Greta Thunberg accused Israeli soldiers of physically assaulting her after she was detained on a boat approaching Gaza earlier this month.
The Swedish activist was with the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. The passengers, including Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan, were intercepted by Israeli authorities, arrested and detained.
“They hit and kicked me,” Thunberg told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, adding that the soldiers “threw an Israeli flag over me” to humiliate her.
“Then they ripped my frog hat off, threw it on the ground, stomped and kicked it and kind of had a tantrum,” she said. Thunberg alleged her hands were cable-tied and soldiers lined up to take selfies with her as her belongings were slowly cut up with knives.
At one point, far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir appeared before the group of activists and shouted, “You are terrorists. You want to kill Jewish babies,” Thunberg said.
“There’s a lot I don’t remember,” she added. “So much happening at once. You’re in a state of shock.”
During their captivity, Thunberg claimed jail guards frequently threatened to “gas” the activists in their cells. Thunberg added she was isolated in her own cell, which was infested with insects.
The Israel Defense Forces did not respond to multiple requests for comment. During Thunberg’s captivity, the Israeli foreign ministry called allegations it had mistreated her and the other activists “brazen lies.”
“Greta also did not complain to the Israeli authorities about any of these ludicrous and baseless allegations — because they never occurred,” the ministry said in a statement on Oct. 5.
Swedish embassy officials took days to meet with the Swedes in Israeli captivity, Thunberg said, and showed little interest in their mistreatment.
Asked about Thunberg’s claims, Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told Aftonbladet the activists had “exposed themselves to a great risk” by participating in the flotilla mission.
Thunberg was released and deported after five days. She said her bag was returned to her with “whore” and other profanities scribbled on it.
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