The Reaction To Greta Thunberg's Potential Kidnapping Is Disturbing
Activists on board the aid boat to Gaza, including Greta Thunberg and Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham, will be deported today after being diverted by Israeli forces. The ship was on course to deliver supplies to Gaza with Israel warning ahead of the voyage that they would take 'whatever measures are necessary' to prevent it reaching its destination.
This morning, after three days at sail, Thunberg tweeted a video saying, 'If you see this video we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel.' Immediately, 'Has Greta Thunberg been kidnapped?' began to trend on Google, with breakout search for whether or not she'd been arrested or detained.
Now, Israel's foreign ministry says the ship carrying 12 activists is being diverted to an Israeli port where 'arrangements will be made for their return to their respective home countries.'
Amnesty International have released a statement in response, saying that Israel has shown a 'chilling contempt' for international law by blocking aid getting into Gaza. '[It has] an international obligation to ensure safe access to food and essential supplies for Gaza's civilians,' Secretary General Agnes Callamard says. 'Activists would not have had to risk their lives if Israel's allies had turned their words into forceful action to allow aid into Gaza.'
Greta Thunberg on Freedom Flotilla aid ship for Gaza. Credit: Getty ©Getty
The online reaction to the news has also been concerning. Namely, the jokes made at Thunberg's expense when reports first emerged that she could have been kidnapped. According to Google Trends, 'Greta Thunberg meme' is a breakout search term for the 22-year-old, with a picture of her being handed a sandwich by Israeli forces quickly going viral in the wake of the ship being intercepted.
'I always let my hostages make selfie videos and post them on the internet too,' one person responded to her video. 'She caved at the first free snack,' another said. 'So brave! So courageous! Greta Thunberg and the Madleen Freedom Flotilla bravely shat their pants and surrendered today,' a third added.
GB News host Andrew Pierce branded Thunberg 'appalling', saying 'She's so appalling, isn't she?... I loved the response to the Israeli military, that it is a boat full of virtue signalling, celebrities taking selfies.' In reporting the news of Thunberg's potential kidnap this morning, The Sun went with the headline 'Learn A Lesson: Greta to be made to watch Oct 7 atrocity vid after Israel stop boat stunt'.
None of the same vitriol shared above was aimed at the other 11 activists on board the ship. For example Cunningham, who has also been used to publicise the voyage, is not named in any headlines about the ship being diverted apart from one straight news story by the Irish Star.
Yet there's a unique level of anger that's saved for Thunberg whenever she attempts to raise awareness of various humanitarian crises. Her age, gender, appearance and neurodivergence are consistently used as an insult against her by those who seek to invalidate her opinions or diminish her cause.
In 2019, aged just 16, she was forced to respond to a viral article about her by the Herald Sun's Andrew Bolt after he called Thunberg 'deeply disturbed' - referring to her Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis, as well as having OCD. 'I have never seen a girl so young with so many mental disorders treated by so many adults as a guru,' he wrote, calling her a 'strange girl'.
'I am indeed 'deeply disturbed' about the fact that these hate and conspiracy campaigns are allowed to go on and on and on just because we children communicate and act on the science,' Thunberg responded. 'Where are the adults?'
Years later, she still faces abuse, targeted with fake photos, conspiracy theories and outright death threats. But what is it about the psyche of these largely older male trolls who feel so threatened by Thunberg? Clearly the fact she's a young, passionate, atypical woman is something they can't stand.
One Twitter user said it best. 'Gotta love all the 40yr olds whose only contribution to the world is paying their HOA fees on time losing their minds on a girl who takes action for what she believes, and *wow*, thinks civilians should have food and water. Brave people they sure are.'
What is it about the psyche of these, largely older male, trolls that feels so threatened by Thunberg?
Whatever comes of this haunting story is certainly nothing to joke about. Rather than jumping to insult her endeavour, or to diminish the bravery Thunberg's shown, should we not all be hoping for her safe onward journey – and the aid to get to Gaza? To see an effort of such courage turned into a joke, merely because some corners of the internet can't stand to see a young woman with strong opinions, when so many lives are at stake is horrendous. If there were ever a time to resist making a meme of a global crisis, it's now.
