TD says he was 'treated like an animal' by the Israeli Defence Forces

Ottoline Spearman

Independent TD Barry Heneghan said he was 'treated like an animal' by the Israeli Defence Forces when the aid flotilla he was on was detained.

The Dublin Bay North TD said that nothing could have prepared him for the fear and mistreatment he and others faced.

He and several other Irish activists were among those detained by Israeli forces over the past two weeks, after being on board flotillas bound for Gaza with aid.

Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk, Mr Heneghan described his experience: "We were expecting to be intercepted the day after or in two days, because we were very, very far out in international waters. I think it's very important that people know that.

"They just came out of nowhere. You're getting screamed at, guns pointed to your head.

"The focus is on the Palestinians, because if they're doing that to EU representatives, you can imagine what they're doing to the 11,000 Palestinians they have in prison and the 400 children who don't have a voice to go back to."

He said it was 'roughhouse' with forces "screaming at you 'you're an Irish dog', they treat us like animals. And if they're doing that to us, again imagine what they are doing to Palestinians."

Last Wednesday, it was announced that three flotilla vessels carrying medicine and nutritional supplies were intercepted just off the coast of Gaza.

Mr Heneghan, a TD for the Dublin Bay North constituency, was one of five pro-Palestinian activists from Ireland who was aboard the vessel.

Thousand Madleens flotilla, a group of nine boats that had been about 120 nautical miles from Gaza before it was intercepted. It was travelling behind the Global Sumud flotilla which was also intercepted last week.