“THE hijacking of the MV Saoirse and the siege of Gaza” is the title of a meeting taking place on Tuesday 20, 8pm in Absolute Hotel at Sir Harry’s Mall. The meeting will hear from Zoe Lawlor when she refers back to the events that began on Friday November 4 when the Freedom Waves to Gaza flotilla was surrounded by up to 20 vessels from the Israeli navy. The flotilla was then attacked. These Freedom Waves ships, the Tahrir from Canada and Ireland’s Saoirse, were in international waters when the intervention occurred and roughly 40 nautical miles from the port of Gaza.
“The two ships were hijacked with violence and the 27 crew and passengers – including 14 Irish citizens – were then taken against their will to Israel where they were held in prison for a week before being ‘deported’,” reports Zoe Lawlor. A language teacher in UL, Ms Lawlor was one of the human rights activists on board the Saoirse.
At this meeting, some of the Irish citizens who participated in the Freedom Waves flotilla will talk about their experience.
They will explain why they attempted to breach the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza aboard the MV Saoirse. Speakers on Tuesday 20 include former Munster, Leinster and Ireland rugby player Trevor Hogan, People Before Profit Cllr for Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Hugh Lewis, local Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign member Zoe Lawlor.
Admission is free and the website for background information is www.irishshiptogaza.org.