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Daily Mail
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Greta Thunberg is locked in an Israeli prison cell and will be dragged to court with other 'freedom flotilla' activists, her lawyer claims - after snub from Sweden
Greta Thunberg is being held in an Israeli prison and will appear in court tomorrow after Israeli commandos intercepted the 'freedom flotilla', according to the activist's lawyer. Thunberg, alongside the 11 other activists on board are expected to appear in court on Tuesday morning after they were taken to the Israeli port city of Ashdod. 'We demand information about the whereabouts of our clients and the right to meet them,' lawyer Nariman Shehade Zoabi told Expressen. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which organised the voyage from Italy to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, said last night that the ship had come 'under assault' in the Mediterranean Sea. The Madleen was said to have been shadowed by speedboats and drones before 'quadcopters' surrounded and sprayed the ship with an unidentified 'white irritant substance', shortly before the IDF seized it. Israeli commandos took over the vessel and arrested the activists, before taking them to Ashdod, in southern Israel. But as of late Monday afternoon, their lawyers claimed they had not received any information about their clients' whereabouts. 'Based on previous experiences, Greta Thunberg and the others will be taken to Givon prison near the town of Ramle. There, what are called illegal immigrants are detained and there is a court that can quickly decide on deportation,' Zoabi, from the human rights organisation, Adala, added. She is waiting in Ashdod alongside five others, three of whom are lawyers, and explained the deportation process could be quick. 'Israel has no interest in detaining them and they themselves do not want to stay in the country', she said. But until they are deported, the activists will be detained in Givon Prison. It comes after Sweden rejected Greta Thunberg 's plea for help on board the 'freedom flotilla' after Israeli commandos intercepted the vessel on its approach to Gaza. Maria Malmer Stenergard, the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday that she believes Thunberg is not in need of support from the ministry after the climate activist called on followers to pressure the government into action. 'A great responsibility rests on those who choose to travel contrary to the advice given to a place,' she said outside the Swedish parliament, as protestors gathered in Stockholm to demand an intervention. The minister lamented that, as a result of Greta's plea, the consular hotline had received a high volume of calls that meant Swedes 'in need' abroad were being held in long queues for assistance. 'It is quite dangerous to run a campaign that means that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' consular hotline is called down,' she said, adding: 'The consequence is that Swedes in need abroad have to wait in line for far too long.' Stenergard suggested she did not believe Thunberg needed help, but assured: 'If she needs consular support, we will do everything we can, just as we do with all Swedish citizens.' Israel has claimed that all passengers on board the charity vessel are 'safe and unharmed'. The foreign ministry said today it expects the activists to return to their home countries. Protestors hold signs reading 'Neutrality = complicity' (C) and Palestinian flags as they attend a demonstration to show their support for activists aboard a boat stopped by Israeli forces enroute to deliver aid to Gaza, in Toulouse, south-western France on June 9, 2025 Protestors have called on the governments of the 12 crew members to act after the activists claimed to have been 'intercepted and kidnapped' in international waters some 100 miles from the coast of Gaza. In London, demonstrators gathered outside the FCDO offices in Whitehall to call on the government to protect the crew of the British-flagged ship. One held a sign that read: ' Israel attacks UK boat. UK does nothing.' Images emerged last night, showing the deck of the charity vessel splattered with white liquid. Activist Yasmin Acar, among those on board, said it had been deployed by Israel and was affecting her eyes. 'Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio,' the coalition wrote on Telegram. Huwaida Arraf, the co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, told Al Jazeera that crew members had said their eyes were burning from the substance. 'We don't know what that chemical was. Some people reported that their eyes were burning,' they said. Israel 'forcibly intercepted' the British-flagged vessel at 3.02am local time this morning, some 100 miles from the coast of Gaza, the FFC said in a statement. