Bristol to Gaza aid convoy given rapturous reception
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Warm welcome: One of the Gaza aid convoy drivers is greeted in Istanbul
An aid convoy including Bristolians committed to providing relief for long-suffering families in Gaza has reached the halfway point of its journey to the Palestinian territory.
Truck load: The HGV from Bristol is the convoy's largest vehicle
Six vehicles from Bristol and a team of nine people are travelling as part of the Viva Palestina Convoy, which has now reached Turkey to a rapturous reception from hundreds of local people.
The convoy, supported by city council leader Barbara Janke, former MP Tony Benn and Aardman Animations creator Nick Park, left the city on December 4 loaded with a huge range of equipment.
An HGV from the city is the largest vehicle in the group and, despite the 4,000-mile journey ahead of them and freezing nights spent camping along the way, spirits remain high.
Monica Jones, from Bristol, a translator in the Bristol group, said the welcome they had received had been “fantastic”.
“The welcome here has been fantastic – real warmth and kindness in the smiles of the people who wave to us by the roadside. And our hosts in the sports halls and stadiums where we stay are so generous – looking after us really well.
Flying the flag: A Turkish woman stands to salute the convoy
“We know they want to help us because they want to help the Palestinians so much. Loads of beautiful Turkish vans are now coming with us to Gaza. The convoy’s growing!”
A press conference was held in the Istanbul suburb of Feshane yesterday as the convoy arrived – with former MP George Galloway leading the speeches. He told hundreds of people who gathered to welcome the group that the convoy was a rescue mission for people who, he said, are being punished for electing the “wrong government”.
He added that “to kill children in Gaza because of the way their parents voted… was… an obscenity”.
The final leg of the convoy will be from Syria to Rafah in Egypt via Jordan. The main worry for the convoy is that their final entry into Gaza, scheduled for December 27, may be hindered by the Egyptian authorities.
Aid line: The ninety vehicles make their way into Turkey
On a similar convoy last winter, the convoy was attacked by riot police and aid such as warm clothes and children’s toys were removed. Since then Egypt has strengthened its siege on Gaza and a report in The Independent told of a new massive US-funded wall being planned to block the border.
The threat is real enough for Secretary of State for the Foreign Office, David Milliband, to contact the Egyptians to request safe passage for the convoy.
More than £20,000 was donated by Bristol organisations to the convoy, leading to a spokesman for the group to say: “When people hear we’re taking aid to Gaza they’ve been very keen to help. All the more so because this is a local grass-roots project. Support has come from all across the communities of Bristol – this is a cause that unites everyone.”
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