FBU Scotland are donating two fire engines (what firefighters call ‘appliances’) and a load of equipment to the municipality of Nablus on the West Bank as a gesture of solidarity with Palestinian firefighters: a great idea which echoes similar donations to Iraqi and other firefighters over the years.

Leaving Dundee on 3 October and stopping for a Parliamentary farewell at 10am in Edinburgh, the appliances will be ferried to the continent from Newcastle-upon-Tyne (where FBU President Alan McLean will wave them off) and then driven through Europe to Greece. After a further sea voyage from Athens to Haifa in Israel, the appliances should reach Nablus within a week and a half, with the FBU members – who are taking the appliances over and training their Palestinian colleagues in using them - returning to the UK on 16 October.

The TUC and our Israeli equivalent Histadrut are assisting the FBU and you can follow their progress on twitter either through @RoadToNablus or @TUCGlobal.

Posted on September 28th, 2011 by Owen Tudor filed under: Global solidarity