Galloway activists clash with Egyptian security at Gaza border

Mar 8, 2009, 16:52 GMT

Al-Arish, Egypt- Multi-national activists belonging to British MP George Galloway's 'Viva Palestina' humanitarian aid convoy clashed on Sunday with Egyptian security forces in the north Sinai town of al-Arish, close to the border with Gaza.

Clashes erupted after the convoy was refused entry to the crossing point at the town of Rafah, which is bisected by the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Galloway arrived in Cairo on Saturday to join the road convoy that had set out from London last month carrying relief for war-torn Gaza, and which had entered Egypt from Libya on Thursday.

Galloway, who has long been denied entry to Egypt for his criticisms of Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak, was able to coordinate with Egyptian authorities to allow entrance of the convoy before his arrival.

Galloway, along with the activists, was received in Rafah by officials from the ruling National Democratic Party.

The official reception however led several opposition groups, which had been campaigning for the opening of the crossing, to cancelled a planned reception for the convoy when it crossed from Libya on Thursday.

Egyptian authorities on Sunday said they would allow Galloway and members of the convoy to enter Gaza through Rafah, but that entry of the convoy itself would have to be coordinated with Israel.

As members of the convoy refused to follow orders, they returned back to al-Arish where a row erupted with security police that led to the injury of two activists.

The convoy includes 12 ambulances, a fire engine, and more than 1.4 million dollars-worth of aid.