Tyrone nurse deported from Egypt over Gaza protest

A MENTAL health nurse from Castlederg has described the terrifying moment she was physically dragged away by Egyptian police and held in ‘dirty, sweltering’ conditions for 16 hours before being deported – for trying to take part in a humanitarian march to Gaza.

Chloe Campbell, who now lives and works in Australia’s healthcare system, had joined activists from across the world for the ‘Global March to Gaza’, aimed at raising awareness of the death and destruction inflicted upon the Palestinian people.

She was part of the UK delegation and was travelling to a designated meeting point when she was detained.

Egyptian authorities, who had been informed about the planned rally, seized Chloe and others, including Irish TD Paul Murphy, confiscating their passports and phones.

“I was kept on a bus in over 40-degree heat for four hours, then held in a cramped, dirty cell at Cairo Airport for another 12,” Chloe told the Ulster Herald.

“We had no water on the bus, chains on the seats, and no windows in the cell. It was terrifying.”

She said that she and others had their passports and phones confiscated, and were denied contact with their embassies.

“I asked to speak to embassy officials, but they refused.

“When I resisted, I was thrown to the ground, physically restrained and dragged onto the bus,” she said.

“It was scary, but it’s nothing compared to what Palestinians are living through every day.”

Chloe had travelled to Egypt with the UK delegation for the march and initially stayed in Cairo.

She said the march organisers had notified authorities of their plans and believed they would be allowed to travel to the border.

However, Egyptian police intercepted the group before they could leave the city.

“We were told nothing,” Chloe added. “I was interviewed several times by criminal investigators and police. I just kept repeating, ‘I’m not a criminal. I’ve done nothing wrong’.”

Eventually, she was given some food and informed she would be deported.

After being placed on a flight to Turkey, Chloe made her way home to Australia.

Throughout her ordeal, West Tyrone MP Órfhlaith Begley was in contact with both the Irish and British governments, calling for Chloe’s release and sharing a video the nurse had pre-recorded in case she was detained.

“Chloe Campbell from Castlederg is currently in Cairo to join the March for Gaza, which aims to break the blockade on humanitarian aid,” the Sinn Féin MP said at the time.

“She has been detained with no information on what is happening.

“I have written to both governments to urge the Egyptian authorities to release these humanitarian activists and allow them to continue their peaceful march.”

Despite her experience, Chloe said she remains committed to political activism and has already taken part in another protest – this time against police brutality toward Indigenous Australians.

“I believe people with privilege have a responsibility to stand up against oppression,” she said.

“As Irish people, we understand colonisation and injustice more than most.

“I remember learning about the Holocaust and thinking, if this ever happens again in my lifetime, I have to act.”

“Although what we went through in Egypt was rough, it does not compare to the suffering people in Palestine endure every single day.

“That’s why it’s so important that this message gets out.”