The brutal facist Israeli regime are becoming more Nazi like by the day.
Source: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/dr-margaret-connolly-says-conditions-of-israeli-detention-centre-akin-to-concentration-camp-with-regular-beatings-and-sexual-assaults/a/152294387.html
President Catherine Connolly’s sister, Dr Margaret Connolly, has described the conditions of her detention in Israel as being akin to a “concentration camp” with torture and beatings a regular occurrence.
Ms Connolly is one of 14 Irish activists who were onboard aid boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza when they were captured by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
All activists detained by Israel are now “safe” in Turkey, Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee has confirmed, and are due to arrive home on Saturday.
However, Ms Connolly described the conditions of her detention as being akin to a “concentration camp” with torture and beatings a regular occurrence.
“We were kidnapped and abducted and held against our will on a warship, which was a prison ship”, she told Drivetime on RTÉ Radio One.
“My colleagues experienced 35 fractures, five head injuries, there was 15 sexual assaults, eye injuries, ear injuries, huge number of laser injuries.”
She also alleged that bullets were shot at people’s feet and that people were “bent down like hogs” and forced to kneed in excruciating positions for extended periods of time.
“I have a huge burn on my back where the sun beat upon us for hours.”
However, Ms Connolly said she was one of the lucky ones. For others, the pain that inflictyed upon them was exponentially worse.
“We walked among lots of people with fractures who screamed and howled in pain all night long, and we had no pain relief,” she said.
“People in agony, people freezing and cold with hypothermia, no clothes, drenched clothes.
“Every time they picked up a ship, they [activists] were fired like rats onto ground and had to wait for their colleagues to pick them up and share tissues. When we asked for water, they refused.”
She also said the IDF provided no toilet paper, medicine or sanitary towels for women while they mocked the detainees for their suffering.
“They laughed at us and they [said] ‘You should have effing thought about this before you came here’.”
She continued: “We had recourse to nothing. There was guns pointing at us from height the whole time.”
Ms Connolly compared the conduct of Israel to that of a “Nazi state” echoing the behaviour of the Nazi Germany in its persecution of Jews during the Second World War.
Israel’s prison service denied the allegations.
“The allegations raised are false and entirely without factual basis,” a prison service spokesperson said in a statement.
“All prisoners and detainees are held in accordance with the law, with full regard for their basic rights and under the supervision of professional and trained prison staff,” it said. “Medical care is provided according to professional medical judgment and in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines.”
Speaking through tears, Dr Connolly called on Government to take a stance against the Middle Eastern country for its “utterly barbaric” treatment of detained Irish citizens.
“How dare the Irish government allow this to happen? How dare they vote no to sanctions?,” she said.
“I am ashamed of my Irish government.”
She labelled the TDs who voted against Thursday’s Sanctions Against The State of Israel bill in the Dáil as “cowards” and said they chose not to be “on the right side of history”.
“Shame on you all,” she said.
“I thank those brave TDs who voted no. At least your children can hold your heads high. You must be so proud.”
Israel’s national security minister Ben-Gvir triggered a backlash from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he released videos taunting and telling detained activists from a flotilla that tried to get past the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu said that although Israel has every right to stop “provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters”, the way that national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists “is not in line with Israel’s values and norms”.
Meanwhile, activists released from Israeli custody after being detained on the flotilla have said they were subjected to abuse, organisers said on Friday, with several hospitalised with injuries and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults, including rape.
It came as a freed Irish campaigner described severe physical abuse of himself and other detainees, although he did not allege sexual abuse.
Israeli forces arrested 430 people on board 50 ships in international waters on Tuesday to halt a flotilla of volunteers trying to bring aid supplies to the Gaza Strip.
The allegations of abuse will add to pressure on Israeli authorities to explain the treatment of the detainees, after video of an Israeli cabinet minister in a prison mocking some of the activists sparked an international outcry. Italy said EU members were discussing imposing sanctions on the minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
“At least 15 cases of sexual assaults, including rape. Shot with rubber bullets at close range. Tens of people’s bones broken,” organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla posted on the Telegram social media app.
“While the world’s eye is trained on the suffering of our participants, we cannot emphasize enough that this is a mere glimpse of the brutality Israel imposes daily on Palestinian hostages.”
Luca Poggi, an Italian economist among those detained aboard the flotilla, said on his arrival in Rome: “We were stripped, thrown to the ground, kicked. Many of us were tasered, some were sexually assaulted, and some were denied access to a lawyer.”
Sabrina Charik, who helped organise the return of 37 French citizens from the flotilla, said five French participants had been hospitalised in Turkey, some with broken ribs or fractured vertebrae. Some had made detailed accusations of sexual violence, including of rape, she said.
In an Instagram post by an activist group, French national Adrien Jouen showed bruises across his back and on his forearms.
Activists said some of the alleged abuse took place at sea after their interception by Israeli naval forces, and some following their arrest and imprisonment in Israel.
