Members of US biker gang were hired at Gaza aid site: BBC
A BBC assessment has revealed that members of a U S biker gang with a history of anti-Muslim rhetoric are overseeing safeguard at aid distribution sites in Gaza where more than a thousand civilians have been killed while seeking food Infidels MC was set up by U S military veterans of the Iraq war in and members see themselves as modern Crusaders using the Crusader cross as their symbol a reference to the medieval Christians who fought Muslims for control of Jerusalem according to the description The gang is at present hosting anti-Muslim hate speech on its Facebook page and has previously held a pig roast in defiance of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan Related Democrats may already be signaling a retreat on Israel The BBC identified at least members of the group working for North Carolina-based contractor UG Solutions which provides safeguard at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation GHF sites Seven of them reportedly hold senior positions The gang s leader Johnny Taz Mulford a former U S Army sergeant with a history of disciplinary problems serves as the country gang leader for UG Solutions in Gaza The revelations build on reporting last month by Prem Thakker of Zeteo News who first identified Mulford as both a GHF contractor and a leader in the Infidels Motorcycles Club Israeli soldiers in Gaza have themselves described the aid sites as killing fields Last month the United Nations estimated that nearly Palestinians had been killed while seeking food The BBC reviewed documents showing that UG Solutions pays the contractors per day including expenses with band leaders at GHF s safe distribution sites receiving per day We need your help to stay independent Subscribe in the current era to sponsorship Salon s progressive journalism UG Solutions defended its hiring practices to the BBC saying it conducts comprehensive background checks and does not screen for personal hobbies or affiliations unrelated to job performance or assurance standards GHF noted its organization is diverse and committed to delivering aid fairly But in an August interview with Zeteo News a former worker at the GHF aid site who worked with Mulford in Gaza questioned whether his experience made him qualified to lead such an operation Civil rights advocates have condemned the arrangement Edward Ahmed Mitchell deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations CAIR compared putting the Infidels in charge of aid in Gaza to putting the KKK in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Sudan It s bound to lead to violence and that s exactly what we ve seen happen in Gaza he announced Start your day with essential news from Salon Sign up for our free morning newsletter Crash Unit In a separate comment CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad added The Trump administration must without delay force the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation out of Gaza before anti-Muslim mercenaries from the Infidels biker gang can oversee the slaughter of more starving Palestinian civilians These GHF mercenaries have a history of extremely violent rhetoric against Muslims and denigrating various aspects of Islam from Ramadan to the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him They should have no place in Gaza Neither should the GHF which must be investigated and prosecuted for its alleged crimes against humanity Read more about Israel and Palestine Gaza is no longer livable Trump envoy tours aid sites amid famine From Guernica to Gaza How bombing became standard procedure How Israel hides its atrocities in Gaza The post Members of US biker gang were hired at Gaza aid site BBC appeared first on Salon com
