Picket of Israeli owned-ship at Deltaport

Picket of Israeli owned-ship at Deltaport in response to blocking of aid flotilla to Gaza
By Canadian Boat to Gaza | July 19, 2011

Activists from throughout the Lower Mainland will gather early Tuesday morning at Deltaport for an information picket targeting a major Israeli shipping company, Zim. The action is in solidarity with the aid flotilla to Gaza, which included a Canadian Boat and which has been prevented from sailing to the occupied and blockaded Palestinian territory.

The protest will take place Tuesday, July 19, 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m., Deltaport. Returning delegates from the Canadian Boat to Gaza, the Tahrir, will be among the participants in the picket Tuesday morning. The Tahrir was stopped from sailing to Gaza by the Greek coast guard.

“The Israeli government attacked our humanitarian flotilla with sabotage, threats of violence, and a great deal of political and economic pressure — that’s ultimately why the Greek government shamefully agreed to enforce the Israeli blockade,” said Irene MacInnes, a Vancouver member of the Canadian Boat to Gaza (CBG) who was among more than 30 Canadians on board the Tahrir.

“Our Canadian Boat and the Freedom Flotilla aimed to highlight the impact of the blockade of Gaza,” added MacInnes. “While Gazans cannot travel or ship exports by sea, massive Israeli companies like ZIM are able to freely do business around the world despite their connection to the unjust policies that bring so much suffering to Palestinians.”

Zim is by far the biggest Israeli shipping company, and one of the 10 largest in the world, with 60 weekly services to 180 ports worldwide, including Deltaport. This year’s Freedom Flotilla was a follow up to a similar effort in May 2010, when Israeli armed forces raided a Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara, killing nine activists. …more