Mid-Islanders for Justice & Peace in the Middle East (MIPJME)
For immediate release: Comox Valley contact: Judy Goldschmidt 250-331-9391 judy.goldschmidt@gmail.com
(For immediate release)…. The Women’s Boat to Gaza (WBG), a Freedom Flotilla Coalition initiative, will launch in September with an all-women crew from around the world. Three Canadian women are joining the Freedom Flotilla’s current campaign to break the illegal blockade of Gaza. Their mission highlights the indomitable spirit and Palestinian women’s role in the struggle of daily life under occupation. The WBG seeks not only to challenge the Israeli blockade, but to also show solidarity and bring a message of hope to the Palestinian people.
One of the three women, Nanaimo resident Eva Manly, will be speaking about the Women’s Boat to Gaza at the Comox United Church 250 Beach Drive in Comox, on Tuesday, September 6 at 7 pm. The public is welcome. Admission is by donation; all proceeds will benefit the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The event is co-sponsored by Mid-Islanders for Justice & Peace in the Middle East (MIJPME) and the Comox United Church Justice Church Committee.
Eva Manly is a retired documentary maker and photographer, whose work has been shown nationally and internationally. Eva devotes time to Syrian refugee work on Vancouver Island, and is also active in Mid-Islanders for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, the United Networks for Justice and Peace in Palestine & Israel, and the Canadian Boat to Gaza working for justice in Palestine and Israel. Eva’s partner Jim participated in a similar mission three years ago.
She will be joined by noteworthy international participants such as Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead MacGuire (Northern Ireland), Marama Davidson, Green Party MP (New Zealand/Aortearoa), Naomi Wallace, screenwriter and playwright (USA), Gerd von der Lippe, professional athlete and academic (Norway), and Çiğdem Topçuoğlu, professional athlete and coach (Turkey), who sailed on the Mavi Marmara in 2010 and whose husband was among the 10 people from that voyage killed by Israeli Occupation Forces.
The boats on this mission have been named Amal-Hope and Zaytouna-Oliva. Amal symbolizes the hope that this mission will bring to the shores of Gaza, and Zaytouna symbolizes the mighty olive, the tree of life in Palestinian agriculture.
Gaza has been called an open air prison for approximately 1.82 million people, which amounts to 13,064 people per square mile. According to a United Nations report, Gaza will be uninhabitable by 2020 due to the Israeli blockade. Come out and meet Eva, this courageous Nanaimo activist, and show your support for the Women’s Boat to Gaza. Tuesday, September 6 at 7 pm at Comox United Church. Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact MIJPME at 250-331-9391.
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Photo: Eva Manly, Nanaimo, is one of three Canadian women joining women from around the globe on a mission to stop the illegal blockade of Gaza by Israeli forces.