Athens: Swedish climate activist and campaigner Greta Thunberg arrived in Greece on Monday to a warm welcome from a pro-Palestinian crowd, following her deportation from Israel along with hundreds of other international activists. The activists had been detained at sea while attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which seeks to challenge Israel’s long-standing naval blockade of the enclave.
Israel confirmed the expulsion of 171 activists on Monday, including Thunberg, bringing the total deported to 341 out of 479 detained when the flotilla was intercepted. According to the Greek Foreign Ministry, 161 activists—including 22-year-old Thunberg—arrived in Athens on a flight that also carried citizens from nearly 20 other countries, including 27 Greeks.
At Athens Airport, Thunberg addressed the crowd, condemning Israel’s military actions in Gaza as “genocide” and criticizing the international community for failing to prevent the “worst war crimes.” She said, “What we aimed to do with the Global Sumud Flotilla was to step up when our governments failed to do their legal obligation.”
The flotilla’s mission was to deliver aid and draw global attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than 2.2 million residents have been displaced and the United Nations reports widespread hunger. Israel, which rejects accusations of genocide and describes the flotilla as a publicity stunt benefiting Hamas, previously detained Thunberg during a similar attempt in June. Thunberg warned that Israel is escalating mass destruction with genocidal intent, aiming to erase an entire population.
Mistreatment of Activists
Reports from the Adalah Legal Centre confirmed widespread abuse of flotilla participants in Israeli detention. Lawyers said activists were forced into physically stressful positions for hours, denied food, water, and medical care, and subjected to verbal insults and physical mistreatment. Female activists, particularly those wearing hijabs, faced harsher treatment, including prohibitions on prayer and wearing religious attire.
Lubna Tuma, legal counsel at Adalah, said, “Many activists testified that from the beginning of their detention, a series of violations and ill-treatment occurred. They were handcuffed, kept in cramped rooms, and denied access to lawyers during administrative hearings at Ashdod Port.”
The UN human rights office expressed alarm over the treatment of flotilla participants. Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan stated, “We have received worrying information of ill-treatment and violations of due process rights. The office has long raised concerns about intentionally degrading conditions in Israeli detention centers.”
Escalating Humanitarian Crisis
The Global Sumud Flotilla represents an effort to bring attention to the dire conditions in Gaza, where Israeli bombardments since October 2023 have killed over 67,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, and left the territory largely uninhabitable. Israeli forces have maintained the blockade of Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.
Thunberg’s arrival in Greece highlights the growing international concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the treatment of activists seeking to provide aid. Despite facing detention and abuse, the flotilla participants insist on the need for global accountability and humanitarian relief.
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