Israeli authorities screened footage of Hamas's October 7 atrocities to Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and other pro-Palestinian flotilla participants upon their arrival in Ashdod on Monday, shortly after the IDF intercepted their ship, the Madleen, in international waters.
According to Defense Minister Israel Katz, the activists refused to continue watching the film after seeing the brutality of the attacks.
"These antisemitic flotilla activists closed their eyes to the truth and once again proved they prefer the murderers over the victims,” Katz said. “They continue to ignore the atrocities committed by Hamas against Jewish and Israeli women, the elderly, and children.”
The activists were given the option to sign a voluntary departure form or face arrest after 96 hours. Among those refusing to leave is French MEP Rima Hassan.
Hassan has previously drawn wide criticism for her denial that the Bibas family, excluding Yarden Bibas, were murdered, her claim that the October 7 massacre was "legitimate" and her insistence that Palestinians in Europe should be allowed to join the "resistance."
Did they also show her uncensored footage of what Israel does in Gaza? Because that would be just as relevant. She probably wouldn't want to watch that either, because watching atrocities, whoever commits them, is not something most people would want to do. So this is just a stunt: demand that she watches a one-sided atrocity video then, when she doesn't want to watch it, claim this proves she hates Jews. Which is obviously absurd, but that has never stopped the Israeli propagandists before.
This is the part about it that upsets me most. Propaganda is bad enough, but propaganda through attempting to force people to watch atrocities?
I personally value being informed, but there is a limit to how much I can take before it becomes second-hand trauma. I can fault nobody for looking away from some of the cruel shit humans can do to each other.
Don't the news feed us too much violence, suffering and death already? Forcing people to watch even more would be heartless without the propaganda angle while propaganda without inflicting psychological trauma would be despicable; combined, they're nothing short of disgusting and despicable.