29 April 2018

Mailactie aan de organisatoren van de Giro d´Italia: Relocate the Race!

Het organiseren met de Grote Start van de Giro d’Italia op 4 mei a.s. in Jerusalem is een stuitend bewijs dat sport niet kan verbroederen in een situatie waar onrecht heerst.  Er zullen geen Palestijnen aan de grote Start kunnen deelnemen. De deelnemers aan de Grote Start zullen een blinddoek nodig hebben om het leed van de Palestijnen niet te zien, en was in hun oren om de hulproep van de gettobewoners van Gaza niet te horen. In mei zal de etnische zuivering van Palestina zijn 70e jaar ingaan, een schandvlek voor de mensheid. Met deze feestelijke wielerronde viert Israel hoe het 70 jaar geleden op de smeulende resten van Palestina zijn staat bouwde.

Grijp je kans, en verhef nog éénmaal je stem tegen deze wielerronde:

UCI President mr David Lappartient, RCS mediagroup, relocate the Race!

Dear UCI president: Relocate the Race!

Dear UCI President mr Lappartient, dear RCS,

It is with a sense of great urgency that we request you, even at this late stage, to relocate the race starting from Jerusalem on 4th May.

In the past months you, as we all, have witnessed the thousands of unarmed Gazan youth approaching the fence which separates them from the land which by rights is theirs. They demonstrated against their incarceration in the area which is called the Gaza Strip. You have witnessed as we did, the massacre of more than 40 young unarmed people by heavily armed Israeli snipers, and the shooting of some 4000 others. Two thirds of the people in Gaza are refugees with their descendents who have fled or were expelled from their land.

The Giro d’Italia is a jubilant event which can only be held in circumstances of freedom. The Giro will pass close by Gaza, where 1,5 million Palestinians, in stark contrast, are kept imprisoned in getto-like circumstances.

The Grand Start of the Giro d’Italia in Israel at the beginning of May is used by the Israeli authorities as a trofee in celebration of its 70 years existence. On the other side of the coin, the same time marks the 70th anniversary of the Great Expulsion of Palestinians from their land, and the foundation of Israel on the ashes of Palestinian homesteads.

Only one week ago the Israeli artist Nathalie Portman courageously decided not to attend the Genesis Prize ceremony for her outstanding performance as an actor.

We urge the organizers of the Giro d’Italia to relocate the Grand Departure to elsewhere, until freedom will prevail for Palestinians and israeli’s alike!

Sincerely,

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