A large crowd had formed in the arrivals hall, among other things, slogans were chanted about liberating Palestine.
Greta Thunberg did not answer any questions from the assembled press corps – her team urged everyone to come to a press conference at Sergels Square in central Stockholm later in the evening.
The activists were part of the international organization Global Sumud Flotilla, which tried to reach Gaza by sea to deliver supplies and break the Israeli blockade of the war-torn area.
The convoy they were traveling in was stopped by the Israeli military on international waters last week. The activists were deprived of their freedom by Israel and were held in the desert prison Ketziot. On Monday, they were deported and flown with a chartered plane from Israel to Greece.
Fact: Global Sumud Flotilla
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The Gaza convoy Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) consisted of around 40 boats with several hundred activists, journalists, and parliamentarians on board. Nine Swedes, including climate activist Greta Thunberg and Member of Parliament Lorena Delgado Varas (formerly V), were on the trip, which began in Barcelona at the end of August.
The convoy's goal was to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver emergency aid. When the ships approached the Gaza Strip on the evening of October 1, the Israeli navy began boarding the boats, which were then on international waters.
Over 400 people have been deprived of their freedom and taken to Israel. Many of them to the Ketziot prison in the Negev desert. Of the more than 150 activists who have so far been expelled from the country, many testify to poor conditions and abuse and that they have not been allowed to meet with legal representatives.
Also in June, Greta Thunberg and other activists were stopped by Israel on international waters, west of Gaza. They were then taken into Israeli custody and sent home later.
