Kevin Ovenden
Encyclopedia
Kevin Ovenden is a British, left-wing, political activist and currently a member of the Respect Party's leadership, and an organiser of Viva Palestina
.
.
He was expelled during the split between the leadership of the SWP and the activists organized around George Galloway.
He worked in the Westminster and Bethnal Green offices of former MP, George Galloway
. It was arranged for him to speak at Socialism 2010, Chicago
, June 17, 2010. He lives in Newham
.
, part of the 2010 Gaza flotilla
. He gave the following report of his experiences:
He was detained by Israeli forces and subsequently deported to Istanbul
.
Viva Palestina
Viva Palestina is a British-based registered charity which came into being in January 2009 with the initial intention of running a humanitarian aid convoy to the Gaza Strip...
.
Biography
Ovenden was for many years a leading member of the Socialist Workers PartySocialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
.
He was expelled during the split between the leadership of the SWP and the activists organized around George Galloway.
He worked in the Westminster and Bethnal Green offices of former MP, George Galloway
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
. It was arranged for him to speak at Socialism 2010, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, June 17, 2010. He lives in Newham
London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the...
.
Gaza flotilla
Ovenden was on board the MV Mavi MarmaraMV Mavi Marmara
MV is a Comoros-flagged passenger ship, which was formerly owned and operated by İDO Istanbul Fast Ferries Co. Inc. on the line Sarayburnu, Istanbul-Marmara Island-Avşa Island in the Sea of Marmara. Built at the Golden Gate Shipyard by Turkish Shipbuilding Co...
, part of the 2010 Gaza flotilla
Gaza flotilla raid
The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He gave the following report of his experiences:
At 4.25am the attack began. The warship had neared and commandoes were lowering themselves onto the deck from helicopters. There were two motorised dinghies, carrying 14-20 commandoes, on either side of the boat.
It was clear they were armed – it was the equivalent to an SAS raid. They were all wearing paramilitary style balaclavas.
The first soldiers landed on the roof of the ship, people responded instinctively with their bare hands and things you would find on a ship – pieces of wood and piping and so on. No sharp objects were used.
Two soldiers were overpowered and pushed below deck. They were disarmed to prevent further injury or death.
The attack opened with percussion grenades.
These don’t just make a noise but send shockwaves of heavy vibration. They were trying to create terror and panic.
They also used rubber coated bullets in the earlier stage. But very quickly they turned to live rounds and we were taking heavy casualties.
Nikki Enchmarch was on the top deck standing next to a Turkish man who was holding a camera. An Israeli soldier shot him in the middle of the forehead. It blew off the back of his skull and he died.
I was on the second deck. A man standing a metre in front of me was shot in the leg, the man to the right of me in the abdomen. There was pandemonium and terror.
He was detained by Israeli forces and subsequently deported to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
Works
- "An Act Of State Terrorism", Counter Currents, Lee Sustar & Kevin Ovenden, 7 June 2010