Greta Thunberg, the 22-year-old Swedish climate activist, arrived in Athens after being expelled from Israel following her participation in the Global Sumud Flotilla. The 45-vessel flotilla had attempted to break the Israeli blockade to deliver aid to Gaza but was intercepted by Israeli naval forces.
At Athens International Airport, activists waved a large Palestinian flag and chanted “Freedom for Palestine” and “Long live the flotilla!” to welcome Thunberg and other participants back to Europe.
Thunberg described the flotilla as “the biggest ever attempt to break Israel’s illegal and inhumane siege by sea.” She criticized global governments for their lack of action, calling Israel’s assault on Gaza a genocide.
The Greek foreign ministry confirmed that a special flight had brought 27 Greeks and 134 other nationals from 15 countries safely to Athens. Meanwhile, Israel deported 171 activists to Greece and Slovakia.
According to Slovakia’s foreign ministry, one Slovak and nine others from the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States were also repatriated.
The flotilla departed from Barcelona in early September but was intercepted by Israeli forces near Egypt and Gaza between October 1 and 3. The ships were redirected to the Israeli port of Ashdod, and over 470 participants were detained. As of now, 138 activists remain in Israeli custody.
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