[THS] Viva Palestina: George Galloway Deported From Egypt

[Peter Webster]

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article24347.htm

George Galloway Deported From Egypt

By Viva Palestina

January 08, 2010 --- British MP George Galloway was officially deported from Cairo
today (Friday), when Egyptian plain-clothes police officers bundled him onto a
London plane.

Galloway had been trying to return to Rafah after news broke that seven of the Viva
Palestina convoy members were said to be arrested. Police, who at one point were
numbered at 25 mainly plain-clothes officers, refused to allow him to return.

Several officers even followed Galloway to the toilet, rest room and a BA lounge.

The incident began after George Galloway and his colleague Ron McKay arrived at
the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt.

As soon as they emerged onto Egyptian soil both Men were forcibly pushed into a
van, refused exit and told that they were leaving the country. They were then driven
off in a police convoy. Viva Palestina convoy of 550 people from 17 countries was
attacked by Egyptian riot police and plane clothes intelligence officers in the early
hours of Wednesday (6th January). 55  of the convoy members were injured and 7
were also arrested.

However Galloway and Turkish MP's struck a deal with Egyptian authorities, part of
this deal was that the 7 detainees were released without charge.

On the enforced drive to Cairo, news came through of the  imminent arrest of the 7
but when Galloway demanded to return to Rafah, permission was repeatedly denied.