by George Galloway MP, the mastermind behind Viva Palestina. We'll all be back up in a few hours time to get the latest news and developments planned en route from George.

There's still a long way to go, but as I talked to the group it is quite clear that the focus is Gaza and each and every one on board is determined to reach the Palestinians there. "It's that focus which keeps us going. We do feel like moaning, and it's only Day Three but we get our inspiration from each other and from the example set by the Palestinians. Let's face it, they could have given up a long time ago but their determination to rebuild their shattered lives feeds our determination to help them," said one man from Birmingham which is represented by 20 vehicles on the convoy."

Another morale booster, they say, has been Press TV's coverage on both the website and TV news which has been avidly watched by the families, friends and supporters in Britain as well as across the world. No other media outlet has been on the convoy since Day 1 apart from Press TV which is becoming the first station of choice for viewers tuning in to Sky 515 and other satellites in search of news without spin.

The reason for me filing this particular report to you so late? Well the Press TV crew also suffered a malfunction - our GPS system went down and yours truly did the navigating from Bordeaux to San Sebastian. I knew confidence in my map reading skills collapsed when our technical engineer Omid Gharbifard began using his compass and the position of the stars!

The good news is that we now have a replacement electronic navigating system in place and Omid has already keyed in the final destination ... Gaza City. So, can we do it? In the words of a certain Mr Obama: "Yes we can."

[DavidGig]

Great coverage, Faceless. Thanks.

(All that's missing are the excerpts from Press TV's news reports, but I admit that would be pretty hard to pull together. )

Here's the link to Yvonne Ridley's diary of the trip (where the above article can be found)--
Gaza Under Fire

[Brown Sauce]

Blackburn brothers are back on the road

Seven men from Blackburn set off today to join the Viva Palestina aid convoy to Gaza. These men were wrongly arrested on Friday evening on the M65 motorway as they drove to rendezvous with the convoy in London as it prepared to move off. They are taking three vans full of donations of clothing, medical equipment, nappies and children’s toys. The men have fundraised to pay for their vans, travelling costs and all donations and intend to leave the vans in Gaza as further donations.

Hailed as heroes for the efforts to join the convoy and their fundraising, the men met with Chris Chilvers, the North West organizer of the Viva Palestina aid convoy, before setting off for Dover at noon today. Dr Chilvers said, ‘They are very angry about their treatment at the hands of the police and concerned that, despite being released without charge, the police are still refusing to return donations from the vans, personal belongings and mobile phones. The police have offered no satisfactory reason for these violations’.

‘The seven expressed their determination to join the convoy and to keep the trust of all those that donated. Their effort is magnificent and reflects the power of this solidarity movement to support Palestine. By contrast, the police behaviour has been a disgrace’.

Due to the intercession of local councillors, notably Salim Mulla, and the Lancashire Council of Mosques, the Lancashire Police has agreed to meet the costs of getting the group to Tunis and offered safe passage to Calais.

The men will cross from Dover to Calais tonight in vans decorated with posters and salutations such as ‘from Blackburn with love’. They will drive through France to Marseille to join a 24 hour ferry crossing to Tunis in Tunisia. Here the group will meet the Viva Palestina convoy as it arrives from Algeria on Saturday morning. George Galloway is overjoyed that the group has set off and looks forward to uniting them with the convoy in Tunis.

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ain't that nice

[luke]

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Burnley 3 released!

The three men from the Burnley section of the Viva Palestina convoy who were held on Friday 13th on the M65, alongside the Blackburn Six, have now been released. They have spent six days in custody but this afternoon were freed with NO CHARGES against them.

We will post more details soon but we wanted to give you the good news as soon as we had it. The Blackburn brothers are now on a ferry from Marseille to Tunis, where they will meet up with the convoy in a few days time.

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Who'd have thought it eh? 6 days of questionning about nappies and medical supplies must have made for a lot of wacky moments.