More than 20 people joined the Worthing Swing with Gaza event on Saturday 26th August 2023.
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The 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza have endured a near total land, air & naval blockade by Israel for the last 16 years. For many people, and especially the children who make up 47% of the population, the beach and sea are one of the few places they can escape the reality of occupation and bombings, and simply enjoy life and have fun.
Each year the Tantish Swimming Academy holds a swimming festival on the beach in northern Gaza, attended last year by a thousand Palestinian boys and girls. This year’s festival on Saturday 26th August will also see be joined by an international day of solidarity under the banner “Swim With Gaza”. From Chile to South Africa, Portugal to Ireland, Bethlehem to Jenin, (and along the Sussex coast) in seas, rivers, lakes and pools, people young and old will swim, paddle or just splash about to show the people of Gaza that they are not alone.
In Worthing we will be joining in this worldwide festival (to be livestreamed), so grab your towel and swimming togs (in red, green, black or white would be fantastic) and head for the beach!
Assemble at 5pm. We’ll have a group dash into the sea at 5:15, to paddle together and wave Palestinian flags. We will film this and post on line.
More information about the international Swim With Gaza, including videos and t-shirts: https://swimwithgaza.com/
Our friends at Hastings, Eastbourne and Brighton & Hove PSCs will also be holding their own events on the same afternoon.
Help fund free swimming lessons for Gaza’s children
The Tantish Swimming Academy also teaches hundreds of young boys and girls to swim every year but many families cannot afford lessons.
Swim With Gaza is therefore aiming to collect £5000 which would enable 100 children to each have 10 free lessons. Your donation will help give them the chance to safely enjoy the water, something which will last a lifetime.
(Thanks to BHPSC for some of this text.)