Sam risks all for Gaza

Sam risks all for Gaza

Sam Leason is passionate enough about the desperate plight of Gaza that he’s put his own life on the line to support its people.

The Ōtaki man and friend Coë Rochford were on an OE in Europe when they heard about the Global March to Gaza. It was to be an international march from Cairo to the Gaza border. They were in Morocco and immediately decided to go to Egypt to join about 6000 marchers, including several others from New Zealand.

“I had plans to go to a very cool festival in Morocco but I was sitting in my room scrolling Instagram and stuff, seeing all the terrible things going on in Gaza,” he says. “Back in New Zealand I was horrified and felt there was nothing I could do, but promised myself that if I could at some time, I would.

“What Israel is doing to Gaza is a clear campaign of extermination,” Sam told Ōtaki Today from his latest base in the Isle of Skye, Scotland.

The Gaza Health Ministry estimates at least 60,000 people have died since October 2003, when Israel retaliated for an attack that killed about 1200 of its citizens.

Sam wanted to bring more awareness of what’s happening in Gaza, hoping that even bigger marches would happen.

Not everyone intending to march got into Cairo. Many, especially from other Arab countries, were stopped at the border and refused entry.

Others, like Sam and Coë, were from Western countries and were treated with more respect. He counts himself lucky that he and Coë arrived at an airport eight hours out of Cairo and were able to catch a bus to the Egyptian capital

It was soon apparent that the march would be thwarted by Egyptian authorities. What Sam calls “gangs of thugs” started snatching people off the street and from coffee bars. Sam says there was talk of many being tortured before being deported.

There were still many who were able to start the 400km march to Rafah, a Palestinian border city. But at three checkpoints not far out of Cairo, more and more people were detained. Most had their passports taken, so they wouldn’t have been able to enter Rafah. Some alleged organisers were beaten and taken to undisclosed locations before being deported.

“We weren’t really that scared but other people were,” Sam says. “I think the fact that
we were from a country like Zealand and we had white skin. Others who didn’t have that white privilege were treated terribly compared to us.

“They were basically blockaded in with no food or water.”

He says the regular police were relatively friendly, but the “government-hired thugs” were dangerous.

Sam and Coë got as far as the third checkpoint, with the help of a friendly taxi driver. But they, too, had their passports taken. They were “pushed and shoved a bit”, but saw much worse violence inflicted on other marchers.

“We saw a lot of people bleeding, and super scared. They would just get chucked into a bus with no idea where they were going. Some didn’t even get to take their luggage with them.”

Eventually the two were able to retrieve their passports at the first checkpoint after authorities threw the passports on the ground. Passport holders had to scramble looking for theirs, and Sam and Coë managed to get out of Egypt unharmed.

Sam says he found the Egyptian population supportive of what they were trying to do, and horrified at the treatment of Palestinians by Israel.

“It’s only the Egyptian government that supports Israel – the people of Egypt are very supportive. I’ve heard that some have been trying to float water bottles and food over to Gaza. The poor people there are in a desperate situation.”

Sam’s resolve to raise awareness of the situation hasn’t diminished. He’s watching closely international plans for an aid flotilla to Gaza in September, and has joined a New Zealand delegation.

While he’s been encouraged by the moves of some countries, including France which has pledged to recognise Palestine as a state in September, he’s less enthusiastic about New Zealand’s stance.

“New Zealand has done jack all to help the Palestinians,” he says. “Our government needs to strongly condemn Israel and actually do something to try and stop the killing.”