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Rachel CorriePeace activist, opponent of the war in Iraq and the occupation of Palestine
Date of Birth: 10.04.1979
Country:  USA |
Content:
Rachel Corrie - Biography
Rachel Corrie was a 23-year-old peace activist, opposed to the war in Iraq and the occupation of Palestine. Born and raised in Olympia, Washington, she was a student at Evergreen College of Fine Arts. On March 17th, Rachel stood in front of a bulldozer, wearing reflective clothing and holding a megaphone, attempting to protect the home of a Palestinian doctor from demolition on the occupied territories of Gaza. Tragically, she was crushed to death by the Israeli army bulldozer.
International Solidarity Movement
Rachel Corrie was a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a group of human rights activists who resist Israeli occupation through nonviolent actions. Most of them were young graduates who strongly believed in pacifism. They aimed to prevent harm to the peaceful population by spending nights in Palestinian homes under fire, wearing fluorescent clothing, and using megaphones to recite texts from international conventions. Their actions often succeeded in diverting bulldozers and allowing people to spend another night in their homes.
The Tragic Incident
On that fateful Sunday, Rachel stood before the bulldozer, trying to establish contact with the soldier behind the wheel, as was her usual practice. Seconds later, she disappeared from view. Joe Smith, her comrade, witnessed her last moments. Photographs he took captured her dying moments minute by minute. One picture shows Rachel boldly standing on a pile of dirt in front of the bulldozer, and in the next, she is gone. She was found lying on the ground, seemingly struggling to say something. "My back is broken," she told her friends before passing away in their arms.
The Aftermath
Rachel Corrie became a martyr after her death. The media frenzy that followed her tragic end led to heated debates and controversies. The ambiguity and brutality surrounding her death sparked discussions, and the main topic became the falsification of this tragedy. The grieving Corrie family took legal action against both the bulldozer driver and the government, but it proved difficult to sue a war or its participants. The driver of the "death machine" was acquitted, while Rachel Corrie, a compassionate young American who had chosen a life in military tents instead of nightclubs, and had traded fashionable mini-skirts for a loose-fitting reflective robe, was no longer alive.
