Flotilla ordeal ends with tearful mother embracing son
A mother has said she is both scared and proud for her son after he returned safely to Australia from Israeli custody.
Pro-Palestinian activist Ethan Floyd arrived at Sydney Airport on Monday evening to be joined by his tearful family and several dozen cheering supporters.
Mr Floyd had joined the Global Sumud Flotilla, a group of more than 100 boats intercepted in the Mediterranean trying to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
After his boat was seized, Mr Floyd spent two days on an Israeli prison ship before being allowed to return home from the Greek island of Crete.
His mother, Marissa, went and hugged her son in tears, despite the warnings in the arrivals hall.
“As his family, we are proud of everything he has done,” Ms Floyd told reporters. he said.
“We admire her strength, courage and beliefs.”
Although Ms. Floyd supported her son’s search, she admitted that there were moments when she did not know whether his son would return.
“We were very scared when he left, but not as scared as the Palestinian parents,” he said.
“Our child came home and we were pretty sure he would come home… Palestinian parents don’t have that certainty.”
Mr Floyd arrived in Sydney without luggage and was wearing clothes borrowed from a kindly Greek stranger after his belongings were taken during detention.
Although the flotilla was expected to be the second mission to be intercepted before reaching the shores of Gaza, the NSW Young Greens secretary was proud of the result.
“If any social movement in the history of the world had tried anything just once, we would never have seen the massive change that we have seen in the last few hundred years,” Mr. Floyd told reporters. he said.
“The fleet has proven effective in challenging the legality of the Israeli navy.”
Greens politicians Mehreen Faruqi, Sue Higginson and Jenny Leong were among those awaiting Mr Floyd’s arrival.
All spoke of their desire for more sanctions against the Israeli government.
“We are proud of Ethan and others who had the courage to step where our government had failed miserably,” said Senator Faruqi.
“At a time when Australian civilians were on a lawful and peaceful mission to provide aid…Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong were MIA.”
Other Australian flotilla participants remain in Greece to assist with further missions, while two other participants, a Brazilian and a Spanish-Palestinian, remain detained by Israeli authorities.
