Gaza demo in Glasgow after Greta Thunberg's aid boat seized
The demonstration was held after the Israeli Defence Force intercepted a sailboat bound for Gaza early Monday morning.
Part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the 'Madleen' set out from Sicily on June 1st, and was travelling in international waters when it was boarded by the Israeli military.
A number of notable campaigners were abroad the UK-flagged yatch, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
One protestor told The Herald: "It's a very dangerous escalation politically to allow that sort of thing to happen, and not have any condemnation.
"It's important to show that the people of Scotland do not agree with these decisions.
"We don't think the government should be funding warfare instead of welfare."
Climate activist Greta Thunberg is one of 12 detained campaigners. (Image: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs/X) In a post on X Monday morning, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the protestors had been detained, writing:
'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.
'While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks.'
The Israeli government has said that the detained activists will be forced to watch graphic footage of the October 7th attacks, in which 1200 Israelis were killed by terrorist organisation Hamas.
'Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen,' said Huwaida Arraf, a human rights lawyer and Freedom Flotilla organizer.
'This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the ICJ's binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. These volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade—their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately.'
Israel has enforced an air, land, and sea blockade of Gaza for the last eighteen years.
In 2010, six civilian ships containing humanitarian aid for the enclave were intercepted by Israeli commandos in international waters.
A scuffle broke out and ten activists were killed, leading to international outrage.
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Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Greta Thunberg and 'freedom flotilla' activists are at airport and risk being deported, Israel says - after Greta Thunberg's lawyer demanded answers
The 'freedom flotilla' activists, including Greta Thunberg, have arrived at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport to be deported, Israel has confirmed. Taking to X at around 1:20am, the Israel Foreign Ministry said: 'Some of the 'Selfie Yacht' passengers are expected to leave within the next few hours'. 'Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their deportation. Consuls from the passengers' home countries met them at the airport'. It comes after it was revealed that Greta Thunberg was being held in an Israeli prison for migrants after troops intercepted the 'freedom flotilla', according to the activist's lawyer. Thunberg, alongside the 11 other activists on board, was expected to appear in court later on this 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 on Monday. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which organised the voyage from Italy to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, said in the early hours of Monday 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 on Monday, 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 Thunberg 's plea for help on board the vessel after Israeli troops stopped the ship. 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.' Critics suggested it was a 'gap-year protest', and the Israeli government said Ms Thunberg had been 'feeding her ego' rather than the people of Gaza. The whole thing was always designed to be – and might yet be seen to be – a publicity coup for Ms Thunberg and the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) group of campaigners determined to draw attention to the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza where children have been starving to death. Israel had claimed that all passengers on board the charity vessel are 'safe and unharmed'. 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 country 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 vessel at 3.02am local time on Monday, 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. 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. In comments shared on social media yesterday, 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. 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'. The Israelis denounced Ms Thunberg's cynical 'Instagram selfie' aid mission and said the 'tiny amount of aid' on board the 'celebrity' vessel 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 on Monday. 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 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'. 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. It said Israeli attacks killed at least 10 people on Sunday, including five civilians hit by gunfire near an aid distribution centre.
Sky News
34 minutes ago
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The Wargame - episode one: False Flag
👉 Click here to listen to The Wargame on your podcast app 👈 Tensions with Russia escalate, and an imaginary week in the near future takes a turn for the unexpected. The prime minister calls an emergency Cobra meeting. A major five-part series from Sky News and Tortoise imagines how a Russian attack on the UK could play out - and invites real-life former ministers, military chiefs and other experts to figure out how to defend the country. Written and presented by Sky News' security and defence editor, Deborah Haynes.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Winter fuel humiliation: After huge U-turn Rachel Reeves bizarrely claims she was 'right' to cut handout - while Sir Keir Starmer is ridiculed for suggesting move is now possible because Labour's 'fixed' stricken economy
