Unknown chemical substance dropped on the Freedom Flotilla ship Madleen in the middle of the night.

Also their statement now:
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The Madleen is currently under assault in international waters. Quadcopters are surrounding the ship, spraying it with a white irritant substance. Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio.
─────

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories
─────
While #Madleen must be released immediately, every Mediterranean port should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together—united, they will be unstoppable.

#BreakingTheSiege is a legal duty for states, and a moral imperative for all of us.
─────
theguardian.com/world/live/202…

Israel accused of ‘forcibly intercepting’ Gaza aid boat as activists detained – live

Israeli foreign ministry confirms ship carrying activists including Greta Thunberg is under its troops’ control and heading towards Israel

^{Jonathan Yerushalmy (The Guardian)}

Pretty astoundingly repugnant of Israel to call the Madleen of the Freedom Flotilla "selfie yacht" after they illegally boarded it and abducted the crew.

What they WERE doing was literally knowingly risking their lives for humanity, as Israel against a previous, much larger, humanitarian aid convoy of the same Freedom Flotilla murdered 10 of those participants when they illegally boarded that convoy in international waters, out of which one according to a witness with a headshot.
Also, this iteration of the Freedom Flotilla was airstrike-bombed outside Malta, extremely "probably" by Israel, so they have a different, smaller boat as the previous ship as a result of the bombing got a hole in the hull.
As civilians the only protection they had and have against being murdered too is that they are well and widely known, that "the whole world is watching" as the slogan goes, so they could not just be silently assassinated.
This also fills the purpose of enabling democracy to properly function against war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, by highlighting current grave injustice.
To inform others when something is wrong is foundational to any democracy, which is probably also why the current authoritarian far-right regime of Israel despises it.

They were and remain all heroes of humanity.

Now there is also a full-sized article on that "Israeli forces take control of Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg" during the night to today.
theguardian.com/world/2025/jun…
It is... not a good article, probably because they based it according to themselves on Reuters, which has problems with their reporting when it is related to Israel. Hopefully they'll rewrite it.

Otherwise, check back in this long thread which is dedicated to the topic of that particular humanitarian aid convoy, where I have been tooting the events as they happened all through the night.
Goodnight (or "good day" I suppose, but I'm going to sleep)!

Israeli forces take control of Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg

British-flagged yacht operated by pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition was making symbolic attempt to deliver aid

^{Emma Graham-Harrison (The Guardian)}

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[...]
Turkey [...] condemned Israel’s seizure of the Madleen and accused Israel of acting “as a terror state”.

Turkish activists Suayb Ordu is among the 12-strong crew. The Turkish foreign ministry called the move a “clear violation of international law”.

It said the intervention threatened maritime security and “once again demonstrates that Israel is acting as a terror state.”
─────
theguardian.com/world/live/202…
While this is correct, we must also remember that it was Erdoğan who after much posturing for own propaganda then once attention died down sold out the court case related to the boarding of Mavi Marmara and the other ships in the same Freedom Flotilla convoy where Israel's forces murdered 10 civilian humanitarian aid convoy participants,
for the price of one petroleum trade agreement with Erdoğan's brother in genocidal warfare Netanyahu, with the included condition that the case can never be brought to court again.

It was also Turkey who blocked this now boarded iteration of Freedom Flotilla from leaving port for months, obstructing their continuing on to Gaza.

Erdoğan doesn't care about the Freedom Flotilla, Gaza or anything else than about Erdoğan, now using this crime for personal political profit too.

Gaza aid boat activists to be shown 7 October attacks footage, says Israeli defence minister – as it happened

Passengers including Greta Thunberg to see ‘atrocities committed against women, the elderly and children’ says Israel Katz

^{Jonathan Yerushalmy (The Guardian)}

The response to Greta Thunberg being illegally abducted by Israel, people calling the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Sweden to pressure them to actually do their jobs this time, has now been commented by the MFA being outraged that "A campaign has started where one calls the MFA to a large extent and thus blocks calls for others who ae in urgent need of consular aid" (my translation)... blaming the people worried and upset about this repeat violation against another citizen of Sweden for the MFA's own failure to properly staff their lines, address the concerns in an appropriate and proactive manner and most of all to take open and clear action to fulfill their jobs.

It's not the public's job to create some queue-system deciding whose turn it is to get the great honor of calling the Ministry. It's the Ministry's job to... do their jobs.

Freedom Flotilla's latest official update, ~1h ago:
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Freedom Flotilla Official Update: It's time for our governments to do their jobs and sanction Israel. Its illegal attack on 'Madleen' while sailing in international waters is a small extension of their war crimes in Gaza. Governments, institutions, media, and corporations must stop protecting Israel, now. They must stop prioritising profit over human lives, now. Protect our volunteers while protecting Palestinians in Gaza and wider Palestine.

