Episode 2 - Karim Ali & Ru MacKay of Gaza Sunbirds and Thousand Madleens to Gaza. Para-cycling, civic action, storytelling and solidarity.

In this episode Scott talks to Karim Ali, Co-founder of the Gaza Sunbirds Para-cycling Team and Ruaidhri (Ru) MacKay, Activist and Organiser with Thousand Madleens to Gaza about their work for Palestine, peaceful direct action, the leap from amateur to pro para-cycling team (whilst also distributing aid), the importance of escalation and so much more. There’s storytelling and solidarity shot through with hope. Karim Ali is the co-founder and international coordinator of the Gaza Sunbirds, a para-cycling team established in 2020 in the Gaza Strip.1He co-founded the team with cyclist Alaa al-Dali to provide competitive sporting opportunities for disabled athletes in Gaza, many of whom are amputees due to injuries sustained from Israeli forces.2 In addition to managing the team, he acts as a spokesperson, responsible for sharing the Gaza Sunbirds’ story internationally and as we discuss, the Sunbirds have developed into so much more than a para-sports team, now operating an expanded mission including rehabilitation and international aid. The team are thriving in the face of huge adversity and Karim paints a vital picture.Ruaidhri MacKay is an activist and organiser involved in the international coordination of Thousand Madleens to Gaza, a civil resistance grassroots movement using non-violent direct action to confront injustice in Palestine and amplify unheard voices. He also works with Greenpeace’s Climb Team and Extinction Rebellion on action planning and design, focusing on creative, strategic, and safe approaches to protest. Campaigning for social and environmental justice, his activism explores how peaceful resistance, storytelling, and solidarity can be tools for liberation and repair in times of global crisis.Find out More - gazasunbirds.orgInstagram: @gazasunbirdsthousandmadleens.orgInstagram: @thousandmadleenstogaza This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecreativeresistancepodcast.substack.com