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz argued the blockade - in place for years - was needed to prevent militants importing weapons into Gaza. He congratulated the military on its 'quick and safe takeover' of the ship this morning after Israeli commandos seized the vessel. After diverting the boat, Israel's foreign ministry posted a picture of the activists all in orange life jackets being offered water and sandwiches. Katz said that the crew were safe and unharmed, and would be taken to the Israeli Port of Ashdod where they would be shown a video of Hamas 's October 7 atrocities. Critics called on the UK Government to protect the crew of Madleen on Monday Video shows gunmen storming into southern Israel during Hamas's October 7 massacre, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage In comments shared on social media today, Katz said it was 'appropriate' the crew now see 'what atrocities [Hamas] committed against women, the elderly and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself'. The video of Hamas' attacks reportedly contains 43 minutes of 'uncensored' footage of 'people being massacred and bodies mutilated during the onslaught', according to the Times of Israel. The Israeli foreign ministry also derided what it called the 'selfie yacht' carrying 'celebrity' activists, adding that the aid onboard would be transferred to Gaza through what it called 'real humanitarian channels'. The 12 activists had left Italy on June 1, aiming to bring awareness of food shortages in Gaza, which the UN has called the 'hungriest place on Earth', after 21 months of war. The UN has warned the territory's entire population is at risk of famine. But the Israeli government had vowed to prevent the 'unauthorised' Madleen from breaching the naval blockade of Gaza, urging it to turn back. Protesters gather in support of the Freedom Flotilla and Palestine outside the Foreign Office After losing communication with the vessel, the FFC posted pre-recorded videos from the crew. In her video, Thunberg said: 'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel.' Why are the activists protesting? The crew on board the Madleen sailed towards Gaza in an effort to raise awareness of the deepening humanitarian crisis. Israel imposed a blockade on supplies - including food and medicine - into the Palestinian enclave on March 2, and limited aid only began to enter again late last month after pressure from allies and warnings of famine. ActionAid had reported in April that the price of flour in Gaza had soared to $300 a bag after more than 50 days without new aid deliveries. More than 3,700 children were newly admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition in March alone, it said, an 80 per cent rise on the previous month, per UNOCHA. Still, most people in Gaza are surviving on just a single meal per day, consisting mostly of pasta, rice or canned food. Humanitarian workers and experts have warned of famine unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive. Nine tenths of the population have been displaced by 21 months of war, with Israel now pursuing a new major offensive in the strip. Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's Palestinian population. The FFC said that Israel had acted with 'total impunity'. It said that the cargo, containing baby formula, food and medical supplies, had been 'confiscated'. Israel said that the aid on board would be 'transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels'. The foreign ministry stressed that all crew members were 'safe and unharmed'. It said that it expected the activists to return to their home countries. Arraf, a human rights attorney and Freedom Flotilla organiser, pushed back: 'Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen.' 'This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the (International Court of Justice's) binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.' Israel has come under criticism for apprehending the group of activists in international waters. Francesca Albanese, the UN's Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said the British government must 'urgently seek full clarification' about the ship's status and work to 'secure the immediate release' of the vessel and crew. 'The Madleen must be allowed to continue its lawful humanitarian mission to Gaza,' she said. MailOnline approached the Foreign Office for comment. Protestors amassed outside the FCDO offices in London today. One held a sign that read: 'Israel attacks UK boat. UK does nothing.' Ellie Chowns, Green Party Foreign Affairs spokeswoman and MP for North Herefordshire, said: 'The UK Government cannot remain silent while international waters are turned into a battleground and humanitarian actors are criminalised. 'The forced interception of the Madleen, a British-flagged vessel, is utterly unacceptable. Unarmed civilian crew were seized by Israeli military forces while sailing in international waters, their life-saving cargo taken, and international law trampled. 'I echo the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's demands: the immediate release of these civilians, unfettered delivery of vital baby formula, food and medical supplies to Gaza, and full accountability for these flagrant violations.' The Ashdod Port. The Madleen crew were taken to Ashdod today An Israeli officer at the Super Nova Festival in Re'im, Israel, after it was attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023 The Gaza-bound aid ship Madleen, organised by the international NGO Freedom Flotilla Coalition, anchored off Catania, Italy, on June 1 Critics have branded the interception 'state piracy' and condemned the lack of action from the crew members' respective governments. Mouin Rabbani, a non-resident fellow at the Qatar-based Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, told Al Jazeera: 'This is not only an act of state piracy. It's in direct violation of the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice.' Spain summoned Israel's charge d'affaires in protest of the interception, according to El Pais, citing a source at the Spanish Foreign Ministry. French Foreign Minister Jeal-Noel Barrot said France wants to 'facilitate the rapid return' of six French nationals travelling with the group. Turkey slammed Israel for the interception, describing it as a 'heinous attack'. 