Chris Smalls, the former leader and founder of the Amazon Labor Union, was detained by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) after the Handala aid ship bound for Gaza that he was aboard was intercepted and raided on July 26. He was the second-longest-held captive aboard the ship and was beaten by IDF troops while in captivity. He was released from Israeli custody on July 31.
The Handala ship was chartered by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which aims to raise awareness of Israel’s blockade of the starving Palestinian population in Gaza by sending ships with aid supplies to the territory. The last such ship was the Madleen, which was intercepted by Israel in June and had its crew abducted before being deported.
Smalls along with other activists were on hunger strike during their detainment and rejected Israeli photo ops of taking food and water from their kidnappers. In an interview with Democracy Now!, Smalls says that he contracted scabies as a result from his hunger strike and maltreatment while imprisoned.
During his detainment, he was choked with his chains, beaten, and kicked by seven Israeli troops. According to Smalls, the guards also “said some very racist remarks. They kept me isolated from the rest of the crew the entire time.” When meeting with his lawyer, he was surrounded by six Israeli specialized police, a show of force that was not seen by any other detained activist.
After his release, he was greeted by hundreds of supporters at JFK International Airport in New York City chanting “Gaza”! He later stated in an interview with monopoly media, “I went [on the Handala] as a labor leader to put pressure on the labor unions as well who have been shipping arms and complicit in this genocide as well as participating by manufacturing weapons.”
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition and allied organizations have already planned their next ship launch, this time involving dozens of ships. The main launch is scheduled from Spain on August 31, followed by additional launches on September 4 from Tunisia and other countries, and will include activists from 44 countries.
Image: Chris Smalls, April 2022. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
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