Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, who were detained and subjected to ill-treatment by Israel, have staged a protest in Brussels to denounce relations between the bloc and Israel.
The activists gathered near the European Council building in the Belgian capital on Wednesday ahead of the EU leaders' summit, which begins on Thursday.
Standing silently in front of a large banner that read: "We won't kneel to the occupation," demonstrators held placards bearing messages such as "Don't forget Palestine", "EU, you are complicit" and "EU, stop buying what Israel steals."
Abuse by Israeli forces
Participants included Belgian sailor Arno Meyns, whose ribs were broken by Israeli forces; French activist and nurse Mariam Hadjal, who said she was subjected to physical abuse and sexual assault while in detention; and Arab-Jewish journalist Noa Avishag Schnall, who reported receiving beatings and rape threats while detained in Israel.
Among the prominent demonstrators were former UN staff member Chloe Fiona Ludden, who resigned in protest because of the international community's response to Gaza, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and hundreds of supporters.
The Global Sumud Flotilla — carrying 428 volunteers from 44 countries — had set sail with a straightforward humanitarian mandate: to deliver aid supplies to a population that the United Nations and international aid agencies warn is being pushed to the brink of famine under an Israeli blockade that has strangled Gaza since 2007.
