Entertainment world reacts to reports of Greta Thunberg mistreated by Israeli forces

Activist Greta Thunberg has claimed to Swedish officials that she is enduring “harsh treatment” after being abducted in international waters and detained in an Israeli prison.

In an email seen by The Guardian, an official who visited Thunberg in prison claimed she was lacking food and water, and detained in a cell infested with bedbugs.

“The embassy has been able to meet with Greta,” the email read. “She informed of dehydration. She has received insufficient amounts of both water and food. She also stated that she had developed rashes, which she suspects were caused by bedbugs. She spoke of harsh treatment and said she had been sitting for long periods on hard surfaces.” 

“Another detainee reportedly told another embassy that they had seen her [Thunberg] being forced to hold flags while pictures were taken. She wondered whether images of her had been distributed,” the Swedish Foreign Ministry’s official added. 

Allegations of her mistreatment were corroborated by members of the flotilla, with other reports claiming Thunberg was dragged by her hair and forced to kiss Israeli flags. 

“They dragged little Greta by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag,” Turkish activist ErsinÇelik – a participant in the Sumud flotilla – told Anadolu News. “They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others.” 

Journalist and flotilla participant Lorenzo D’Agostino said that that Thunberg was “wrapped in the Israeli flag and paraded like a trophy”. 

Thunberg’s alleged ill treatment follows Israeli forces intercepting most of the 40 vessels between Thursday and Friday, detaining crew members on the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was attempting to break Israel’s illegal blockade and deliver essential humanitarian aid to the occupied Gaza Strip. 

Thunberg is among 437 activists who were part of the Global Sumud flotilla, a coalition of more than 40 vessels carrying humanitarian aid. 

Most of the crew members are being held at high-security prison Ketziot, also known as Ansar III, in the Negev desert. 

When the reports of mistreatment came to light, several artists and celebrities reacted and expressed solidarity with Thunberg.  

Irish rockers Fontaines D.C. shared their support on Instagram with an image and the headline: “Greta Thunberg violently handled by Israeli military. She was dragged by her hair, beaten, and forced to kiss Israeli flag”. 

Norwegian singer-songwriter AURORA posted a video and made a plea to “get them home”. She wrote: “All she has done is try to stand up for a whole nation that is about to die from being forced to starve. (...) No matter what you think about the regime in a country, this is never ok. The children are never to blame.” 

Actress Florence Pugh posted an image of Thunberg and the reports of her mistreatment, writing: “Are we all watching? She has always been our beacon of hope, but what does this say to the world really?” 

The allegations of harsh treatment have been corroborated by lawyers from the NGO Adalah, who stated that the rights of flotilla crew members have been “systematically violated”, adding that activists have been denied water, sanitation, medication and access to their legal representatives “in clear breach of their fundamental rights to due process, impartial trial and legal representation”. 

This marks the second time Thunberg has been arrested alongside flotilla members. A similar attempt earlier this year ended with the activists’ arrest and deportation, with the entertainment world also supporting Thunberg and condemning that Israel has “forcibly intercepted” the boat.  

Baptiste André, a French doctor who was on one of the boats of the flotilla in June, told reporters that he witnessed Israeli border agents deliberately deprive passengers of sleep - in particular Thunberg. 

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday rejected the allegations regarding mistreatment of Greta Thunberg and other detainees from the Sumud flotilla – which the ministry has dubbed the "Hamas-Sumud flotilla".  

"The claims regarding the mistreatment of Greta Thunberg and other detainees from the Hamas–Sumud flotilla are brazen lies," according to the ministry. "All the detainees’ legal rights are fully upheld. Interestingly enough, Greta herself and other detainees refused to expedite their deportation and insisted on prolonging their stay in custody. Greta also did not complain to the Israeli authorities about any of these ludicrous and baseless allegations - because they never occurred.”

Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, called the activists “terrorists” last week during a visit to Ashdod. He has previously called for the activists to be jailed rather than deported.