Nine Australian activists returned home on Monday after being detained by Israel during an aid flotilla to Gaza, alleging they were abused, tortured, and sexually assaulted while in custody. The activists, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, landed at Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane airports to applause from supporters chanting “free, free Palestine”.
Climate activist Violet CoCo alleged she was detained at gunpoint, stripped, and pushed into a shipping container where she was beaten, kicked, and sexually assaulted. She claimed soldiers photographed her naked body, shone gun lasers in detainees’ faces, and denied her food, water, and legal representation. “It was only four days of my life, but it felt like months,” she said.
Other activists, including Surya McEwan, Neve O’Connor, and Juliet Lamont, reported similar experiences of beatings, sexual assault, and psychological torture. McEwan said he suffered a fractured cheekbone and a lung contusion. Lamont alleged she was cable-tied and had so much water thrown in her face she thought she would drown.
Israel has denied the allegations, with Ambassador Hillel Newman stating detainees were handled with “great sensitivity”. He rejected claims of violence and sexual abuse, saying no one was harmed. However, a video posted by Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, showing detainees kneeling with heads on the ground drew international condemnation, with Newman calling it “disgraceful”.
CoCo said the activists were “utterly failed by our government” and called for a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Albanese responded that he was not aware of their circumstances but criticised Ben-Gvir’s behaviour as inconsistent with expected decency.