#BreakIsraelsSiege #EndTheBlockade #Madleen #FreedomFlotilla #Volunteers #IOF #StandWithGaza #StandWithPalestine
─────

"Gaza-bound aid boat intercepted by Israel reaches Ashdod port"
AFP: lbcgroup.tv/news/israelgazawar…

According to major newspapers in Sweden the heroes of humanity are going to be taken to a court for "illegal immigrants" in Ramla (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramla).
Adalah (adalah.org/en) which reportedly represents them said they should be put before the court on Tuesday morning, although the article interviewing the lawyer, Nasrin Shehade Zoabi, also says they still have not been allowed contact with their clients.
The lawyer very correctly notes that" the detained aren't at all illegal immigrants, they were on their way to Gaza, not to Israel. The military forced them to Israel against their will".

Israel's Minister of War, Katz, has said they will force the human rights activists to watch a 43 minute video of Hamas' attacks on October 7, 2023, once again clearly demonstrating that the Minister is just a lousy racist doing collective penalism for actions based on ethnicity instead of actual participation in the acts (or even being alive yet then) as to people with functioning moral compass no atrocity by someone against another can ever legitimize another atrocity against someone else and that's also not how the jus ad bellum nor jus in bello work, at all.

Freedom Flotilla, ~5h ago:
─────
Madleen is in Ashdod Port

We have just received confirmation that all 11 volunteers and one Al Jazeera reporter from the ‘Madleen’ are currently at Ashdod Port. They are being processed and transferred to detention. They are expected to be moved to the Ramleh detention facility unless they agree to leave immediately, in which case they may be permitted to fly out of Tel Aviv as early as tonight. We continue to demand the immediate release of all volunteers and the return of the stolen aid. Their kidnapping is unlawful and a violation of international law.
─────

New update now from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition:
"Four Deported, Eight Detained – Israel Holds ‘Madleen’ Group Illegally
[...]
Each of the volunteers was given two options: sign documents consenting to deportation, or remain in detention and appear before a tribunal. The FFC had encouraged some volunteers, if given the option, to agree to expedited deportation in order to restore access to communication—including the ability to speak freely and advocate for their fellow participants."
freedomflotilla.org/2025/06/10…

Greta Thunberg has stated that the reason for accepting the deportation uncontested was that will enable doing more, more effectively while no longer detained by Israel,
so that's in line with this group statement.

Greta Thunberg has landed in Paris on the way home after being illegally abducted to and the deported from Israel.

This was the first time flying after many years of refusing due to the particularly severe environmental impact of flying, as now flying was imposed by Israel through their deportation.

Another new update from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) now:
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Freedom Flotilla Coalition Update:

The FFC confirms that 4 of the 12 abducted from international waters have been deported, while 8 remain unjustly detained. Israel is handling the custody of all 12 as though they had entered illegally—even though they were forcibly abducted from international waters and brought into Israel against their will.

Those who did not consent to leave remain in detention and will appear before a tribunal. But we know Israel’s so-called "justice system" exists to uphold apartheid, occupation and colonization—not deliver justice, and that they will ultimately order a forced expulsion.

While the world stands by 'Madleen', we must also stand by and fight for Palestinians unlawfully imprisoned. According to Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, as of June 4, 2025, there are over 10,400 Palestinians held captive in Israeli dungeons. Of those, more than 400 are children and more than 3,500 are held without trial, charge, or minimal due process.

The world is watching.
─────

New update from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition:
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Some snippets from Greta’s interview after being deported by Israeli authorities. Continue fighting for Palestinians in Gaza, including those in wider Palestine who are unlawfully imprisoned, including over 400 children.

#Madleen #IOF #GretaThunberg #FreedomFlotilla
─────

...and another Freedom Flotilla Coalition update:
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Freedom Flotilla Coalition Update – June 10, 2025

Eight from the 'Madleen' remain illegally detained by Israel after being abducted in international waters while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza.

Today, they were brought before a detention tribunal at Ramleh. Israel continues to falsely claim they “illegally entered”—despite taking them at sea and transferring them into Israeli territory against their will.

The state has imposed 100-year entry bans on all of those aboard the 'Madleen'. Thiago Ávila has been on hunger and water strike since early yesterday. Others report unsanitary conditions, including bed bug infestations and no access to safe drinking water.

The seizure, detention, and attempted deportation of the our team are clear violations of international law and Israeli law. They must be released immediately and unconditionally. We will not be silent. The blockade is illegal. Our mission remains: to break the siege and deliver aid to Gaza.

Artwork by Zina Zindah, 11 years old, during an art workshop by [Julien Guichon] from Gaza.

