11 Apr, 2011 @ 15:16
1 min read

Ship ahoy! From the Spanish slopes to the Gaza Strip…

IT is not a sight you see ever day.

But a boat decked out in the colours of the Palestinian flag has been spotted travelling down the slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

Attracting lots of attention from fellow skiers, the replica boat was designed to raise awareness of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

It was organised by the Granada-based Rumbo a Gaza group in support of the second ‘Freedom Flotilla’, which is set to start next month.

It follows the controversial Freedom Flotilla raid last year which saw nine people killed and dozens more injured by the Israeli army in international waters.

Now, a total of 15 boats from 20 countries are again trying to ship school materials, humanitarian aid and construction materials to Gaza.

Lucia Lopez, the spokesman for the Rumbo a Gaza group explained: “The aim of the Freedom Flotilla is to break through the illegal blockade that the Palestinian population has been forced to suffer at the hands of Israel for the past five years.”

And after completing a 300 metre tour of the slopes –accompanied by a bike from Cetursa who run the Andalucia resort – skier, Francisco Ortega added: “It will be good when a ship sailing the Spanish flag is heading for the Gaza Strip, if the Spanish Army acts as an escort just as the Cetursa bike did today.”

The organisers of the second flotilla are also currently seeking EU diplomatic protection.

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