Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Gaza convoy Britons 'beaten by Egyptian police'


By Matt Dickinson, Press Association

"British members of a humanitarian convoy trying to take aid to Gaza were among dozens of people injured during clashes with Egyptian police, one of the activists said today.

Around 520 people were travelling with the 150 trucks full of supplies and clashes broke out last night at the port city of El Arish, near Gaza.

One of the members, Alexandra Lort-Phillips, 37, who works for Enfield Youth Offending Service in north London, said: "I have 42 people in my team, and out of those three Britons have been injured. There are head injuries, cuts.

"We started getting pelted with stones by people in plain clothes, then the police started moving in, using tear gas and batons.

"People were quite severely beaten."

She said seven or eight of the convoy members had to be treated in hospital, and blamed "heavy-handed" policing of their group....."

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