Former U.S. congresswoman and 2008 Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney was among the passengers of a boat headed to Gaza on a humanitarian mission. The Israeli navy intercepted the vessel, “The Spirit of Humanity” off the coast of Gaza and detained the passengers and crew.
McKinney, D-Ga., served six terms in the House of Representatives before running for the presidency on a liberal and hip-hop-centric platform. Also among the group detained was Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire, who co-founded the group Free Gaza Movement. Maguire and group co-founder Betty Williams were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for their efforts in Gaza.
McKinney angrily declared, “This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip. President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that’s exactly what we tried to do. We’re asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey.” –sly
