The 2011 Gaza Freedom Flotilla - What Happened and What's Next

In June hundreds of people from around the world, including some 44 Americans, gathered in the Mediterranean to board eleven vessels bound for Gaza. But only one, the French boat Dignite/Karama, met Israeli forces at sea. Questions have surrounded this year's attempt at delivering humanitarian aid, such as what actually happened, where are the boats now, and what is currently being planned.

Four passengers from the San Francisco Bay Area will tour the area giving panel discussions designed to respond to these questions, and discuss their personal experiences. On Tuesday, September 13, Peace Action of San Mateo County will host one of these panels; we expect the following speakers to participate and give their take on the events related to the flotilla:

Regina Carey, a strategic planner and planned giving consultant, defends original peoples. She is a co-founder the Marin Black/Jewish Dialogue Group and participated in both the World Social Forum and the UN Conference Against Racism.

Paul Larudee is the co-founder of the movement to break the siege of Gaza by sea (and spoke last year at a PASMC event about the previous Freedom Flotilla). He works as a piano technician and part time NGO administrator in El Cerrito.

Henry Norr is a former columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle. He has been a human rights volunteer in Palestine and an advocate in the U.S. for Palestinians, which contributed to his being fired from the newspaper in 2003.

Jimbo Simmons hails from the American Indian Movement West, an organization working to resist colonization, protect traditional knowledge and sacred sites, and asserts solidarity with Palestinians and all indigenous peoples facing expulsion and ethnic cleansing.

Refreshments will be on hand. The UU is wheelchair accessible.