Labour 's spending plans descended into chaos last night as Rachel Reeves backed down over winter fuel. The Chancellor said all pensioners with incomes of less than £35,000 will get the payment this winter following a huge public backlash over last year's cuts. The humiliating climbdown means nine million pensioners will receive the handout – worth up to £300 a household – at a cost of £1.25billion. Ms Reeves refused to apologise for the original decision to slash the number of those eligible for the payment – a move which triggered a collapse in Labour's poll rating. She insisted she had been 'right' to cut the payment last year. And, despite having repeatedly attacked opponents for making 'unfunded' spending pledges, she refused to say how she will pay for the U-turn. Labour MPs seized on the Chancellor's political weakness and lined up to demand that she now scrap the two-child benefit cap and cancel plans to cut disability benefits at a combined cost of £8.5billion a year, fuelling fears of further tax rises. Downing Street claimed the U-turn was possible because the economy had now 'turned a corner', despite the fact the Office for Budget Responsibility has halved official growth forecasts for this year. Sir Keir Starmer insisted Labour had ' fixed the foundations of the economy', in spite of rising unemployment and inflation. Reform leader Nigel Farage, who pledged this month to restore the payment in full, said Labour's U-turn was triggered by 'blind panic' at its collapsing poll ratings. The Treasury said the winter fuel reverse would not lead to a 'permanent rise in borrowing'. Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said this was likely to mean 'permanent additional taxes'. The move came ahead of tomorrow's spending review, when the Chancellor will announce a spending spree totalling an extra £300billion over five years – equal to £8,100 for every taxpayer in Britain. Labour minister Sir Chris Bryant said the review would mark 'the end of austerity'. But Tory business spokesman Andrew Griffith said Labour was 'massively adding to the national debt our children will have to pay and ensuring that taxes will rise and growth will fall'. Economists last night warned that the financial markets could turn on Labour if ministers were unwilling to keep spending on a 'sustainable path'. The Chancellor's decision to means test the winter fuel allowance was one of Labour's first steps in office last July. It meant that around 10million pensioners lost the previously universal benefit last winter. The decision also helped trigger a plunge in Labour's ratings and was widely blamed for the party's dismal performance in last month's local elections, when it lost two-thirds of the seats it was defending. A More in Common poll yesterday found that just 14 per cent of voters now think the Chancellor is doing a good job. Ms Reeves yesterday said she had 'listened to people's concerns'. Kemi Badenoch urged ministers to apologise for the 'callous' decision to cut eligibility for the payment last year. The Tory leader said: 'Pensioners were forced to choose between heating and eating last winter. Keir Starmer should apologise to them.' Tory work and pensions spokesman Helen Whately said the U-turn was 'most humiliating climb down a government has ever faced in its first year in office'. Ms Whately added that the cut had contributed to an extra 100,000 visits by pensioners to A&E departments last winter. 'Their mistake has hurt people and it is cowardly not to own up to it,' she said. But, asked if she would apologise, Ms Reeves said: 'The irresponsible thing to have done last year was to allow the public finances to carry on on an unsustainable footing.' She added: 'I'm always going to put stability in our economy first.' At present, only pensioners with an income of less than £11,800 are eligible for the winter fuel payment. This will treble to £35,000 this winter. It will continue to be £200 per household or £300 for the over-80s. The winter fuel retreat emboldened Labour rebels pushing for increased welfare spending. Left-winger Nadia Whittome said the episode had been a 'fiasco' for the Government and urged ministers to now abandon £5billion of cuts to disability benefits that are designed to curb the ballooning welfare budget. Bradford East MP Imran Hussain said it would be wrong to continue with 'devastating' cuts to disabled support. Former leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey welcomed the U-turn but said it was also 'right to lift children out of poverty' by scrapping the two-child benefit cap. The decision to restore the winter fuel payment to three-quarters of pensioners was welcomed by campaign groups. Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, said Ms Reeves' reversal 'will be a huge relief to many'. Who will now get winter fuel payments? If you are over state pension age and your income is less than £35,000 your household will now be eligible. How much is it worth? The annual payment is worth £200 per household, or £300 if someone who lives there is over 80. How do I get it? The payment will be made automatically to all pensioner households and then recouped from any that aren't eligible. Who will have to repay it? If your income is above £35,000, your payment will be 'recovered' by HMRC or you can opt out. What if my partner's income is below £35,000? Payments will be assessed on individual, not household, income. Payments are split if a household has two pensioners. In the case of a couple where one has an income above the threshold and one below it, half the total will be paid to the pensioner with the lower income. Can I just turn it down? If you know that you definitely won't qualify for a winter fuel payment, as your income is more than £35,000, you can opt out to avoid the hassle of paying it back. What if I need to pay it back? Pensioners whose income is above £35,000 and who don't opt out will need to pay all of it back. It will be repaid either via a self-assessment tax return, for those who complete one, or automatically through PAYE. The Treasury said: 'No one will need to register with HMRC for this or take any further action.' Is this plan for all of the UK? The Treasury announced this move for England and Wales, but Scotland and Northern Ireland might make separate new arrangements. Last winter, Scotland replaced the Winter Fuel Payment with the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment. Northern Ireland made a one-off £100 payment to pensioners who lost their winter fuel payments. How much will this cost? The cost of reinstating Winter Fuel Payments for those now eligible is estimated at £1.25billion in England and Wales. Compared to when the payments were a universal benefit for pensioners, the savings will now only be around £450million annually.
