Америкалық-Ирландиялық-Палестиналық белсендісі және экс-теңізшінің өмірі мен қызметі

American Irish Palestinian activist
the anti war activist

Kenneth Nichols O'Keefe (born July 21, 1969) is an American Irish Palestinian citizen and activist and former United States marine and Gulf War veteran. In 2001, he set fire to his United States passport. Subsequently, he led the human shield action to Iraq and was a passenger on the MV Mavi Marmara during the Gaza flotilla raid, where he disarmed two of the Israeli commandos who boarded the ship,

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center O'Keefe gives speeches to white supremacist groups and endorses David Duke.

O'Keefe served as a United States marine in the First Gulf War. According to his own website, he was discharged because he "spoke out openly about abuse of power by my 'superiors' and as a consequence I paid a heavy price. I realised that honour and integrity were virtues which are often punished rather than rewarded and the Marines supplied me with my first serious taste of injustice."

O'Keefe created a marine conservation social enterprise "to protect and defend the marine environment" in Hawaii in 1996. This enterprise conducted ghost net recoveries and rescues of endangered green sea turtle wrapped in monofilament fishing line. O'Keefe became a pioneer in sea turtle rescues in Hawaii and led a campaign to create a marine sanctuary (Pupukea MLCD) on the North Shore of Oahu. In 1998 he joined an anti whaling campaign in which he was bloodied when attempting to retrieve a boat belonging to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, of which he was a crew member. At this time he was being mentored by Paul Watson. Eventually he served as the regional director for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, in Hawaii.

In December 2002, O'Keefe started the human shield action to Iraq group. Intended to "make it politically impossible for them to bomb" Iraq by placing western civilians as "shields" at non military locations, about 75 activists traveled over land from London to Baghdad in two double decker buses. Critics of the human shields argued that their mission would only protect Saddam Hussein. O'Keefe argued the "people of Iraq" would suffer the most from a war and publicly acknowledged Hussein as a "violent dictator".</blockquote>

In June 2010, O'Keefe was aboard the MV Mavi Marmara. During the Gaza flotilla raid, he was one of the passengers who disarmed IDF commandos boarding the ship. According to O'Keefe, he disarmed one from the 9mm pistol he was carrying, removing its bullets before hiding the pistol with the intention to keep it as evidence of the Israeli action against the ship. O'Keefe said he subsequently helped disarm another of the ship's IDF soldiers, by prising the commando's fingers from the rifle he was holding. O'Keefe said of the experience that it was like "combat but without combat weapons". He said, "We had in our full possession, three completely disarmed and helpless commandos" who were "surrounded by at least 100 men [W]e could have done anything with them", adding that "woman provided basic first aid, and ultimately they were released, battered and bruised for sure, but alive. Able to live another day." O'Keefe was among those arrested and detained in Israel, where he (according to himself and another activist) was beaten at Tel Aviv airport when he resisted deportation while still in Israeli custody. He claims a policeman hit him on the head with a truncheon and that he was choked until he almost blacked out. He said he spent two more days in a detention facility in the airport after the incident. O'Keefe said the Irish consul general tried to convince him to agree to leave and asked him to wash the blood off his face but he refused. Organisers of the convoy claimed that despite paying a shipping agent for the charter of the ship, O'Keefe and the others were "kidnapped" from the port by the owner and the captain of the ship who "went nuts". The ship owners claimed that the activists had boarded the ship without any contract or charter. Due to a "tense atmosphere" aboard the ship, and (as he claimed) receiving no response from the Libyan authorities, the captain feared for the safety of the ship and decided to sail out of Libyan waters.

In September 2013 O'Keefe joined David Icke in the team of The People's Voice, an internet TV station. In particular, he is presenting The Middle East Show, reporting news and comments on the subjects related to Middle east politics.

O'Keefe has formed a close association with David Duke. O'Keefe appeared, alongside British politician Jenny Tonge at an Israeli Apartheid Week talk at Middlesex University on February 23, 2012, during which he stated, "Israel and Mossad were directly involved in 9/11" and that it "continues to foster false flag terrorism [Israel] has no place in this world. And it must in its current form, if you want me to use some inflammatory language, in its current form should be destroyed". A heated debate with supporters of Israel, who included Zionist Federation co vice chairman Jonathan Hoffman, followed O'Keefe's speech. After looking at submitted video and media material, the police came to the opinion that no criminal offences had been committed and no further action was taken. Six student societies in the Palestine solidarity movement released a statement condemning O'Keefe's remarks as anti Semitic, stating that such opinions had no place in their struggle "against all forms of racism". However, Middlesex University's Student Union awarded the Free Palestine Society for O'Keefe's speaking event with the 'best society event of the year'.