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Twenty arrested at Denmark protest to stop military shipments to Israel
Danish police announced the arrests of 20 people at a protest demanding that maritime transport company Maersk stop delivering military equipment to Israel.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was among the protesters who gathered at Maersk’s headquarters in Copenhagen. Police used batons and tear gas to disperse dozens of protesters.
“We are here to demand that Maersk must stop all the transportation of weapons and weapon components to Israel,” Thunberg said in a video posted on social media. “They must terminate all contract and investment that supports the genocide and occupation of Palestine.”
Maersk said the cargo did not contain “weapons or ammunition”.
“These shipments contain military-related equipment and are derived from US policy under the US-Israeli security cooperation program,” the company said. “The cargo has been screened and complies with applicable laws.”
Pro-Palestine EU lawmaker barred from entering Israel
Israel has announced it will deny entry to European Parliament member Rima Hassan, who is en route from Belgium, because of her support for Palestinians.
“Hassan, who is expected to land from Brussels in the coming hour, consistently works to promote boycotts against Israel in addition to numerous public statements both on social media and in media interviews,” Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel’s office said in a statement.
Hassan is a French national of Palestinian origin known for her support of the Palestinian cause and for speaking out against Israel’s war on Gaza.
What Israeli law allowed the ban of critical EU lawmaker?
- Israeli legislators passed a law this month that prohibits entry to the country for people who have expressed support for the international prosecution of Israeli soldiers over their conduct in Palestine.
- The law, which affects non-citizens and non-residents of Israel, builds on previous legislation that denied entry to anyone calling for a boycott of Israel. The law also bans entry to Holocaust deniers.
- The original law was seen by opponents as an attempt by Israel to silence critics. It was used on multiple occasions to bar entry to activists who support the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, known as BDS.
- Supporters portray BDS as nonviolent activism based on a similar campaign against apartheid South Africa. Israel views the movement as an attack on its very legitimacy and accuses some of its organisers of anti-Semitism, allegations they deny.
‘Israel is a rogue state,’ says barred EU politician
Israel has now banned another European Union parliamentarian from entering the country. The government gave no reasons why Lynn Boylan, who chairs the European Parliament EU-Palestine delegation, was denied entry.
“This utter contempt from Israel is the result of the international community failing to hold them to account,” Boylan said in a statement. “Israel is a rogue state, and this disgraceful move shows the level of utter disregard that they have for international law. Europe must now hold Israel to account.”
Boylan said she planned to meet with Palestinian Authority officials, representatives of civil society organisations, and people living under Israeli occupation.
She is a member of the Sinn Fein party in Ireland, which has been among the most vocal countries in criticising the Israeli government over its treatment of Palestinians. Earlier, EU lawmaker Rima Hassan was also refused entry at Ben-Gurion airport and ordered to return to Europe.
