Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg spoke publicly on Monday for the first time after her release from an Israeli prison. Detained while taking part in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, Greta revealed that she was beaten and forced to kiss the Israeli flag during her imprisonment. She was among 171 activists deported by Israeli authorities, later flown to Greece and Slovakia.
At Athens’ Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, Greta stressed that her personal ordeal was not her main focus. “I could talk at length about the mistreatment and abuse we endured in prison, believe me,” she said. “But that is not the story. Let me be clear: there is a genocide happening right before our eyes, live-streamed for the world to see.”
She accused Israel of intensifying violence and attempting to erase an entire population. “We cannot look away from Gaza, or from other parts of the world where people are suffering,” she added, citing conflict zones like Congo, Sudan, and Afghanistan. Greta condemned the ongoing siege in Gaza as part of decades of oppression and apartheid.
