51 Day Challenge
The Spring Challenge ran 51 days from Saturday 20th February to Sunday 11th April 2021
finishing before the start of Ramadan.
51 days
is the length of the bombardment of Gaza in July and August 2014. Appalling events like this are briefly in the news, but the impact of destroying schools, hospitals and infrastructure lasts for years, especially when reconstruction work is obstructed by Israel’s blockade of so many essential items.
A 51 day bombardment
of one of the most densely populated areas in the world, whose inhabitants are unable to leave because of closed borders - which is why Gaza is often referred to as the world’s largest open air prison.
A 51 day bombardment
that receives some coverage because of the number of deaths of civilians and especially children, yet smaller scale military bombardments and assaults are a common occurrence and receive little or no coverage.
We ride to bring attention to the actions of Israel in violating international law in respect of the responsibilities of an occupying power.
547 Children, 22 Miles
547
is the number of children murdered in Gaza in 2014 during the bombardment.
22 miles
is the extent of the road stretching the length of Gaza. Cyclists can ride for no more than this before turning round and repeating as shown in the fantastic film ‘Cycling Under Siege in Gaza’ .
