Egyptian Police Beat Americans and others in Sreets of Cairo during Protests

Talk Nation Radio special with breaking news from Cairo
December 31, 2009
Delegates from USA and other countries were beaten in Cairo. We get updates from two delegates to Gaza Freedom March who were beaten and thrown to sidewalk atop others already collapsed there. One French delegate killed by Egyptian riot police. The protest was strictly peaceful. Some civil disobedience was used after Egypt canceled permits for public meeting.

TRT: 25:30
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here if you are a member or at Archive.org and Radio4all.net.

New Year's Special part 2 (corrected, we deleted the Marie Renee content, she has sadly died but of a heart attack in Cairo. We will provide another update with more clear corrections but this program is now fine to air as corrected. Thank you and again we regret our error.)



3PM EDT Cairo: We heard from Christopher Hutchinson, two Connecticut residents in Cairo, that they were beaten by Egyptian police while trying to protest their inability to enter Gaza. The Egyptians allowed only a few delegates of the 1400 in Cairo to go across into Gaza. At the end of this special broadcast we hear another breaking news update:

A French citizen, Marie Renee, has died from injuries sustained at the hands of Egyptian security forces during a demonstration with the Gaza Freedom March on Thursday, December 31st. There are reports that another woman and man with Renee may have also been seriously injured after being beaten. And another woman has died at Cairo hospital, she was not injured at the hands of police but had a heart attack. Finally, a Moroccan-Italian member of the delegation is at the hospital after being punched in the face, according to Media Benjamin of Codepink.

Reports said the woman died in the Cairo Hospital. She was traveling with a French delegation of approximately 300 nationals.

Previous interviews from Cairo and other countries on Gaza Freedom March, past week:

New Year's Special part 1


Christmas Special, Gaza Freedom March

The Gaza Freedom March Goes On

Talk Nation Radio for New Year's 2009
The Gaza Freedom March Goes On

We are producing a follow up. Our guests on this week's Talk Nation Radio were beaten in Cairo. They are OK. See message below. Audio to follow. Dori

Christopher Hutchinson, Connecticut United for Peace
Deena Mishel, Gaza Student for Peace
Ziddad Lunat, Gaza Freedom March spokesperson


TRT: 29:
Produced by Dori Smith, Talk Nation Radio studios, Storrs, Connecticut
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org
Clip by Sam Husseini in Cairo, confrontation with security official at US Embassy re who made decision to not allow group to enter Gaza.

International human rights activists carry the hopes of people from 42 countries in support of the 1400 peace delegates trying trying to get across the tightly controlled Egyptian border with Gaza. One year after Israel's Operation Cast Lead, the assault and invasion of Gaza, we continue to follow the story of protesters like Christopher Hutchinson, Deema Mishel, and Ziddad Lunat, who are on the Gaza Freedom March. They are challenging the governments of Israeli, the US and Egypt to open Gaza's borders for peace and aid. Pink Floyd's Roger Waters explained why he joined the Gaza Freedom March and we hear his reasons.
The marchers have been gaining widespread international support and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said Gazans are being denied their basic human rights. He urged Israel to end it's "unacceptable and counterproductive blockade" and do more to repair damage done in the Gaza Strip by Israeli military action there in December and January of last year.
The Egyptian Government abruptly canceled the marcher's travel plans into Gaza. As Christopher Hutchinson explains, there were protests outside the US embassy in Cairo and at an organization for journalists. Both the US group and another group from France have been in negotiations with the Egyptian government. The group initially accepted a negotiated deal with Egypt that would have allowed 100 delegates in, but they changed their minds. It's all or nothing they say, after learning that part of the deal would be that they must stop using the term: "Gaza Freedom March" to describe their efforts. We discuss some of the reasons for Israel's refusal to allow the group to gain entry to Gaza.

Music by Fritz Heede
Clip: Roger Waters, www.gazafreedommarch.org and song Hello I Love You.