Pro-Palestinian activists detained in Cairo while marching for Gaza aid
Image: Jimi Matthews
Over 200 international pro-Palestinian activists, including notable figures like Mandla Mandela, were arrested in Cairo, while attempting to march to the Rafah border crossing to demand increased humanitarian aid for Gaza.
Among the detainees were activists from Algeria, Australia, France, Morocco, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States and South Africa.
Mandela, Chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council and grandson of former South African president Nelson Mandela, was among the activists who were detained at a checkpoint for over six hours on June 13.
Basheerah Soomar, the head of the South African delegation for Global March to Gaza, was among 53 South Africans, who travelled to Cairo, Egypt, as part of the delegation.
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'About half of us left South Africa for Cairo on June 11 and the remainder left on June 12. Seven South Africans were detained at the airport upon arrival. They were kept for a few hours without being told why they were there, along with activists from other countries, including Greece and Spain.
'Our embassy put immediate pressure on the authorities to demand reasons for their detention and release. The authorities could not give a clear answer and eventually allowed them into Cairo where they rejoined the bigger group,' said Soomar.
She said after the issue at the airport, none of their delegates were detained again but most of them had their passports forcibly removed at various tollgates as they were leaving Cairo to travel to Ismailia, a city in north-eastern Egypt.
'We were travelling in small groups of two to four people via taxis and Ubers when they trapped us into a large group at the tollgates. We were stranded without our passports and they forced us into a group to make it seem as though we were gathering illegally.
'We were held at these points for up to six hours before our passports were returned. Some people from our delegation were violently thrown into buses and others peacefully complied. We were then dropped off at random points across the city.
"Half of the delegates have since returned to South Africa, while the other half have flights booked to return to the country by the end of this week. They are all safe and all 22 of them will return home this week. They are able to return whenever they want but they are not there under duress."
Soomar, who returned home to Johannesburg on Sunday, said she was not surprised by the treatment meted out in Cairo.
'I was prepared for this scenario and worse scenarios as the head of the delegation. It was stressful, of course, because I felt responsible for others. But I managed to remain level-headed and I kept emotion out of it.
"I put the Palestinian people at the centre of every decision that we made as we were purely there for them. We had a great support team at home, who we were liaising with us 24/7; such as lawyers, coordinators, and media liaisons."
Hasina Kathrada, an activist and journalist from Johannesburg, also returned home on Sunday.
She said she left for Egypt on June 11 and faced challenges at the final checkpoint.
'My passport was taken at Kamphasheer tollgate, an hour away from Cairo. We were heading to Arish, from where we were going to walk to Rafah. There were 3 checkpoints. My passport was held at the third checkpoint along with about 250 other activists from around the world.
'Through it all, there was great camaraderie among activists. We shared food and water and supported each other during the six hours that we were together. The march to Rafah may have been stopped but the solidarity continues. The people of Gaza know they are not alone. The world has not forgotten them,' said Kathrada.
In a video that has been circulating on social media, Mandela explained with a large crowd behind him facing the same issue, that he was being detained.
'We are about an hour out of Cairo and our passports have been confiscated. We are held here at one of the checkpoints without being permitted to proceed,' said Mandela on Saturday.
Mandela, in another video highlighted the issues he and other activists faced while trying to get through Egypt.
'Those who managed to come into Cairo, such as myself, had no problems entering Egypt and coming through the airport but we have had immense challenges with going through each and every tollgate. We have been subjected, just like how Palestinians are in the Westbanks in checkpoints, where they have to produce their identity documents. We have been subjected to that in the second checkpoint that we are in. Our passports were taken away and we were held here for over six hours."
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