Canadian Flotilla Activists Head Home

Failed to bring aid to Gaza after their boat, the Tahrir, was stopped by Greek authorities.

Canadian flotilla activists have announced they are returning home after their mission failed to deliver aid to the blockaded part of the Gaza Strip. Greek authorities prevented the Tahrir from leaving a port in Greece, citing safety concerns, although activists claim the real reason was diplomatic pressure from Israel. While organizer David Heap said the event was still a success because of the attention it generated for Gaza, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird called the mission “unhelpful." Author and journalist Christopher Hitchens criticized the activists for working in harmony with Hamas, which is listed by many countries as a terrorist group. “It seems extraordinary to me that any 'activist' claiming allegiance to human rights could co-operate at any level with the propagation of such evil material,” he wrote.