Egypt: Galloway is ‘unwelcome’ in Egypt

Egypt: Galloway is ‘unwelcome’ in Egypt

British MP and activist George Galloway was informed by Egyptian foreign minister officials that he was ‘not welcome’ in Egypt after activists who joined him to send an aid convoy to Gaza clashed with police.

This decision followed collisions between activists with the Viva Palestina convoy and police forces in the port town of El-Arish , 45 kilometres from the Gaza border.

They had been protesting against an Egyptian decision to send some of the convoy’s trucks to Gaza through Israel and some activists had been detained but were later released. Egypt allowed most of the convoy to enter Gaza after the clashes. At the Rafah border on the Egyptian side, Galloway and a friend were roughly treated by officials and forced into a car. They were surprised to find themselves transported directly to the airport where they were forced to leave for London . Security officials however, deny the allegations and argued that the men left on their own free will.

 An official statement was later issued stating Galloway would not be allowed to return to Egypt . Moreover, he was accused of trying to embarrass Egypt and its President Mubarak, during a rally in London for not cooperating and keeping the Gaza border closed in collaboration with Israel where only limited supplies were permitted to enter to the Gazans who were under siege.