Reported by
Belgian police clashed with hundreds of demonstrators outside the European Union’s headquarters in Brussels on Thursday night, breaking up a protest against Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla and the arrests of activists aboard.
Large protests were also recorded in Turkey, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium. In Barcelona, demonstrators blocked traffic and vandalized shops and restaurants, while marches spread as far as Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico.
“I saw police hitting people and was taking pictures when an officer beat me,” said photographer François Dvorak, showing an OCCRP reporter his wound.
“I told him, ‘Hey, I’m from the press,’ but as I turned away I suddenly felt a blow to my head. Then I felt blood running down — it was bleeding from the head,” he said.
Police officers, he added, were attacking peaceful protesters whose only message was that “the flotilla should not be arrested, and politicians must act to protect Gaza and its people.” One officer was seen striking a woman in a hijab who had been standing quietly nearby.
Despite the crackdown, organizers vowed to camp overnight in front of the EU Parliament.
The violence in Brussels followed Israel’s arrest of hundreds of activists and seizure of dozens of ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla while it was still in international waters. Among those detained was Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament, who had been aboard the ship Captain Nikos with 12 other volunteers.
“The interception of the flotilla’s ships and the seizure of humanitarian aid constitute a blatant violation of international law,” Hassan’s office said. “The detention of peaceful passengers and the obstruction of an urgent humanitarian mission represent a grave breach of human rights and international solidarity.”
From late Wednesday into Thursday, Israeli forces intercepted about 40 of the 45 ships that had set sail in late August carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. The 500-person flotilla, which aimed to break Israel’s blockade of the Strip imposed since March 2, saw roughly 443 volunteers arrested.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the operation as a “provocation” intended to “breach the lawful naval blockade.”
As of the afternoon of October 2, one vessel with six passengers remained en route to Gaza. The Israeli Foreign Ministry warned it would also be intercepted if it approached the Strip.
