George Galloway forcibly ejected from Egypt

George Galloway has been bundled into a police van and thrown out of Egypt two days after a policeman was killed during clashes involving his mission to deliver aid to Gaza.


The MP for Bow and Bethnal Green and an aide were detained by security guards as soon as they stepped on to Egyptian soil.

They were taken to Cairo airport and escorted on to flight to London at the end of journey marked by violent clashes and angry confrontations.

An Egyptian soldier was killed on Wednesday as they traded gunfire with Palestinians waiting for Mr Galloway's aid convoy to arrive.

A statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Mr Galloway had been declared "persona non grata" and would not be allowed to enter the country again.

British MP George Galloway speaks to the Islamic Action Front supporters in Amman December 29, 2009, after their return from Aqaba, 300 km (186 miles) south of the Jordanian capital. After spending more than three days stranded in Aqaba, the Viva Palestina humanitarian convoy headed to Gaza was forced to change its route after Egypt refused to allow it entry through the port of Nuweibeh. The convoy will instead travel to Amman before heading to Syria to load the cargo onto a ship at the Mediterranean port of Latakia, bound for El Arish in Egypt, where Egypt receives aid to Gaza.


On the way to Gaza Galloway speaks to Islam Action Front supporters.

Islam Action front supporters.

Islam Action Front along with Viva Palestina convoy on the way through Jordan/Syria to reach Gaza.

George Galloway vehicle carrying food and supplies to Gaza through the Egyptian border - where not long after his arrival he is bungled on a BA jet back to Britain.


He had just returned from Gaza where the Viva Palestina convoy had arrived two days earlier with more than 100 trucks carrying aid.

Mr Galloway had repeatedly accused Egypt of blocking deliveries of aid by sealing the border, while the Egyptian authorities said the convoy had deliberately ignored travel restrictions.

Jordanian protest

"It's always a badge of honour to be deported by a tin-pot dictatorship and that's what happened," he said after arriving back in the UK.

Ron McKay, who was also deported, said the pair were surrounded by 12 plain-clothes officers as they stepped from the crossing.

"None of them spoke English," he said by telephone after arriving back in the UK. "They physically bundled us in to a panelled, white van. They didn't produce any identification. There wasn't any marking on the van or the two vehicles ahead of us so for a few minutes we thought we were being kidnapped."

It was not until they were boarding a British Airways flight that an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the pair they were being deported.

It brought an end to a troubled week for the mission after dozens of activists were hurt earlier in the week as they fought with security forces.

Police used water cannon to end the protesters' occupation of Arish harbour, where they had arrived in Egypt, as they waited for permission to proceed.

Witnesses said security forces threw stones and police used water cannon to end an occupation of Arish harbour, where the convoy was waiting for permission to proceed to Gaza.

A day later an Egyptian soldier died when gunmen loyal to the Islamist group Hamas opened fire. A dozen Palestinians were also hurt, making it the bloodiest clash between the two sides in a year.

Cairo had insisted the food and other supplies should enter via an Israeli-controlled checkpoint, but Mr Galloway wanted to use the Rafah border crossing, which is run by Egypt.

A compromise eventually allowed the bulk of the convoy to enter through Rafah, while more than 50 vehicles were ordered through Israel.

Gamal Abdel Gawad, of the Al Ahram political think tank in Cairo, said: "I don't think we can believe that a couple of hundred small trucks will provide what is needed in Palestine'" he said.

"The real task is to provide for sustainable arrangements that would allow the removal of the closures around Gaza. This convoy is not helping that."

Aid agencies say they have been able to deliver a fraction of the food, fuel and medicine needed in Gaza since Israel launched a military offensive against suspected militant targets in December 2008. Some 1400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis died during Operation Cast Lead.

Telegraph