21 of over 50 boats sailing with the Global Sumud Flotilla were intercepted by the Israeli maritime authorities in international waters on Wednesday night.
According to a statement by the Luxembourg branch of the Global Movement to Gaza, among those taken in custody was a 37-year-old Luxembourg resident, an act they describe as “kidnapping”.
Israel’s actions took place west of Crete in international waters and were therefore deemed illegal. 31 boats were able to return to Greek territory.
According to the statement, a second Luxembourgish resident was among the occupants of these vessels. The statement added that one boat was sabotaged and left behind, although a storm had been forecast. Despite sending SOS signals, Greek authorities failed to intervene, the activists said.
On Thursday afternoon, a solidarity gathering took place outside the Chamber of Deputies following the interception.
Sam Tanson, MP for The Greens (déi gréng), submitted an urgent parliamentary question to Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel of the Democratic Party (DP), asking what steps the Luxembourg government intended to take in order to protect its citizens.
