Protests take place across Poland in support of Gaza humanitarian aid flotilla

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) – Protests took place Thursday afternoon outside the Israeli Embassy in Warsaw following the attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

The protests started outside the embassy in Warsaw, where the building was doused with red paint and scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police. Some 70-80 people gathered outside the embassy on Krzywickiego Street.

"How long can one watch people being slaughtered? Women, children, and men? We want the government to say something meaningful about the fact that our MP, from the ruling party, is currently being held by Israel and has been arrested. We don't know what's happening to him," one protester told Radio Szczecin.

Police officers from the Warsaw III District Police Headquarters among others secured the gathering to ensure the safety of the participants, Malgorzata Gebczynska from the Ochota District Police Headquarters told reporters.

Demonstrations also took place in more than 20 Polish cities under the slogan “Alarm for Gaza! SOS for the Flotilla.”

- Polish MP, journalist, and rights group head among detained

Over 500 participants from 44 countries, including four Polish citizens, were attacked by Israeli forces during their attempt to break the Gaza blockade as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Among the detained were Polish MP Franciszek Sterczewski; Omar Faris, a Palestinian of Polish citizenship and head of the Social and Cultural Association of Palestinians in Poland; journalist and writer Ewa Jasiewicz; and Nina Ptak, president of the rights group Nomada.

"I was kidnapped in international waters during a peaceful humanitarian mission," Sterczewski said in a recording released by the flotilla. Faris appealed to the Polish authorities for support.

"This was an attack on vessels sailing under the Polish flag in international waters," said Rafal Piotrowski, spokesman for the Global Movement to Gaza Poland. “In the face of these events, we must protest and clearly state that we do not agree to this. We should demand the flotilla be protected by soldiers and take much more concrete actions than those currently offered by, among others, the Foreign Ministry.”

The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza said 22 ships have been attacked and seized by Israeli forces, and 19 are believed to have been attacked, but the figure is not certain.

A statement by the Global Sumud Flotilla said activists on the vessels were forcibly taken from their vessels by Israeli forces, describing their detention as “unlawful abduction.”

It confirmed that 443 activists from 47 countries were being transferred to Ashdod in southern Israel, with Israel saying they are “safe.”

The activists aboard the ships attacked by Israel were of various nationalities, including Spaniards, Italians, Brazilians, Turks, Greeks, Americans, Germans, Swedes, British, and French citizens.

The aid flotilla was less than 80 nautical miles (148 kilometers) from Gaza before being attacked by the Israeli Navy.

Activists spotted more than 20 Israeli naval boats approaching the convoy, with the navy ordering them to change course.