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Swedish Activist Walking 5,000km to Promote Palestinian Cause

  • Benjamin Ladraa, the 25-year-old son of Jewish parents, began his journey on August 8 of last year after visiting Palestine in April.

    Benjamin Ladraa, the 25-year-old son of Jewish parents, began his journey on August 8 of last year after visiting Palestine in April. | Photo: Instagram / walktopalestine

Published 10 February 2018
Opinion

In Prague, the young activist was detained by guards at the Israeli embassy simply for carrying a Palestinian flag.

A Swedish activist is walking 5,000 kilometers from his home country to Palestine to raise awareness about the Israeli occupation.

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Benjamin Ladraa, the 25-year-old son of Jewish parents, began his journey on August 8 of last year after visiting Palestine in April.

"I was shocked by what I saw there: seeing all the walls, soldiers walking along the streets carrying M-60 machine guns," he said. 

"I heard stories about 300 children in prisons, rapes in homes. After three weeks, I returned and wanted to do something to raise awareness about human rights violations in Palestine."

Ladraa gave up his studies and work, embarking on his epic journey from Gothenburg.

In Prague, the young activist was detained by guards at the Israeli embassy simply because he was carrying a Palestinian flag and pushing a trolley.

A bomb squad later cleared him as being "not dangerous" and released him, but Ladraa has said he fears he'll be barred from entering Palestine.

"The plan is to continue through Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and again through Syria to Jordan, and if I cannot get into Palestine, I will try to inform the media about it," he said.

Ladraa, who hopes to arrive in Palestine before July, is posting about his journey on Facebook and Instagram, under the hashtag #walktopalestine.

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