Viva Gaza!

by Adrian Roberts

A MASSIVE convoy of vehicles snaked its way out of London on Saturday bearing more than £1 million worth of aid for Gaza.

The Viva Palestina mission will travel 5,000 miles through France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, attempting to cross at Rafah in early March.

Hundreds of volunteers have signed up to deliver the aid, which includes 12 ambulances, a fire engine, a boat and lorries full of medicines, tools, clothes, blankets and shoes as well as gifts for children.

Respect MP George Galloway, who will join the convoy at points along the route, said that an "intifada" was sweeping Britain.

"It is a massive and peaceful movement in support of the beleaguered population of Gaza and Palestine," he said.

"It is happening everywhere but is especially strong in the north of England and especially among young Muslims."

Both the size of the convoy and the amount of aid it is carrying exceeded organizers' expectations.

"In barely a month, it has metamorphosed from an aspiration I threw out at the 100,000 strong pro-Palestine demonstration on January 10 to more than 100 vehicles and nearly 300 people from across Britain," said Mr Galloway.

"We will lead the biggest convoy of British vehicles across north Africa since Montgomery."

From London, it made for Ramsgate, Kent, to catch a ferry to Ostend in Belgium. The convoy then traveled down to Bordeaux, south-west France, for its first major stop.

A spokeswoman for Viva Palestina said that everyone was still in good spirits and there was an air of excitement around the convoy.

However, the convoy lost two of its vehicles on Friday night after they were stopped by armed police on the M65 near Preston as they headed from Burnley to London.

Three men were still being detained on Sunday after police were granted extra time to question them. Another six were released without charge. Police claimed the swoop was linked to an overseas terror threat.

A spokesman for Mr Galloway said: "Although they have been arrested under the Terrorism Act, we don't know why or what grounds or what evidence there is and they haven't been charged yet."

Police searched homes in the constituency of Burnley Labour councillor Wajid Khan, who said local people were "shocked" by the arrests as some of the individuals were well respected and had been working in the community for a number of years.

"They're seen in a positive light in their community," he said.

"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 counterterrorism operation?

"If this was because the aid was going to Gaza then it would be a very devastating consequence for community spirit."