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From the left, Cliff Hanley, a Bristol artist, Siamak Alimi, IT coordinator and a UNISON officer at UWE, and Sakir Yildirim who was driving the massive 44-ton truck loaded with medical aid from Bristol to Gaza as they returned home at Temple Meads station on Friday.
The Bristol contingent left on Friday December 4. MPs and Councillors, including leader of the City Council Barbara Janke, gathered for a rally on the Centre for the send-off. Messages of support were received from all political parties in the City.
The contingent included the now-famous 44-ton truck painted with Banksy-style murals of Bristol & Gaza on one side, and Wallace & Gromit on the other. The group also included four vans and mini-buses and a team of nine specialists.
They joined the main UK Viva Palestina convoy in London on Saturday, December 5 and set off on their 4,000 mile-trip across Europe and the Middle East to Gaza. For the first week the Bristol group were camping in sub-zero temperatures in parking lots and lorry parks as they travelled through Germany, Austria, and through the mountainous Brenner Pass and into Italy.
They were given a warm welcome in Greece and a tumultuous welcome all the way across Turkey, Syria and Jordan. However the convoy was refused entry by Egypt across the Straits of Aqaba from Jordan, in response some Bristol people staged hunger-strikes and protests.
The entire convoy had to retrace its route over four hundred miles to Syria where it has had to travel down to the Mediterranean port of El Arish on the Egyptian coast. The ferry was shadowed by two Israeli warships. On arrival at Al-Arish there were further arguments over extortionate landing-fees, visas, and permission for all personnel and vehicles to enter Gaza.
Finally, the convoy was attacked by Egyptian riot police, there were several arrests, many injured, and vehicles damaged. The Bristol truck played a central role blocking one of the entrances to the compound to protect other convoy members.
After this the convoy was allowed to proceed, a few vehicles at a time, to the Rafah Crossing and into Gaza on Wednesday 6th January. They were allowed just 30 hours inside Gaza. During this time they delivered their aid to charity NGOs or direct to recipients. They also met local groups and people including the Elders of the Gaza Baptist Church, a famous Gaza political cartoonist, schools, an orphanage, and residents of a UN refugee camp built of mud-bricks.
On their departure from Gaza they were forcibly escorted to Cairo airport where some were detained for a long period of time with inadequate provisions and effectively deported.
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