{"id":469593,"date":"2025-10-02T23:00:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T23:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/469593\/"},"modified":"2025-10-02T23:00:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T23:00:27","slug":"shops-restaurants-vandalized-in-many-cities-to-protest-israels-flotilla-interception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/469593\/","title":{"rendered":"Shops, restaurants vandalized in many cities to protest Israel’s flotilla interception"},"content":{"rendered":"

A series of countries criticized Israel for its interception of an activist flotilla aiming to break the navy\u2019s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, as Israeli forces detained more than 400 activists sailing on 41 boats. The interceptions were carried out without injuries to any of the activists, who were said by Israel to be \u201csafe and healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators blocked traffic and vandalized shops and restaurants in multiple cities worldwide after the interceptions, which mainly took place overnight Wednesday-Thursday.<\/p>\n

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Dublin, Paris, Berlin and Geneva to condemn Israel for enforcing its naval blockade on Gaza, designed to prevent Hamas from importing weapons and components to make them. The activists brought symbolic quantities of humanitarian aid for Gaza with them. Israel had encouraged them to dock in Israel, and said it would transfer the aid to Gaza, but they refused.<\/p>\n

Rallies also took place in Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Karachi.<\/p>\n

Colombia expelled all remaining Israeli diplomats from the country and canceled a trade deal with Israel, while Turkey called Israel\u2019s detention of activists an \u201cact of terrorism.\u201d Hamas, the terror group that sparked the two-year war in Gaza by invading Israel on October 7, 2023, massacring 1,200 people and abducting 252 hostsages, condemned the interceptions as a \u201ccrime of piracy and maritime terrorism against civilians.\u201d The Palestinian Authority also condemned the interceptions and detentions.<\/p>\n

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A rare note of criticism for the flotilla came from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has criticized the activists in recent days and had called for the flotilla to halt. She said the activism \u201cbrings no benefit to the Palestinian people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The flotilla had been sailing toward Gaza for weeks. By Thursday afternoon, the government said the interception had ended without incident. Israel is processing the detained activists, who will then be deported.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Flotilla activists, including Greta Thunberg are seen being transported to Israel after their vessels were intercepted by the IDF on October 2, 2025 (Foreign Ministry)<\/p>\n

It was the largest flotilla this year to seek to break Israel\u2019s blockade, but the IDF said the boats did not manage to breach Israeli-controlled waters. Israel has said the flotillas are \u201cstunts\u201d and \u201cprovocations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among those detained were Swedish activist Greta Thunberg as well as Mandla Mandela, Nelson Mandela\u2019s Hamas-supporting grandson<\/a>. Forty Italians were also on the boats.<\/p>\n

Israel has already faced concrete diplomatic consequences because of the interception.<\/p>\n

Colombia, which broke off ties with Israel last year over its criticism of the war in Gaza, expelled the remaining four Israeli diplomats still in the country.<\/p>\n

Writing on X, President Gustavo Petro announced the expulsion of \u201cthe entire diplomatic delegation of Israel\u201d over what he called \u201ca new international crime\u201d by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n

He also terminated a free-trade deal in force with Israel since 2020.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/p>\n

Activists in orange life jackets sit aboard a Gaza-bound Sumud flotilla boat as Israeli navy soldiers sail it into the port of Ashdod, Israel, October 2, 2025, after it was intercepted while approaching the Gaza coast. (AP Photo\/Leo Correa)<\/p>\n

Colombia\u2019s leader is one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s most vocal critics, calling him \u201cgenocidal,\u201d while also slamming US President Donald Trump as an \u201caccomplice\u201d to \u201cgenocide.\u201d Last week, Petro attended a pro-Palestinian protest in New York, where he called on the US military to \u201cdisobey\u201d Trump and encouraged his citizens to fight alongside Palestinians in Gaza. Washington revoked Petro\u2019s visa over his remarks.<\/p>\n

Spain, another outspoken critic of Israel, summoned Jerusalem\u2019s top representative in Madrid on Thursday after the flotilla interception. Israel withdrew its ambassador to Madrid last year after Spain recognized a Palestinian state.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday I summoned the charge d\u2019affaires here in Madrid,\u201d Jose Manuel Albares told public broadcaster TVE, saying 65 Spaniards were traveling with the flotilla.<\/p>\n

Belgium also summoned the Israeli ambassador, with Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot saying, \u201cThe manner in which they were boarded and the location in international waters are unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/p>\n

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators gather in front of the Colosseum in Rome on October 2, 2025, to protest after a Gaza-bound aid flotilla was intercepted by the Israeli Navy. (AP\/Gregorio Borgia)<\/p>\n

