A former City of Fernie councillor was acting as a human shield when Israeli troops attacked an aid convoy heading to Gaza.
Kevin Neish, who now lives in Victoria, was elected to the council in 1981 and served one term while he completed an apprenticeship at Finning in Sparwood.
His job was to protect a team of news reporters on a ship in a flotilla carrying supplies and campaigners to Gaza.
Friends said that, in case of a raid, Neish’s job was to passively block the hallway and delay the soldiers long enough to allow the journalists to upload their photos and stories.
On Monday at least nine activists died when the flotilla was attacked by Israeli commandos. Israel says its troops acted in self-defence, but campaigners deny this.
Neish was unhurt but captive in Israel, and was likely to be deported back to Canada within days.
Neish’s friends said that days before the flotilla set off, the Canadian Embassy had advised Neish not to go, but he had replied that instead they should ask Israel not to attack the flotilla.
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