Activist Benjamin Ladra has recently started a journey on foot from Sweden to Occupied Palestine carrying a Palestinian flag behind his back.
His trip, which is expected to last for about one year, is aimed at highlighting the Palestinian cause, and calling for an end to the conflict and the suffering of the steadfast people of Palestine.
From the Swedish city of Gothenburg, Ladra will walk about 4800 kilometres on foot, crossing into several European countries including Sweden, Austria and Germany before he goes to Turkey, Cyprus and then Palestine.
Ladra, who used to work as a fundraiser for the Red Cross, has received great support from social media users from around the world, especially in Palestine and the Arab world.
He said that it was his independent research into human rights abuses that prompted his interest in the Palestinian cause and motivated him to travel there.
“The more knowledge you gain I think, the more motivated you become to do something about all the injustices in the world. So I think it [interest in activism] started with reading and meeting people that came from different places in the world and they told me about their situation and their stories. It really affected me,” Ladra underlined.
“I’ve seen the occupation with my own eyes and it’s an ongoing apartheid situation, especially in Hebron. Soldiers everywhere, lots of harassment of Palestinians all the time and you can’t know about that and not want to do something about it,” he added.
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During his journey, he has already met many people who have expressed support for his trek.
Ladra’s trip is entirely self-funded. Whilst he has received a few private donations since his trip started, he is paying for all other basic necessities himself.
