Turkish police on Sunday evening detained several activists who stormed a German ship docked in İstanbul over allegations that it carried explosives destined to help Israel in the ongoing war against the Palestinian enclave of Gaza and Lebanon, the Gazete Pencere news website reported.
The German ship, the MV Kathrin, was docked at the İstanbul port of Haydarpaşa, where a group of pro-Palestinian activists has been holding a vigil for over a month in protest of Turkey’s refusal to allow the departure of two ships seeking to deliver aid to Gaza organized by Turkish and international humanitarian groups, citing bureaucratic obstacles.
The activists, aligned with the conservative Anatolia Youth Association, raided the ship chanting anti-Israeli slogans and waving Palestinian flags, and subsequently began a sit-in onboard. The protestors demanded that the ship leave the port immediately.
Riot police arrived at the site quickly and forced the protestors to disperse. Some media reports have said that as many as 16 protestors who resisted were detained and were still in police custody as of Monday afternoon.
Leader of the Islamist Felicity Party (SP) Temel Karamollaoğlu called on Turkish authorities to release the activists from police custody, saying they are not guilty of a crime, but that the Turkish government is, due to its alleged support of Israeli action in Gaza.
The Turkish government is accused of continuing to trade with Israel despite imposing a ban in May after public outcry over Israel’s military action in Gaza.
The MV Kathrin, reportedly carrying a 150-metric-ton shipment of military-grade explosives, also faced protests when it docked in Alexandria, Egypt, last week after having been refused entry by several countries.
A group of Egyptian activists filed criminal complaints against Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, the chairman of the Alexandria Port Authority, and the executive director of the Egyptian Maritime Consultant Office (EMCO) over the docking of the ship.
The activists claimed the shipment endangers both Egyptian and Arab national security and portrays Egypt as complicit in Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon.
The MV Kathrin’s controversial journey began almost two months ago when Namibian authorities discovered that the vessel was carrying cargo reportedly intended to support Israel’s war efforts in the Middle East.
Following this discovery, multiple countries, including Malta, Namibia and Angola, refused to accept the vessel, effectively leaving it in maritime limbo.
Last Wednesday, human rights lawyers also filed a court appeal in Berlin seeking to block the shipment of explosives thought to be aboard the MV Kathrin, which they say is to be delivered to Israel’s biggest defense contractor.
The European Legal Support Center said the action was filed on behalf of three Palestinians from Gaza, arguing that the shipment of primarily RDX explosives could be used in munitions for Israel’s war in Gaza, potentially contributing to alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.