(10 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Malmo, Sweden – 10 May 2024
1. Wide of ‘Ship to Gaza, Sweden’ boat preparing for departure
2. Crews attaching banner reading (English): "For the children of Gaza"
3. Various of Palestinian flags on boat
4. Various of Jonatan Michaneck, spokesperson for Ship to Gaza Sweden, on board
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jonatan Michaneck, spokesperson for Ship to Gaza Sweden:
"Ship to Gaza is, together with Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a mission to sail to Gaza to break the illegal Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. We have activists on board together with the crew. And our mission is simply to show that it’s possible to sail to Gaza to then be able to provide humanitarian help to the population in Gaza."
6. Norwegian flag
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Jonatan Michaneck, spokesperson for Ship to Gaza Sweden:
"To be able to stop here during the Eurovision Song Contest where Israel was also invited to participate I think was also important to raise awareness about the fact that the Palestinians are being, you know, right now bombarded and are suffering a genocide. And while this is ongoing in Gaza, here people seem to celebrate the Israeli participation and welcome them which is extremely unfair, especially considering that when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Russia was excluded from the Eurovision without any protests and almost immediately. We expect the same treatment for Israel in this regard."
8. Wide of boat
9. Various of captain preparing boat
10. Various of people on board
11. Various of people waving flag
12. Wide of boat
13. Close of flag
STORYLINE:
A ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza on Friday was preparing to depart Malmo, Sweden where the Eurovision Song Contest is building towards Saturday’s exuberant, glitter-drenched final.
"Ship to Gaza" is, together with Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a mission to sail to Gaza to break the illegal Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip," said Jonatan Michaneck, spokesperson for Ship to Gaza Sweden.
Michaneck added that the boat called "Handala" will stop in a number of cities in Europe before reaching Gaza in August.
Members of Ship to Gaza, Sweden marched along with thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the Swedish port city on Thursday, protesting against Israel’s participation in the pan-continental pop competition.
Police estimated that between 10,000 and 12,000 people took part. Among those in the crowd was Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
"While this is ongoing in Gaza, here people seem to celebrate, the Israeli participation and welcome that which is extremely unfair," said Michaneck.
The Israel-Hamas war, which has killed almost 35,000 Palestinians, has brought a jarring juxtaposition to Eurovision week in Malmo.
Music fans in colorful sequined outfits or draped in their national flags mixed in the streets with supporters of the Palestinian cause in keffiyeh scarves.
AP video shot by Kwiyeon Ha
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