Palestinians across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank will join today in mourning slain activist Vittorio Arrigoni. People will gather both in the Al Manara square in Ramallah and at Al Jundi al Majhoul, the unknown soldier park, in Gaza City. Mourners will be received by the ISM and local popular committees and BDS and civil society activists.
Gaza
16:00, Al Jundi Al Majhoul — the demonstration will move towards Al Jundi al Majhoul, the unknown soldier park. A mourning tent will open at the fisherman’s port Al Mina al Sayadeen
Ramallah
16:00, Al Manara square — gathering to commemorate Vittorio. The crowd will then march to Al Bireh where mourners can pay their respect at an event held at the Al Bireh municipal hall.
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Protest demonstrations have taken place following the Friday prayer across from the UN headquarters in Gaza. More events will take place across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The villages of Bil’in and Al Masara are dedicating their weekly demonstrations to Vittorio today. In Nablus the popular committee has called for a commemoration in the centre of the city tomorrow with political parties, condemning Vittorio’s killing and celebrating his work.
Vittorio was active for the Palestine cause for almost 10 years. For the past two and a half years, he was in Gaza with the International Solidarity Movement, monitoring human rights violations by Israel, supporting the Palestinian popular resistance against the Israeli occupation, and disseminating information about the situation in Gaza to his home country of Italy.
He was aboard the siege-breaking voyage in 2008 with the Free Gaza Movement. He was in Gaza throughout Israel’s brutal assault (Operation Cast Lead), assisting medics and reporting to the world what Israel was doing to the Palestinian people. He was arrested numerous times by Israeli forces for his participation in Palestinian non-violent resistance in the West Bank and Gaza. His last arrest and deportation from the area was a result of the Israeli confiscation of Palestinian fishing vessels in Gazan territorial waters.
Vittorio frequently wrote on the issue of Palestine for Il Manifesto and PeaceReporter and has been vocal on the issue of boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel.
Khaleel Shaheen from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, a friend of Vittorio in Gaza, says:
What has happened today is a black day in Palestinian history. The horrific murder of our friend Vittorio is totally condemned. We ask the local authorities to bring the criminals to justice as soon as possible. He is in our minds always. He is a hero of Palestine.
Gaza Mourns the Death of Vittorio Arrigoni
The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led non-violent resistance movement committed to ending Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land.
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