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Israel deported climate activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday, just one day after the Israeli military seized the ship she was on, which was bound for Gaza.
Upon her arrival in Paris – while on her way back to her home country of Sweden – Thunberg urged for the release of the other activists who were taken into custody aboard the Madleen flotilla.
She characterised the situation during their detention as “quite chaotic and uncertain.” The conditions they faced “are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now,” she added.
The trip was meant to protest Israeli restrictions on aid to Gaza’s population of over 2 million people after 20 months of war, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group behind the journey.
“We were well aware of the risks of this mission,” Thunberg noted. “The aim was to get to Gaza and to be able to distribute the aid.” She said the activists would continue trying to get aid into the enclave and breach what she called an unjust siege.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump called Thunberg “strange” and “a young angry person” and recommended she take anger management classes.
“I think the world need a lot more young angry women,” Thunberg said Tuesday in response to Trump, who she’s clashed with online on previous occasions.
She also asserted that some of the activists detained experienced difficulties in contacting their lawyers.
Asked why she agreed to deportation, she said, “Why would I want to stay in an Israeli prison more than necessary?”
The activist urged her supporters to demand their governments not only allow humanitarian aid into Gaza but, more crucially, to seek an end to the occupation and to the ongoing systemic oppression and violence that Palestinians endure daily.
She added that recognition of a Palestinian state is the absolute minimum governments around the world can do to help.
What’s happening with the other activists on board the Madleen?
Thunberg was among 11 other passengers aboard the Madleen. Early Monday, Israeli naval forces captured the vessel without any incident approximately 200 kilometres from Gaza.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, in conjunction with various rights organisations, stated that Israel’s actions in international waters constitute a violation of international law.
Israel however denies this accusation, asserting that these ships aim to violate what it claims is a legitimate naval blockade of the territory.
The group said three activists, including Thunberg, had been deported. A journalist who was on board the vessel was also released and deported back to Paris.
Sabine Haddad, a spokesperson for Israel’s Interior Ministry, stated that the activists deported on Tuesday waved their rights to present their case before a judge.
She added that all the remaining passengers aboard the Madleen will be held in detention for 96-hours prior, where they will be presented before a judge and their deportations scheduled for after the hearing.
Additional sources • AP