'The intervention by Israeli forces on the 'Madleen' ship.. while sailing in international waters is a clear violation of international law,' it said, describing it as a 'heinous attack' by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Turkey's foreign ministry said there were Turkish nationals among those on board, without identifying them. The Freedom Flotilla's website said the boat was carrying 12 people from seven countries, including Turkey. 'The international community's justified reaction to Israel's genocidal policies, which use hunger as a weapon in Gaza and prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid, will continue,' the ministry added, saying Israel would manage to 'silence the voices defending human values'. Five year-old Osama al-Raqab, suffering from severe malnutrition, undergoes treatment at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Youni in the southern Gaza Strip 31 May 2025. His mother said his weight has dropped to just nine kilograms Zakariya al-Majdoub, an 11-month-old baby born in Khan Yunis during Israeli attacks on Gaza, faces life-threatening malnutrition in Gaza on June 3, 2025 Rihan Sharab, a Palestinian mother, tries to keep the joy of Eid alive with her handcrafted toys by distributing them to children in the Mewasi camp while Israeli attacks continue in Khan Yunis, Gaza on June 4, 2025 A Palestinian man collects aid supplies from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 9, 2025 Eight-year-old Rahab Matar, who was injured during an Israeli airstrike while playing in a park in Gaza, stays at a temporary shelter set up at the Yarmouk Stadium, Gaza City, June 7 Israel is facing mounting international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies. It recently allowed humanitarian deliveries to resume after barring them for more than two months and began working with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. But humanitarian agencies have criticised the GHF and the United Nations refuses to work with it, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality. Dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according to Gaza's civil defence agency.
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Israel seizes Greta Thunberg's aid boat the Madleen
Israeli forces have taken command of a charity boat on its way to Gaza carrying humanitarian aid — and the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Freedom Flotilla vessel Madleen, which had tried to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, is now heading to a port in Israel, officials said on Sunday. It was boarded during the night, and the Israeli foreign ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control. 'The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,' the ministry wrote on X. 'The show is over.' It shared a video showing soldiers handing out sandwiches and water bottles to the detained activists as they were escorted to the Ashdod port. In one picture, a soldier proffered a sandwich to Thunberg as she smiled awkwardly. 'Greta Thunberg is currently on her way to Israel, safe and in good spirits,' the ministry said. Israeli media reported that the activists would be made to watch footage of Hamas killing Israelis on October 7, 2023, when the group attacked Israel and sparked the war. All passengers were safe and unharmed, the ministry said. 'They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.' The Madleen was reportedly flying the red ensign, the UK's shipping flag, suggesting that the UK government retains jurisdiction over the ship even if it was in international waters. Israel had previously requested that Britain attempt to prevent the ship travelling towards Gaza, according to Israeli media reports. Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territories, posted on X: 'As the Madleen was reportedly intercepted and seized by Israeli forces in int'l waters, the UK gov must urgently seek full clarification and secure the immediate release of the vessel & its crew.' The Freedom Flotilla Coalition posted a video message from Thunberg early on Monday, recorded before the vessel was boarded. The Swedish climate activist said: 'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israel occupational forces or forces that support Israel. 