* This is a celebration of a life
fully lived for humanity *
Arrigoni loved, lived & died for peace in and he will always be remembered as one of the many fallen heroes on The Strip.
- Mohammed Elshamy
Friday 15 April 2011
Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank unite in mourning of slain activist Vittorio Arrigoni
Palestinians across the Gaza strip and the West Bank will join today in mourning slain activist Vittorio Arrigoni. People will gather both in the Al Manara square in Ramallah and at Al Jundi al Majhull, the unknown soldier park, in Gaza City. Mourners will be received at up by the ISM and local popular committees and BDS and civil society activists.
Gaza
16.00, Al Jundi AL Majhoul - demostration will move towards al Jundi al Majhoul, the unknown soldier park. A mourning tent will open at the fisherman’s port Al Mina al sayadeen
Ramallah
16.00, Al Manara square - gathering to commemorate Vittorio The crowd will then march to Al Bireh where mourners can pay their respect at an event held at the Al Bireh Municipality hall.
© VA
Further events will take place across the West Bank and the Gaza strip. Protest demonstrations have taken place fallowing the Friday prayer across from the UN head quarters in Gaza. The villages of Bil'in and Al Masara have dedicating their weekly demonstrations to Vittorio today. Tomorrow in Nablus the poplular committee has called for a commemoration in the centre of the city with political parties in condemning Vittorio's killing and celebrating his work.
© VA Immortalando lo storico sbarco
April 14, 2001 - Today, friend and colleague, Vittorio Arrigoni, a journalist and human rights defender working in the Gaza Strip, was kidnapped by Salafists, members of a very small extremist group in Gaza.
© VA
Vittorio has been active in the Palestine cause for almost 10 years. For the past two and a half years, he has been in Gaza with the International Solidarity Movement, monitoring human rights violations by Israel, supporting the Palestinian popular resistance against the Israeli occupation and disseminating information about the situation in Gaza to his home country of Italy.
He was aboard the siege-breaking voyage in 2008 with the Free Gaza Movement and was incarcerated in Israeli prisons several times. He was in Gaza throughout Israel’s brutal assault [Operation Cast Lead], assisting medics and reporting to the world what Israel was doing to the Palestinian people.
He has been arrested numerous times by Israeli forces for his participation in Palestinian non-violent resistance in the West Bank and Gaza. His last arrest and deportation from the area was a result of the Israeli confiscation of Palestinian fishing vessels in Gazan territorial waters.
Vittorio frequently writes on the issue of Palestine for the Italian newspaper, IL Manifesto and Peacereporter. Additionally, he maintains Guerrilla Radio and on Facebook.
Khalil Shaheen, a friend of Vittorio and Head of the Economic and Social Rights Department at the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said, "This is outside of our traditions. We are calling for the immediate release of my best friend.
Vittorio Arrigoni is a hero of Palestine. He was available everywhere to support all the poor people, the victims. I'm calling on the local authorities here in Gaza, and all security departments, to do their best to guarantee his safety and immediate release."
Vittorio was granted honorary citizenship for his work on promoting the cause of the Palestinian people. Members of Gazan civil society are demanding his release; tomorrow at 4:00pm there will be a mass demonstration in Jundi Square.
For more information, please contact:
1. Inge Neefs, ISM Gaza, English, 00 972 597 738 436
2. Silivia Todescini ISM Gaza, Italian 00 972 595 447 660
3. Nathan Stuckey, ISM Gaza, English, 00 972 597 650 864
4. Huwaida Arraf, Free Gaza Movement, English & Arabic
00 972 598 336 215
5. Adie Nisterooly (close friend of Vittorio's), ISM Gaza, English,
0041799407215
Traduzione ed edizione per la terra d'Albione concepita con materna cura da Daniela Filippin
International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led non-violent resistance movement committed to ending Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian land. We call for full compliance with all relevant UN resolutions and international law.
For specific media inquires such as interview requests, photo usage, etc. please email the ISM Media Office at media@palsolidarity.org
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