#FreedomFlotilla #EndTheBlockade #Gaza #HumanRights #LetThemGo #Madleen #WeWillSail
─────

Greta now back home in Sweden, landed at Stockholm Arlanda Airport.

Asked if it feels good to be back home, Greta replied (my translation):
"What I feel most of all is concerned about the continued development, the violations of international law and the war crimes that Israel is committing."

Trump on Tuesday called Greta "a young, angry person" (todon.eu/@b9AcE/11465539900481…).
Yesterday Greta responded "In my opinion the world needs many more young, angry women" (my translation).

Here seen on arrival home to Stockholm yesterday evening, after being illegally abducted by Israel, to Israel, then deported by Israel for "illegally" entering Israel.

b9AcE

2025-06-09 20:55:48

Trump made a new statement regarding Greta Thunberg after talking to the main illegal abduction responsible, Netanyahu, over the phone.
Trump said about Greta:
"She's a young, angry person. I don't know if it's real anger – it's hard to believe, actually. But I saw what happened. She's certainly different."
I'd call that a 10 out of 10 score. :-)

A new update from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, from Yasemin Acar, crew member of the ship Madleen, abducted to and by Israel when they illegally boarded the civilian ship attempting to break Israel's illegal siege against the people of Gaza:
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Palestinians in Gaza are being starved, denied aid, genocided- and this is all on live stream and on our watch. A statement from Yasemin Acar, FFC volunteer on ‘Madleen’ who was kidnapped by IOF, forcibly taken to Israel and currently being held in detention is delivered by her brother J. Acar. This is the real story.

#FreeGaza #BreakTheSiege
#Madleen #EndTheGenocide
─────
(the message is in the video)

Two new updates from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, first a long one and then a short amending the first:

──1──
News as of 6pm Jerusalem time: Thiago Ávila and Rima Hassan are now held in solitary confinement under punitive and inhumane conditions: Thiago was placed in isolation in Ayalon Prison due to his ongoing hunger and thirst strike, which he began two days ago. He has also been treated aggressively by prison authorities, although this has not escalated to physical assault.

Rima Hassan was placed in isolation under inhumane conditions in Neve Tirza Prison after writing “Free Palestine” on a wall in Givon Prison. She was moved to a small, windowless cell with extremely poor hygienic conditions and has been denied access to the prison yard. The others remain illegally detained by Israeli authorities. Adalah lawyers demands their immediate release and an end to retaliatory measures.
──1──

──2──
We have just been informed that Rima has been moved from solitary back to Givon. Thiago remains in solitary.
──2──

Yes, that todon.eu/@b9AcE/11466566801178… Rima.

As the next convoy to break Israel's illegal siege against the people in the Gaza Strip of Palestine approaches, this time by land, Israel urges its lapdog military coup dictator al-Sisi of Egypt to keep Egypt's part in the war crime blockade, as without Egypt's direct complicity at the Gaza/Egypt direct border, there would be no siege of Gaza.
lbcgroup.tv/news/middleeastnew…

The atrocious al-Sisi regime would not be initially able to stand against the oppressed people if it was not for USA's military and economic "aid" which is received on condition of aiding Israel against Palestine (as agreed in the Camp David Accords of 1978 when Sadat was the second regional leader to sell out Palestine, only after Turkey was the first).
That was why USA chose to ignore the rule that it is officially no allowed to give aid to coup regimes, but after a pretty long public debate where that was the key point, it was... just done anyway, to as Israel wants it keep the people in Gaza starving and dependent on Hamas.

Israel urges Egypt to block Gaza-bound activist convoy

| Lebanon News

^LBCI

And another new update from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition:
─────
Lara, speaking from Brazil, has had no contact with her husband, Thiago Ávila, since he was abducted and detained illegally by Israeli forces from the 'Madleen'. Since then, Thiago has been placed in solitary confinement, denied communication with his family.

According to Lara, Israeli authorities threatened Thiago with the psychological torment of isolation without light or ventilation. Despite this, Thiago remains on hunger strike, holding firm to his belief in justice for Palestinians and the right of every child to food, safety, and freedom.

From his prison cell, he wrote a letter to his 1-year-old daughter. Lara generously shares that with us today.

This is a call not just for Thiago’s release—but for the world to pay attention to Gaza, to Palestine, and to all people who are exploited, forced to live under occupation.

#FreedomFlotilla #Madleen #Thiago #IOF #WeWillSail #BreakIsraelsSiege #EndTheBlockade
─────

"The Diplomatic Humanitarian Convoy is an international initiative grounded in international law, aimed at breaking the siege on aid entering Gaza and restoring humanitarian access."

Diplomatic Humanitarian Convoy to Gaza – Q&A: law4palestine.org/diplomatic-h…
More: law4palestine.org/category/gaz…