Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 protesters gathered here, June 12, to condemn the Israeli massacre on human rights activists bringing aid to Gaza and to demand an end to the blockade of Gaza.

Speaking to the crowd, Karen Sullivan of the Anti-War Committee stated,

This massacre was not an accident. This was one of many deliberate actions upon the part of the Israeli government to keep international solidarity from connecting with the Palestinian people. I can speak to this personally. Last summer I was invited by the Palestinian Women’s Union to come to the West Bank, but I never got past the airport in Tel Aviv. I was held and deported by the Israeli government. They did not want me or anyone associated with the peace movement to see the conditions they inflict on Palestinians. I am not alone. Thousands of activists have been denied entry into the country and deported. American academic and activist Noam Chomsky was detained and deported just the other month. George Galloway and his caravan were denied access to Gaza on their last attempt. We need to demand justice for the murdered activists on the Gaza flotilla. They are people just like us – activists in solidarity with Palestine.

On May 10, 2010, the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, consisting of six civilian ships and 700 human rights activists and journalists from over 40 countries, set sail for the Gaza Strip carrying 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid for Gaza’s besieged civilians. At 4:00 a.m. May 31, heavily-armed Israeli naval commandos rappelled from helicopters onto a Gaza Freedom Flotilla ship, the Mavi Marmara, while it was traveling through international waters approximately 90 miles from the coast of Gaza. To gain control of the ship, Israeli commandos opened fire on the civilians, killing at least nine and injuring many more. All 700 passengers on board the six boats were abducted and forcibly taken to Israeli prisons.

A statement from rally organizers noted,

Israel’s deadly attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and its illegal blockade of the Palestinian Gaza Strip would not be possible without the military and diplomatic support of the United States. While the world reacts in horror to this military assault on an aid convoy carrying wheelchairs, cement, water purification systems, children’s toys and notebook paper to Gaza – all items barred by Israel’s blockade – the United States continues to give Israel unconditional support and over $3 billion in annual aid.

The protest was sponsored by the Coalition for Palestinian Rights and endorsed by the Anti-War Committee.

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