Swedish activist Greta Thunberg arrived in Greece on Monday, joining a large group of campaigners expelled from Israel after their attempt to deliver aid to Gaza, according to AFP.
The 22-year-old, along with around 160 others, touched down at Athens International Airport, where supporters holding Palestinian flags cheered and chanted “Freedom for Palestine” and “Long live the flotilla!”
The campaigners had been part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail from Barcelona in early September aiming to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza. The convoy, which Israel later intercepted off Egypt, was described by Thunberg as “the biggest ever attempt to break Israel’s illegal and inhumane siege by sea.”
“That this mission has to exist is a shame,” Thunberg declared upon arrival, calling on the international community to act to stop what she described as Israel’s “genocide” of Palestinians, reported AFP. “We are not even seeing the bare minimum from our governments,” she added.
Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed that 171 people had been deported to Greece and Slovakia, while more than 470 had been detained when the flotilla was intercepted. According to Israeli officials, the ships had entered a restricted maritime area, and only small amounts of humanitarian supplies were found on board.
The Greek foreign ministry said the “special repatriation flight” to Athens carried 27 Greek nationals and 134 citizens from 15 other European countries. Meanwhile, Slovakia confirmed the return of one of its citizens, along with nine others from the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States.
Among those deported was Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament, who said she was assaulted during her detention in Israel, the report said. “I was beaten by two police officers when they put me in the van,” Hassan has been quoted by AFP, adding that detainees were held “up to 15 per cell” on thin mattresses inside a high-security prison.
Israeli authorities have accused the flotilla’s organizers of links to Hamas, calling the mission a “provocation.” As of Monday, the foreign ministry said 138 participants were still being held in Israeli custody.
With inputs from AFP
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