Canada’s Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) got the message across last week that cutting off mail delivery to Gaza is another abusive measure intended to heighten the suffering and hardship of the besieged residents of the occupied strip.
The Canada Boat to Gaza Campaign salutes the union and its workers for their solidarity with our campaign and the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom. In a media release issued yesterday boat organizers commented “We look forward to working with Canada Post and CUPW to facilitate in the best way possible the delivery of mail to Gaza.”
“The Canadian Boat to Gaza is eager to carry mail to Gaza if the ban is not lifted soon” said Sandra Ruch, spokesperson for the Canadian Boat to Gaza. “We will make every effort to deliver any mail we get to the postal authorities in Gaza. We ask senders to limit mail they send us to unsealed postcards of greeting and support to loved ones keeping in mind that it, as well as the rest of our cargo, may end up in Israeli hands if our boat is pirated.”
CUPW called on Canadians to back efforts to break the siege by sending their Gaza-bound mail via the Canadian Boat to Gaza. The Canadian Boat to Gaza is urging those who wish to break this ban to send with us postcards with messages of support to the besieged strip. Article 25 of the fourth Geneva Convention guarantees the right to personal correspondence with family members under occupation.
“As postal workers, we know very well that cutting off mail creates suffering and hardship for people, who are isolated from their loved ones,” said Denis Lemelin, National President of CUPW. “How many more abuses will the people of Gaza have to endure?”
Get the message through. Send your mail the Gaza boat:
Send your postcards (only) for people in Gaza to
Canadian Boat to Gaza
C.P. 92087, Portobello
Brossard, Quebec
J4W 3K8