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Photo: Michael Yeong-ung Yang
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Israel’s deadly raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla killed 9 passengers and left many more wounded in the early hours of May 31st. Over 700 activists aboard the flotilla were held captive for three days following the attack. Israel released a trickle of video footage and photos during that time. Some recordings were later revealed to be misleadingly edited, to prove an allegedly violent ship attacked the Israeli army.
Most of the footage aboard the ship was confiscated by the Israeli Defense Forces. However, one filmmaker managed to smuggle out three tiny SD cards that carried one hour of footage from the Mavi Marmara boat.
Iara Lee, New York based Korean-Brazilian filmmaker, was aboard the ship with her film crew. Since being released and deported from Israel, she has testified in front of the United Nations. Her footage was shared on the internet, and received one million hits over the weekend following the attack. It has helped establish the facts of what happened during the attack, including over 30 shots fired by the Israeli army, some at almost point blank range.
On June 22, CKDU 88.1FM had the chance to catch up with Iara Lee over skype, to discuss her experience of the attack, the purpose of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, and what the next steps are for the international, Palestinian-led movement to end the Gaza Blockade.
To see more of Iara Lee’s work, visit Cultures of Resistance. This interview was originally aired on CKDU 88.1FM in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
