Latest news with #GretaBerlin
Gulf Today
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
The great Gretas
Palestine's tiny strip coastal strip, Gaza, has become a global cause over the past 17 years thanks, in part, to two women called 'Greta.' Californian activist Greta Berlin is a cofounder of the Free Gaza Movement which in 2008 breached Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza by sailing small boats from Cyprus into the strip's fishermen's harbour. Born in Michigan and educated in Indiana and Illinois, Berlin, 84, was introduced to the Palestinian cause by her Palestinian-US husband who was a refugee from the town of Safad seized by Israel during its 1948 war of establishment. She became active in Palestinian advocacy after Israel's 1967 occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. She and her husband launched a non-profit charity, Pal Aid International, to send medicine and aid to the Palestinians. In response, she said his tax records were audited by the US Internal Revenue Service, they were questioned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and warned that their two children could be harmed by a pro-Israel organisation. Her second husband was Jewish and anti-Zionist. In 1977, while temporarily abstaining from the Palestinian cause, she established a successful firm for coaching engineers and scientists on how to present their work to conferences around the world. In 2003, Berlin joined the International Solidarity Movement (ISM and travelled to the West Bank to taken part in its peaceful protests against the Israeli occupation. The Free Gaza Movement – established in 2006 – made five successful voyages to Gaza in 2008 but since December that year Israel has blocked all maritime missions to reach the strip. The most violent incident took place in 2010 when Israeli commandos landed by helicopter on the deck of the Istanbul ferry Mavi Marmara and killed nine activists. The Free Gaza banner was taken up in June by high-profile Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and 11 others on the two-masted sailboat Madleen. On the 9th, the boat was commandeered by Israeli commandoes, Thunberg and her colleagues were arrested, taken to Israel's Ashdod port and expelled to their home countries. At 22 years of age, two generations younger than Greta Berlin, Thunberg began to shine as a campaigner In 2018.. Then 15 , she skipped school to demand strong global action against climate change. She vowed to stay away from school until Sweden complied with the terms of the 2016 Paris climate agreement. Students elsewhere around the world followed Thunberg by staging protest boycotts at their schools every Friday. As momentum built, she addressed the 2018 UN Climate Change Conference as well as the 2019 Climate Change Summit in New York where Thunberg accused world leaders of inaction over the growing climate crisis. After graduating from secondary school in 2023, she intensified her involvement in the climate change movement and expanded recruitment by aggressive posting on social media, the chief means of communication used by youngsters of her generation. She also widened her horizons by leading her support to the causes of Palestine, Ukraine, Armenia and Western Sahara. After Hamas seized control of Gaza from the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority In 2007, Israel waged war on the strip In 2008-2009, 2012, 2014, and 2021. These attacks involved deadly and destructive bombings and shelling from which Gaza and Gazans never recovered. Israel controlled everything which entered the strip and limited building material. On Oct.7, 2023, Hamas fighters struck southern Israel, killing 1,200 and abducing 250, according to Israel. It responded with an offensive, two ceasefires and periods when aid could flow. Israel has failed to win the war and to map a route to end it. As the Palestinian death toll mounted to 55,000, Israel has lost global public opinion. Ireland, Spain, and Norway recognised the state of Palestine in May 2024. Other Western governments could follow suit. Thunberg described as 'horrific' Hamas' attack on Israel but added that 'the world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.' In an article published in The Guardian, Thunberg, and other climate activists in her 'Fridays for the Future' movement, made the connection between the climate and Palestinian causes. They said, 'We won't stop speaking out about Gaza's suffering – there is no climate justice without human rights.' Unlike Berlin, Thunberg has attracted widespread publicity and awards. She was named in Time magazine's 100 most influential people and Forbes' list of the world's 100 most powerful women in 2019 and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Between 2008 and 2025 – and particularly over the past two years – a great deal has changed on the Palestine advocacy front. While attempting to suppress negative publicity over its policies in the occupied West Bank and dominated Gaza, Israel has not escaped castigation and condemnation. Among its sharpest critics has been B'Tselem, the Israeli rights organisation which labelled Israel's system of West Bank governance as 'apartheid,' which is illegal under international law. This label has been picked up by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch which had been wary of using the term until B'Tselem applied it. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice found Israel responsible for apartheid, war crimes, and crimes against humanity including plausible 'genocide.' Israel's Gaza's war, siege and blockade of Gaza led the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and ex-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as well as Hamas leaders who were assassinated by Israel. Israel has not escaped accountability in global public opinion and among some Western allied governments although the US has remained loyal. It is much safer these days to be critical of Israel than when Greta Berlin and her sailors began their voyages to Gaza. Photos: AFP
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bridport's damaged stalking dog sculpture removed for repairs
A popular sculpture of a dog has been removed for repairs, to allow a replica to be Dog, by Greta Berlin, was installed outside Palmers Brewery as part of Bridport's sculpture trail but corrosion has made it successfully raised more than £6,000 to get it recast in resin so it can remain in the Dorset Town Council said the artwork was removed on Thursday morning and was being returned to the artist for "recuperation". The dog was based on Greta Berlin's family pet, Queenie, and is one of several of her works displayed in Evans - curator of the art trail - and author Ros Huxley set up the crowdfunder, with the help of the sculptor and local clerk Will Austin said: "Having established herself as one of the most loved sights in Bridport, Queenie's materials have aged to a point where she is no longer able to be displayed in a public outdoor location."We have agreed with the artist, Greta Berlin, that she should be returned to her for her future care and recuperation. "In return Greta has kindly agreed that a resin-cast replica can be made and displayed so that Queenie isn't lost to the community." Once the artist's repairs are complete, a specialist mould maker will cast a fresh version of the artwork, with the process expected to take several Austin said: "We are grateful to Cleo and Ros for their work in raising the funds to take this forward, and delighted at the community support shown in reaching the funding target." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Queenie, Bridport's stalking dog sculpture, to be recast in resin
Town's stalking dog to be recast after fundraiser Just now Share Save Share Save Bridport Town Council Stalking Dog is part of Bridport's sculpture trail A damaged but much-loved sculpture of a dog is to be recast following a campaign to save it. Stalking Dog, by artist Greta Berlin, was installed near Palmers Brewery in 2021 as part of a sculpture trail in Bridport, Dorset. When the town council revealed the corroding artwork needed to be removed on safety grounds, campaigners raised £6,000 to have it remade in resin. It is hoped the new version will be reinstated on its plinth above the River Brit later this year. The campaign has been led by Cleo Evans - curator of the art trail - and author Ros Huxley. Chris Huxley Ros Huxley said there would be an unveiling ceremony for the recast sculpture Ms Huxley said the crowdfunder, which was launched at the start of April, had reached its target much quicker than expected. "In this day and age, with so many things asking people for money, it's amazing," she said. "It's a reflection of genuine enthusiasm for the sculpture." The dog, which stands above the weir outside Palmers Brewery, was modelled on Greta Berlin's dog, Queenie. Bridport Town Council Queenie was voted the most popular artwork in the sculpture trail in 2023 Ms Huxley said: "The council will have to take it down because it's unsafe and broken. "The artist will mend everything, then it will be re-cast in resin and brought back, hopefully by the autumn. "Then Queenie will be put back on her plinth on the river and more securely fixed, and we will have an unveiling ceremony." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