'I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible,' she added. The French MEP Rima Hassan, who was also on board, posted on X: 'The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2am.' She shared a photograph of the crew seated wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air. Yasemin Acar, another activist, said in a livestreamed video from the boat that 'chemicals' had been dropped on the boat which were affecting her eyes. She showed a white substance on the deck. An Israeli military official told The Times that after 'several attempts' and the 'refusal of the individuals to change direction', Israeli soldiers used paint 'which is not harmful or dangerous' to stop the boat violating the naval blockade. On Sunday the Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced that an alarm had been sounded and the boat's occupants were preparing for an interception. Israel Katz, the defence minister, wrote on X: 'I have instructed the IDF to act to stop the hate-flotilla Madleen from reaching the shores of Gaza — and to take any means necessary to that end.' • 'It's high spirits': life aboard Greta Thunberg's Gaza-bound flotilla Katz said: 'To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back — because you will not reach Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or aid terrorist organisations — at sea, in the air and on land.' The Madleen — which is carrying 12 people including Thunberg and Hassan — was in Egyptian waters on Sunday evening. It departed from Sicily on June 1 carrying medical supplies, baby formula and prosthetic limbs for the people of Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition responded in a statement on X saying it expected 'interception and an attack from Israel at any moment'. It called for the governments of those on board to protect them. Thiago Ávila, another activist on board, posted a video on social media saying the boat's navigation devices had been disabled. 'They are preparing to stop us or attack us,' he said. It is possible that this was only a temporary shutdown, since the boat could still be seen on the coalition's Madleen Tracker website. The trip has already made headlines after the Madleen picked up four Sudanese migrants who were trying to escape the Libyan authorities. The migrants had jumped into the sea from a boat that was rapidly deflating, a representative for the Freedom Flotilla said. Israel had warned the Madleen not to attempt to dock, saying that if the boat failed to turn back, it would pull the ship to the port of Ashdod and deport its crew. But the activists had reason to be cautious, reminded of when Israel stormed the Mavi Marmara flotilla on May 31, 2010, in international waters 80 miles from the Israeli coast. Descending on ropes from helicopters, Israeli commandos opened fire, killing nine Turkish activists on board, after the activists attacked the soldiers. A tenth activist remained in a coma before dying four years later. The survivors were taken to Ashdod deported within days. Hassan said there had been a lack of official response from countries whose citizens are part of the crew. 'No state has responded,' she said. 'The message being sent is that Israel is being allowed to act with impunity, without any guarantee of protection for us. 'There are 12 of us civilians on board. We are not armed. There is only humanitarian aid.' Some of the activists on board have been criticised for their past remarks against Israel. Hassan, who is barred from entering the country, is reported to have accused Israel of being responsible for the October 7 attack, while Ávila attended the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah — which is deemed a terrorist group by the UK and the US — after he was assassinated last year.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
A convoy sets off for Gaza from North Africa to protest Israel's blockade
A convoy of buses and private cars departed for Gaza from Tunisia's capital Monday as part of efforts to spotlight Israel 's blockade on humanitarian aid to the territory, even as Israeli authorities stopped a high-profile flotilla from landing there. The overland effort — organized independently but moved up to coincide with the flotilla — is made up of activists, lawyers and medical professionals from North Africa. It plans to traverse Tunisia, Libya and Egypt before reaching Rafah, the border crossing with Egypt that has remained largely closed since Israel's military took control of the Gaza side in May 2024. The Tunisian civil society groups behind the convoy said their aim is to demand 'the immediate lifting of the unjust siege on the strip.' They asserted that Arab governments haven't pushed enough to end the 20-month war between Israel and Hamas. After a 2½-month blockade of Gaza aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing in some basic aid last month. Experts, however, have warned of famine in the territory of over 2 million people unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive. The convoy set off as the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an aid ship that set sail from Sicily earlier this month, was seized by Israeli forces in what activists said were international waters. Those aboard, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, were detained. The overland convoy drew widespread attention in Tunisia and Algeria, where it began Sunday, with some people waving Palestinian flags and chanting in support of the people of Gaza. "This convoy speaks directly to our people in Gaza and says, 'You are not alone. We share your pain and suffering,'" Yahia Sarri, one of the convoy's Algerian organizers, wrote on social media. The North African activists do not expect their convoy to be allowed into Gaza. Regardless, it provides 'a message of challenge and will,' said Saher al-Masri, a Tunis-based Palestinian activist. Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's population. The convoy plans to gather supporters in towns south of Tunis before crossing into Libya, where clashes between rival militias have turned deadlier in recent months. Organizers said they planned the land crossings with relevant authorities leading up to the convoy's departure.
