US activist Chris Smalls ‘choked, kicked’ while detained by Israeli forces

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) has said that Israeli forces violently assaulted US labour organiser Chris Smalls while he was in custody.

In a statement posted online, the group said: “Seven uniformed individuals … choked him and kicked him in the legs, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back.”

The FFC added that when Smalls’ lawyer visited him, he was surrounded by six members of Israel’s special police unit. “This level of force was not used against other abducted activists,” the coalition said, describing the incident as “discriminatory treatment” and demanding accountability.

Smalls, the former head of the Amazon Labor Union, was among 21 international journalists and campaigners aboard the Handala when Israeli forces intercepted the aid vessel in international waters near Gaza as they were attempting to deliver humanitarian supplies to the besieged enclave.