Eyewitness Account of Raid on Freedom Flotilla
I received this from the Doha-based Fakhoura Campaign, whose director was on the Marmara and recounts in detail what happened on the ship.
Farooq Burney, who was on board the Mavi Marmara ship, also said activists who snatched pistols from the commandos removed the cartridges and threw them away, contradicting Israeli assertions the weapons were used against the boarding party.
“We were surrounded by the army and from the window they were telling us to sit down and not to move,” he said.
“And during this time people inside were dying, they were just passing out and we made up this big sign … and we wrote on it ‘S.O.S., Please provide medical assistance’ and we were announcing that constantly on the PA system.”
The links provided of the coverage are worth going through:
In support of the Al Fakhoora campaign’s mission of promoting education, our director Farooq Burney was travelling with a consignment of laptop computers bound for students in Gaza when the conflict occurred.
Fortunately, Farooq was unharmed during the attack that left nine activists dead and several dozen wounded. Following his detainment, Farooq was deported to Turkey and is now back in Doha.
Although Farooq was not physically injured during the raid, he was on the second deck of the Mavi Marmara as the commandos dropped onto the boat and he witnessed this tragic, violent confrontation up close. Farooq has been sharing his story about what really happened during the raid on the Mavi Marmara with the media.
You can read his chilling account here:
Reuters:http://bit.ly/94ZzMZ
ABC News:http://bit.ly/98OHaX
CBC News: http://bit.ly/99ZNOp
Globe and Mail: http://bit.ly/cjZUWr
CTV: http://bit.ly/9m5itO
Toronto Star: http://bit.ly/aveCyZ
The Peninsula: http://bit.ly/aVZwS1
We will continue to post updates regarding this situation on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Now more than ever it is critical to raise our voices against the blockade that is crippling the lives of Palestinian students and families in Gaza.
In solidarity,
The Al Fakhoora Campaign
About Al Fakhoora
Al Fakhoora was established under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah and is part of an international movement that supports student advocacy to raise awareness of the plight of students in Gaza. It has committed to providing 100 scholarships a year for 10 years for Palestinian students in post secondary education in Gaza and is working with various international agencies including The United Nations Development Program and the Islamic Development Bank to rehabilitate universities in Gaza, improve the quality of education, provide psychosocial counseling to students, and deliver prosthetics to youth in need. Learn more at www.fakhoora.org.
06/04/2010 at 12:18 am
Thank you for all you’re doing on this, Leila. I’m posting all your posts to my facebook, and hope many others are also sending ripples outward, even if most of us are not leaving comments. We’ve got to do all we can to make sure the sacrifices that have been made count.
06/14/2010 at 2:10 am
Thanks for all this really great information. We must also thank Her Highness Mozah Bint Nasser, wife of the Emir of Qatar who funds this.
I really hope that Palestinians can find a family as strong as the firm rulers of Qatar who can take charge and make all the political decisions for all the people. Who needs this democracy rubbish!