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MEMORIAL FOR RACHEL DISRUPTED BY
ISRAELI
ARMY
Chris McGreal in Jerusalem
Wednesday March 19, 2003
The Guardian
Israeli forces fired teargas and stun grenades
yesterday in an attempt to
break up a memorial service for Rachel Corrie,
the
American
peace activist
killed by an army bulldozer in Gaza on Sunday.
Witnesses including several dozen foreigners and
Palestinian supporters say
Israeli armoured vehicles tried to disperse the
gathering at the spot in
Rafah refugee camp where Ms Corrie was crushed to
death.
The 23 year-old activist with the International
Solidarity Movement (ISM) was
trying to prevent the destruction of Palestinian
homes by the Israelis when
she was hit by the bulldozer.
Joe Smith, a young activist from Kansas City,
said about 100 people were
gathered to lay carnations and erect a small
memorial when the first armoured
personnel carrier appeared.
"They started firing teargas and blowing smoke,
then they fired sound
grenades. After a while it got hectic so we sat
down. Then the tank came over
and shot in the air," he said. "It scared a lot
of Palestinians, especially
the shooting made a lot of them run and the
teargas freaked people out. But
most of us stayed."
Another witness said the army failed to break up
the service.
"People were laying carnations at the spot where
Rachel was killed when a
tank came and fired teargas right on them. Then a
core group of the peace
activists took an ISM cloth banner to the fence
and pinned it up.
"The tank chased after them trying to stop them
with teargas but the wind was
against the army," she said.
Tensions rose further when a convoy of vehicles,
including the bulldozer that
killed Ms Corrie, passed the area.
"I don't think it was deliberate but it was
pretty insensitive," said Mr
Smith.
"I think they had been destroying some buildings
elsewhere and had to pass by
to get back to their base."
The army said it was investigating the incident.
__________________________________
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2003-03-20 Thu 13:28ct