After over a week of unprecedented civil disobedience in Egypt, the majority of the 1,300 internationals that have been prevented from entering Gaza by the Egyptian government have returned to their respective countries. Beginning on December 27, a coalition of international organizations and individuals representing 42 countries arrived in Cairo under the banner of the Gaza Freedom March. The purpose of the march was to break the Egyptian-Israeli siege of Gaza which has prevented free movement to or from Gaza along its borders and has stopped Gaza’s sea and airports from functioning – resulting in an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis. The Gaza Freedom March was accompanied by solidarity actions across the world, including a march with an estimated attendance of 2,000 in Tel Aviv.

Upon their arrival in Cairo, most participants were unaware of the Egyptian regime’s December 20 statement indicating a reversal of their earlier plan to allow the march to proceed. Upon their arrival in Cairo on December 27, most of the 1,300 participants (roughly equal to the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza during the Israeli bombing “Cast Lead” one year ago) were informed that they would be prevented from going to Gaza through the Rafah crossing in the south of Gaza. The French ambassador to Egypt, Jean Félix-Paganon, indicated to the French delegation of the march that the Egyptian government was originally prepared to allow the march to proceed to Gaza, but the deal was rejected by Israel.

Conflict between Marchers and Egyptian Regime

Though the Gaza Freedom March had not originally intended to emphasize the role of Egypt in the blockade of Gaza, in response to the regime’s decision a consensus was quickly reached to immediately launch a campaign of civil disobedience in Cario. Sit-ins, protests, and vigils took place every day between December 28 and January 4. The later actions have been held in conjunction with Egyptian activists who had been all but silenced by Hosni Mubarak’s crackdown on dissent since 2005. The UN offices in Cairo, the respective embassies of the participants, the Israeli embassy, and the Ministry of Justice were all targets of international action. The protests received at least cursory attention in the mainstream Western media, with stories running in the New York Times, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, and the Christian Science Monitor. In Egypt, the marchers’ actions in Cairo received headline coverage in both opposition and (eventually) semi-official newspapers.

Despite the participants’ commitment to non-violent civil resistance as advocated by Obama in his June 4 Cairo address, many instances of police brutality have been documented by protesters [videos can be found on blogger Sam Husseini’s website. At the New Years Eve protest in downtown Cairo’s Tahrir Square, riot police and plainclothes government forces were recorded dragging, kicking and indiscriminately lashing out at international activists in an attempt to force them into penned in areas. International activists have been routinely been penned into areas surrounded by riot police to prevent their exposure to the Egyptian public.

Viva Palestina, a concurrent international effort attempting to deliver 150 vehicles filled with food and medical supplies into Gaza, has reported 55 wounded participants and 6 arrests after riot police charged their sit-in at El-Arish on January 6 [images and video can be found on Viva Palestina’s website. The sit-in was in response to a breach of the agreement, facilitated by the Turkish government in Aqaba, Jordan, committing the Egyptians to allow the full convoy entry to Gaza via the Rafah border crossing. Riots in Gaza over the Egyptian decision left three Palestinians and one Egyptian soldier dead on January 6. Viva Palestina was finally allowed entry into Gaza early on January 7.

Repression in Egypt

Today’s Egypt is a repressive police state - protests are virtually unheard of and brutally prevented. “Your presence in Egypt was like an earthquake,” said Suzanne, an Egyptian student. Prevented from exercising the limited freedom of assembly afforded to the internationals, Egyptians showed their support from their balconies and bus seats by waving, showing peace signs, and subtly smiling at the international delegates from behind the shoulders of rows of riot police. Plainclothes officers routinely moved through the crowds to filter out Egyptians who joined the international actions or even stopped to look.

Though the Gaza Freedom Marchers were handled roughly by international standards, torture, rape, and imprisonment without charge are realities for Egyptian critics of the regime. Ahmad Salah, a leader of the pro-democratic movement in Egypt, reports having been tortured almost to the point of death for his involvement in the planning of a nationwide strike on April 6, 2008. "The American activists and others beaten in the last week trying to march to Gaza…got a taste of the enormity of the police state apparatus here. It has gone from 200,000 when Mubarak took over to more than 2.5 million. Meanwhile, the army has shrunk from 1 million to 300,000. The enemy as far as the Egyptian government is concerned [are] its own people and anyone calling for democracy in the Mideast.”

Beyond the March

Though the Gaza Freedom March did not achieve its original goals, participants point to several important victories for the pro-Palestinian movement. First, through increased media coverage, the march has raised the profile of voices (especially American voices) against the blockade of Gaza. Second, at a group meeting on January 1, organizers of the march unveiled the Cairo Declaration. Spearheaded by the South African delegation, an international committee drafted the document proposing a unified international action plan for the BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) movement against Israeli apartheid intended to “compel Israel to comply with international law.” As of January 5, the Cairo Declaration included 128 initial signatories from 16 countries. Third, under the guidance of former Ambassador Ibrahim Youssri, the march has produced an international class action lawsuit against the Egyptian regime to be tried in Egyptian court.

However, for millions of Palestinians who routinely feel abandoned by the international community, the most poignant effect of the Gaza Freedom March may be the message of worldwide solidarity embodied by marchers. “During these years, we have felt unheard, unnoticed, and even unworthy,” writes Zeina Abu Innab, a Palestinian resident of Jordan. “You have revealed that this is no longer the case…You have shown us that somewhere, sometime, there are people who hear the cries of Palestinians under siege and occupation.…You have given us strength by proving to us that we are no longer alone. This is an aspiration that we do not take lightly.” Mohammed Omer, a resident of Gaza, adds, “For us, a population of 1.6 million being imprisoned and starved, the gratitude we express to you, the Gaza freedom marchers, is immense. Thank you all from the depth of our hearts!”

BM

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