Activists from several European countries were expected to arrive home on flights from Turkey after they were deported from Israel on Thursday.
President Catherine Connolly’s sister, Dr Margaret Connolly, has described the conditions of her detention in Israel as being akin to a “concentration camp” with torture and beatings a regular occurrence.
Ms Connolly is one of 14 Irish activists who were onboard aid boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza when they were captured by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
All activists detained by Israel are now “safe” in Turkey, Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee has confirmed, and are due to arrive home on Saturday.
However, Ms Connolly described the conditions of her detention as being akin to a “concentration camp” with torture and beatings a regular occurrence.
“We were kidnapped and abducted and held against our will on a warship, which was a prison ship”, she told Drivetime on RTÉ Radio One.
“My colleagues experienced 35 fractures, five head injuries, there was 15 sexual assaults, eye injuries, ear injuries, huge number of laser injuries.”
She also alleged that bullets were shot at people’s feet and that people were “bent down like hogs” and forced to kneed in excruciating positions for extended periods of time.
“I have a huge burn on my back where the sun beat upon us for hours.”
However, Ms Connolly said she was one of the lucky ones. For others, the pain that inflictyed upon them was exponentially worse.
“We walked among lots of people with fractures who screamed and howled in pain all night long, and we had no pain relief,” she said.
“People in agony, people freezing and cold with hypothermia, no clothes, drenched clothes.
“Every time they picked up a ship, they [activists] were fired like rats onto ground and had to wait for their colleagues to pick them up and share tissues. When we asked for water, they refused.”
She also said the IDF provided no toilet paper, medicine or sanitary towels for women while they mocked the detainees for their suffering.
“They laughed at us and they [said] ‘You should have effing thought about this before you came here’.”
She continued: “We had recourse to nothing. There was guns pointing at us from height the whole time.”
Ms Connolly compared the conduct of Israel to that of a “Nazi state” echoing the behaviour of the Nazi Germany in its persecution of Jews during the Second World War.
Israel’s prison service denied the allegations.
“The allegations raised are false and entirely without factual basis,” a prison service spokesperson said in a statement.
“All prisoners and detainees are held in accordance with the law, with full regard for their basic rights and under the supervision of professional and trained prison staff,” it said. “Medical care is provided according to professional medical judgment and in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines.”
Speaking through tears, Dr Connolly called on Government to take a stance against the Middle Eastern country for its “utterly barbaric” treatment of detained Irish citizens.
“How dare the Irish government allow this to happen? How dare they vote no to sanctions?,” she said.
“I am ashamed of my Irish government.”
She labelled the TDs who voted against Thursday’s Sanctions Against The State of Israel bill in the Dáil as “cowards” and said they chose not to be “on the right side of history”.
“Shame on you all,” she said.
“I thank those brave TDs who voted no. At least your children can hold your heads high. You must be so proud.”
Israel’s national security minister Ben-Gvir triggered a backlash from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he released videos taunting and telling detained activists from a flotilla that tried to get past the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu said that although Israel has every right to stop “provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters”, the way that national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists “is not in line with Israel’s values and norms”.
Meanwhile, activists released from Israeli custody after being detained on the flotilla have said they were subjected to abuse, organisers said on Friday, with several hospitalised with injuries and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults, including rape.
It came as a freed Irish campaigner described severe physical abuse of himself and other detainees, although he did not allege sexual abuse.
Israeli forces arrested 430 people on board 50 ships in international waters on Tuesday to halt a flotilla of volunteers trying to bring aid supplies to the Gaza Strip.
The allegations of abuse will add to pressure on Israeli authorities to explain the treatment of the detainees, after video of an Israeli cabinet minister in a prison mocking some of the activists sparked an international outcry. Italy said EU members were discussing imposing sanctions on the minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
“At least 15 cases of sexual assaults, including rape. Shot with rubber bullets at close range. Tens of people’s bones broken,” organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla posted on the Telegram social media app.
“While the world’s eye is trained on the suffering of our participants, we cannot emphasize enough that this is a mere glimpse of the brutality Israel imposes daily on Palestinian hostages.”
Luca Poggi, an Italian economist among those detained aboard the flotilla, said on his arrival in Rome: “We were stripped, thrown to the ground, kicked. Many of us were tasered, some were sexually assaulted, and some were denied access to a lawyer.”
Sabrina Charik, who helped organise the return of 37 French citizens from the flotilla, said five French participants had been hospitalised in Turkey, some with broken ribs or fractured vertebrae. Some had made detailed accusations of sexual violence, including of rape, she said.
In an Instagram post by an activist group, French national Adrien Jouen showed bruises across his back and on his forearms.
Activists said some of the alleged abuse took place at sea after their interception by Israeli naval forces, and some following their arrest and imprisonment in Israel.
Activists from several European countries were expected to arrive home on flights from Turkey after they were deported from Israel on Thursday.
31-35, M
