Norwegian emergency surgeon, Dr Mads Gilbert, has arrived in South Africa for a one week speaking tour on his experience in Gaza. Dr Gilbert recently returned from the war ravaged strip, where he worked at the Al Shifa hospital for several weeks treating to the injured and wounded causalities of the recent Israeli assault.

The busy doctor touches down in Cape Town on Thursday 28 August for a talk at the University of the Western Cape, lecture theatre 1H at the Public Health Building at 11am. At 7pm, he heads to the University of Cape Town for a lecture at the Molly Blackburn Auditorium on Upper Campus. These events are free to the public. VOC Drivetime will also host Dr Gilbert live on air after 4pm.

Dr Mads Gilbert is a specialist in anesthesiology, the head of the emergency medicine department at the University Hospital of North Norway and has been adjunct professor of emergency medicine at the University of Tromsø since 1995. Gilbert is in South Africa on a Channel Islam International and BDS South Africa speaking tour between Tuesday 26th of August and Saturday 30th of August.

Commenting on the recent (and ongoing) Israeli attacks on Gaza, Dr Gilbert has said: “This is not a battle between terrorism and democracy. Hamas is not the enemy Israel is fighting. Israel is waging a war against the Palestinian people’s will to resist. [Israel is waging a war against] the unbending [Palestinian] determination not to submit to the [Israeli] occupation. It is the Palestinian people’s dignity and humanity that will not accept that they are treated [by Israel] as third, fourth, fifth-ranking people.”

Dr Mads Gilbert explains that: “In 1938, the Nazis called the Jews ‘Untermenschen’, subhuman. Today, Palestinians are treated as ‘Untermensch’, as subhumans who can be bombed, killed, slaughtered by their thousands…however, solidarity is a powerful weapon…join the boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel campaign…Israel is more isolated than ever – and they deserve to be.”

Dr Gilbert will be spread across four cities over the next five days and has a busy schedule.  His public tour kicks off on Tuesday 26 August at 7pm in Johannesburg at the Protea Auditorium, STH Building, Bunting Road Campus at University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, Johannesburg.
On Wednesday 27 August at 12pm, Dr Gilbert will be in Durban at the
Cane Growers Hall, ML Sultan Campus based at the Durban University of Technology.

At 6pm, Dr Mads Gilbert will be the special guest at a fundraising dinner at the NMJ Islamic Centre in Durban, hosted by the Islamic Medical Association and others. Tickets cost R300.
On Friday 29 August, Dr Gilbert visits Pretoria for a talk at the HW Snynam Building at the University of Pretoria Medical Campus, Gezina at 11am.

He heads back to Johannesburg, where he will be the special guest at the CII fundraising dinner for the Gaza Ambulance Drive to be held at the LifeStyle Centre in Fordsburg, Johannesburg at 7pm. Tickets cost R250.

His last activity is on Saturday 30 August, where Dr Gilbert will participate in a national day of action against Woolworths as part of #BoycottWoolworths campaign. VOC