British consul general driven out of West Bank university
Palestinian students forced the British consul general to make a hasty departure from a West Bank university campus, according to wirnesses.
Sir Vincent is escorted by
security guards into his car as Palestinian students protest in
Ramallah Photo:
Reuters
Video footage showed protesters banging on his car and shouting: "Get out of
Bir Zeit!"
Although Sir Vincent was hurriedly escorted back to his car then whisked away
unharmed by his security detail, the protesters managed to break the car's wing
mirror and taped pictures of a Palestinian prisoner on
long-term hunger strike onto the window, the correspondent said.
The protesters held up Palestinian flags and banners in English and Arabic,
one of which read: "I am a refugee because of Balfour" in reference to Britain's
publication in 1917 of the Balfour Declaration calling for "the establishment in
Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people."
A consulate official said Sir Vincent had gone to the university to talk to
students about Britain's policies in the region and the prospects for peace with
Israel, but the protest meant he was unable to deliver his prepared address. Because of the demonstration, we reluctantly took the decision to leave," the
official told the AFP news agency.
He said the consul general was unharmed in the protest but that his car had been lightly damaged.
"We take our security extremely seriously," a spokesman for the British consulate said.
Student protesters at Bir Zeit pulled off a similar stunt in February 2000 when they booed and threw stones at then visiting French prime minister Lionel Jospin demanding he leave the university in protest over controversial remarks he made about Lebanon.
He said the consul general was unharmed in the protest but that his car had been lightly damaged.
"We take our security extremely seriously," a spokesman for the British consulate said.
Student protesters at Bir Zeit pulled off a similar stunt in February 2000 when they booed and threw stones at then visiting French prime minister Lionel Jospin demanding he leave the university in protest over controversial remarks he made about Lebanon.
No comments:
Post a Comment