Chronicle Sweden is responsible when Swedish citizens are arrested, even if they are controversial.
During the last week of August, and the first week of September, over forty boats from different parts of the world gathered to sail against Gaza. On board were doctors, human rights defenders and volunteers.
Ordinary people who wanted to do what governments failed, to stop the war and deliver humanitarian help to the people of Gaza.
The goal was not to provoke. The goal was to stop the military aggression.
The goal was to save lives.
They were forced to kneel for several hours
Getting past the blockade and handing over food, medicines and supplies. To show solidarity with a civilian population that has been bombed for two years, forced to live without electricity, without water, without food, without hope.
But the vessels never reached. They were boarded by the Israeli military.
The participants were arrested and taken to custody or prison. Some were deported quickly. Others were kept under hard conditions, including Greta Thunberg and the Swedish participants.
They were taken to the ketziot prison in the Negevönen. It is a notorious prison, far from society. Surrounded by desert sand and barbed wire. A prison that is often used to keep Palestinians without trial.
Participants were subjected to severe physical and mental press. The mattresses were full of bedbugs, they did not get enough food and Greta was forcefully forced to be photographed with the Israeli flag. They were threatened and humiliated.
One of the participants testifies to 48 hours without food, and 36 hours without water. She says that 59 people were placed in a cage for five hours in the sun.
They were forced to kneel for several hours.
And it was no mistake. The plan was to discourage future solidarity, to silence their protest, their willingness to help. It happened against peaceful, unarmed civilians, who only tried to deliver assistance to a starving population. Ordinary citizens who tried to express their dissatisfaction with the silence of the world about what is happening in Gaza.
What did the Swedish government do?
The government expressed “some concern”. The Foreign Minister said the reports were “very serious, if they are correct”. This is despite the fact that testimony from participants had emerged. It’s a betrayal.
Sweden has a responsibility when Swedish citizens are arrested abroad, whether they are popular or controversial, known or unknown. It is a basic task for each state to protect the rights of its citizens, to stand up for international law, to stand up for freedom of speech and stand up for human rights. That we stand up for our values, the values we are afraid of.
When politicians refer to Sweden as a humanitarian superpower, it must mean something. Aid budget and speech are not enough. It requires action, clarity and courage, especially when those who act peacefully are treated as criminals.
What is particularly remarkable is that it is civil society that has been forced to take the responsibility that the government has provided. It was not states trying to get to Gaza. It was people who organized themselves. Movements that collected resources, manned boats, risked their lives. They saw that the world was silent and chose to be the voice of the people.
Greta Thunberg is a symbol of fashion, but she was far from alone, which she herself has pointed out time and time again. It’s about many. About a movement. About people from different countries sailing together to show that the blockade should not exist, with the desire that the Palestinians must receive help, security and security like everyone else.
When Sweden has taken several steps back and the demands that their own citizens are treated worthy in captivity, it sends a message. Human rights do not apply now. Not right there.
The participants showed what solidarity means in practice. They did it all states in the whole world did not dare. When the story is written about the Gaza genocide, their efforts will remain.
And the silence of the world will echo the clearer.
What is happening in Gaza is not just a crime against the Palestinians, it is a crime against humanity. It is a shame that we will carry with us.
Sara Benabdellah
