Swedish activist Greta Thunberg lands in Tunisia with 350 anti-Israel activists aboard a 20-ship flotilla aiming to “break the siege on Gaza,” as departure faces delays.
The port of Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia, erupted in cheers Sunday as Greta Thunberg arrived aboard a controversial aid flotilla bound for Gaza. The 22-year-old Swedish climate icon, now a fixture in global protest movements, was welcomed by hundreds of Tunisians waving flags and chanting solidarity slogans.
The flotilla — dubbed the “Global Sumud Flotilla” — set sail from Barcelona last week with around 20 vessels and 350 activists, including former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon, and “Game of Thrones” star Liam Cunningham. Organizers say their mission is clear: to “break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza.”
Taking the stage at the port, Thunberg delivered a fiery speech:
“We all know why we are here. Just across the water there’s a genocide going on, a mass starvation by Israel’s murder machine.”
The flotilla was scheduled to depart Tunis on Sunday, but organizers delayed departure until Wednesday, citing “technical and logistical reasons beyond management’s control.”
This isn’t Thunberg’s first Gaza-bound voyage. In June, she was deported by Israel after taking part in the Madleen flotilla, which was intercepted by the IDF. Despite activists’ claims of being “kidnapped,” Israeli authorities said they were treated humanely and their “aid cargo” amounted to less than a single truckload — later transferred to Gaza via established humanitarian channels.
With the Global Sumud Flotilla now preparing for its final push toward Gaza, Israel faces mounting international pressure — and a new wave of high-profile activism on the seas.
