French doctor Bapiste Andre was on ‘freedom flotilla’ with Greta Thunberg – he said the group were subject to ‘mockery’ when they were intercepted by Israeli officials
An activist on the ‘freedom flotilla’ boat with Greta Thunberg has said the latter was mistreated by Israeli officials. There “were acts of mistreatment” according to Baptiste Andre, who spoke to French media after the group of 12 were brought to the port of Ashdod.
Mr Andre, a doctor, said there were “no acts of physical violence”, but that they were subject to sleep deprivation and “mockery” by Israeli officials. He said this was “especially” focussed on Ms Thunberg. “As soon as [Thunberg] fell asleep, the immigration services came to wake her up” he claimed, adding that music was turned loud and members of the immigration services “danced in front of us”.
Adding there was some difficulty for the detainees in gaining access to food, water and toilets, Andre said: “It took three hours to get a piece of bread.”
On X, the Israeli foreign ministry said: “The passengers of the ‘Selfie Yacht’ arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries. Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority.”
Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said Thunberg was party to “Instagram activism”. Israeli officials have received criticism after calling the group anti-semitic amid their attempts to bring food to people in Gaza. The UN has warned Gaza’s population is at risk of famine.
Ms Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on the Madleen, a ship carrying aid to Gaza. Israeli naval forces seized the boat without incident early on Monday about 125 miles off of Gaza’s coast, according to the coalition, which along with rights groups, said Israel’s actions were a violation of international law.
Israel rejects that charge because it says such ships intend to breach what it argues is a lawful naval blockade of Gaza.
Speaking upon arrival at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, Ms Thunberg called for the release of the other activists who were detained aboard the Freedom Flotilla. She described a “quite chaotic and uncertain” situation during the detention.
The activist added the conditions they faced “are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now”.
“We were well aware of the risks of this mission,” Ms Thunberg added. “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 to Gaza.