The statements came alongside widespread protests. In Barcelona, protesters smashed or spray-painted anti-Israel slogans on windows of stores and restaurants, including coffee chain Starbucks, hamburger franchise Burger King, and supermarket chain Carrefour, accusing them of complicity in Israel\u2019s offensive in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese protests are the only thing we can do,\u201d said Akram Azahomaras, who was among the marchers but said vandalism of stores was counterproductive.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut doing it like this, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s right,\u201d she added. \u201cWe need to do it peacefully, with our words, not with actions.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Istanbul, a crowd gathered outside the Israeli embassy holding aloft banners with slogans such as \u201cIsrael is massacring humanity, not Gaza \/ Do not be silent, do not sit, stand up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/p>\n

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators protest in Madrid, Spain, on October 2, 2025. (AP\/Bernat Armangue)<\/p>\n

In Italy, students occupied universities, including Milan\u2019s Statale and Rome\u2019s La Sapienza, and blocked access to Bologna\u2019s university using car tires, video footage showed. In Turin, hundreds of people blocked traffic on the city\u2019s ring road, according to news agency reports. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and others were due to take part in a flash mob in Rome.<\/p>\n

Italian unions have called for a general strike in support of the Gaza aid flotilla, with more than 100 marches or rallies expected across the country.<\/p>\n

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto criticized the disruption caused by some of the protesters. \u201cDoes anyone really believe that blocking a station, an airport, a motorway or destroying a shop in Italy will bring relief to the Palestinian people?\u201d he wrote on X.<\/p>\n

Crosetto\u2019s criticism came alongside that of Meloni, who also said she would work to ensure the return of some 40 Italian flotilla activists to the country, including two Italian members of parliament and two Italian members of the European Parliament.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, we will do everything we can to ensure these people can return to Italy as soon as possible,\u201d Meloni told reporters. But, she added, \u201cI continue to believe that all this brings no benefit to the Palestinian people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/p>\n

People protest in solidarity with a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid that was intercepted by Israeli forces, in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brasilia, Brazil, on October 2, 2025. (AP\/Eraldo Peres)<\/p>\n

That remark appeared to be something of an outlier. Statements of criticism of Israel, or concern for the activists, came from several other countries, including Brazil, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Turkey. Ankara promised \u201clegal steps\u201d against \u201cthe perpetrators of this attack.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe attack carried out by Israeli forces in international waters against the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, constitutes an act of terrorism that gravely violates international law and endangers the lives of innocent civilians,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis assault, targeting civilians who were acting peacefully without resorting to violence, demonstrates that the fascist and militarist policies pursued by the genocidal Netanyahu government \u2013 which has condemned Gaza to famine \u2013 are not limited to Palestinians, but extend to all those who resist Israel\u2019s oppression,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Activists are seen on boats part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, shortly before being intercepted by the Israeli Navy, October 1, 2025. (Screen capture\/YouTube)<\/p>\n

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, \u201cI call on Israel to immediately release the South Africans abducted in international waters, and to release other nationals who have tried to reach Gaza with humanitarian aid.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the interception \u201cis contrary to international law and violates the sovereignty of every nation whose flag was flown on the dozens of vessels in the flotilla.\u201d<\/p>\n

The British Foreign Office said it was \u201cvery concerned\u201d with the situation and was in touch with relatives of involved British nationals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe aid carried by the flotilla should be turned over to humanitarian organizations on the ground to be delivered safely into Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/p>\n

This handout photo from police shows anti-Israel activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla being processed after they were detained while trying to break Israel\u2019s maritime blockade on Hamas-ruled Gaza, October 2, 2025. (Israel Police)<\/p>\n

The United Nations Human Rights Office said the interception widens Israel\u2019s blockade of Gaza, which the UN considers illegal.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the occupying power, Israel must ensure food and medical supplies for the population to the fullest extent of the means available, or to agree to and facilitate impartial humanitarian relief schemes, delivered rapidly and without hindrance,\u201d spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in an email to Reuters.<\/p>\n

He also called on Israel to respect the rights of those in custody, including the right to challenge the legality of their detention.<\/p>\n

Late on Wednesday, Hamas called the interception a \u201ccrime of piracy and maritime terrorism against civilians,\u201d urging \u201call defenders of freedom in the world\u201d to denounce it.<\/p>\n

This interception \u201cin international waters, as well as the arrest of activists and journalists\u201d aboard the ships \u201cconstitutes a treacherous act of aggression\u2026 which adds to the dark record of crimes committed\u201d by Israel, the terror group said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The Palestinian Authority\u2019s Foreign Ministry likewise condemned the interception of the flotilla as a violation of international law, asserting that Israel had neither authority nor sovereignty over Palestinian \u201cterritorial waters,\u201d including those off the coast of the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

Israel has come under huge international pressure over its war in Gaza. The war started on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Hamas is still holding 48 hostages.<\/p>\n

The war has sparked a humanitarian crisis in the Strip, with most of the population displaced.<\/p>\n

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 66,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it had killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.<\/p>\n

Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza\u2019s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A series of countries criticized Israel for its interception of an activist flotilla aiming to break the navy\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":469594,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[12,26],"class_list":{"0":"post-469593","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-news","9":"tag-world"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115307061682251148","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/469594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}