Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has accused Israeli personnel of torturing her and other activists following their arrest aboard Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla while trying to break the Israeli naval blockade, according to Arab News.
Dystopian Detention Scenes
She said that Israeli guards “hit, kicked, starved and tortured” her in custody.
They even took selfies with her and distorted her property with lewd graffiti.
The 22-year-old told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that Israel took her and others to a “dystopian” detention area.
“I saw maybe 50 people sitting in a row on their knees with handcuffs and their foreheads against the ground,” she added.
Moreover, Thunberg said that the Israeli guards dragged her to the opposite side from where the others were sitting, and she had the (Israeli) flag around her the whole time.
“There’s a lot I don’t remember. So much is happening at once. You’re in shock, you’re in pain, but you go into a state of trying to stay calm,” she said.
Threats and Deprivation
Thunberg also noted that the guards showed “no empathy or humanity” toward the detainees, describing how she was forced to “beg” for water while being held in conditions exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.
“When people fainted, we banged on the cages and asked for a doctor. Then the guards came and said: ‘We’re going to gas you.’ She highlighted that this threat was standard for them. They carried a gas cylinder and threatened to press it against the international activists.
“During the nights, guards regularly came by and shook the bars, shining flashlights, and several times a night they came in and forced everyone to stand up,” she added.
Thunberg, who was part of an international group of activists who tried to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, but the flotilla was intercepted in international waters after rejecting to change course and halt their humanitarian mission.
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