Greta Thunberg Abused in Zionist Detention Following Gaza Flotilla Arrest
Some 137 activists detained by the Zionist occupation for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza arrived in Turkey on Saturday after being deported, with eyewitnesses saying that Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was mistreated and even tortured during her detention.
Turkish activist, Ersin Celik, who was aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla said on Saturday that “Israeli” forces subjected Greta Thunberg, 22, to severe torture after vessels were seized in international waters, Anadolu agency reported.
“They severely tortured Greta before our eyes,” Celik said. “They persecuted her — Greta is just a little child. They made her crawl and made her kiss the Israeli flag. They did exactly what the Nazis did once.”
Hazwani Helmi, a Malaysian citizen, and Windfield Beaver, an American citizen, told Reuters at the airport that they had witnessed Thunberg being mistreated, saying she was shoved and forced to wear an “Israeli flag.”
“It was a disaster. They treated us like animals,” said Helmi, 28, adding that detainees were not provided with clean food or water and that medication and belongings were confiscated.
Beaver, 43, said Thunberg was “treated terribly” and “used as propaganda”, describing how she was pushed into a room as Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived.
“Those who were acting legally were the people aboard those boats; those who acted illegally were those who prevented them from reaching Gaza”, Arturo Scotto, one of the Italian lawmakers who took part in the mission, told a press conference in Rome.
“We were brutally stopped … brutally taken hostage”, said Benedetta Scuderi, another Italian parliamentarian.
The Zionist occupation has faced international condemnation after its forces intercepted all of about 40 boats in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza and detained more than 450 activists.
The activists who landed at Istanbul Airport included 36 Turkish nationals, as well as citizens from Algeria, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia and Jordan.
