A Belleville man who was one of hundreds of activists detained in Israel last month will speak about the experience publicly at a special event later this month.
When Shahid Mahmood returned to Belleville’s weekly Sunday afternoon vigil for Palestine on May 24, he was greeted with a series of warm embraces from friends and supporters. One enthusiastic bear hug, however, drew a cry of pain.
Mahmood had arrived from Istanbul the night before after a 15-hour flight home. Just days earlier, he had been among participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international civilian mission seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The voyage ended when Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla in international waters and detained those on board. Mahmood says he was subsequently subjected to three days of extreme abuse, including being deprived of sleep and water, physically assaulted, and forced into painful stress positions.
On Saturday, June 27, Mahmood will share his firsthand account of the flotilla mission, his detention by Israeli forces, and his eventual release and return to Canada.
“We are so fortunate here in the Quinte region to have the opportunity to hear directly from a Flotilla participant,” Amnesty International Quinte board member Dr. Frank Boyce says. “The nearly 500 participants came from 45 countries, making opportunities to hear these personal stories quite rare.” Boyce, a retired Belleville General Hospital emergency room physician and volunteer with Doctors Without Borders, will be introducing Mahmood at the talk.
Abducted from the Flotilla: An Afternoon with Shahid Mahmood is sponsored by Independent Jewish Voices. Belleville for Justice and Peace, Global Sumud Flotilla and Amnesty International Quinte.
This free public event will take place on Saturday, June 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Church Hall, 399 Victoria Avenue.
The weekly vigils for Palestine, every Sunday from 1:30 to 3:30 at the corner of North Front and Bell Blvd. are organized by Belleville for Justice and Peace, a group which Mahmood co-founded.
