“We’re Coming Back”: German Activist Recounts Humiliation, Racism After Israeli Kidnapping of the Madleen

German human rights activist Yasemin Acar says she will not stop. “Not only us,” she told Quds News Network, “but a lot of people around the world. That is a promise.”

Acar, an anti-genocide and pro-Palestine organizer, was on board the Madleen, a humanitarian ship abducted by Israeli forces while sailing in international waters aiming at breaking the Israeli siege on Gaza. Just four weeks earlier, an Israeli drone had bombed the Conscience ship in Malta’s port. To her, the message is clear: “We’re coming back.”

Abduction and Humiliation

“We were 100 nautical miles from any territory,” Acar said, rejecting Israel’s claim that the Madleen entered Israeli waters. “That claim is false.”

When the ship was taken to Ashdod, Israeli forces immediately restricted the activists. “We stayed for three hours on board until it got dark. We were already in the lower cabin with no air conditioning. No one was allowed to go up for even a cigarette.”

As night fell, Israeli officers began confiscating Palestinian cultural symbols. “They took away all our kufiyyas,” Acar said. “They didn’t want anyone to see us. Press was blocked. We were strip searched. The humiliation began in Ashdod.”

Activists were forced to watch an Israeli propaganda film. “We told them it was a form of torture. We didn’t want to watch.”

From there, the situation worsened.

“We Were Treated Like Hostages”

“They put us in small, dark cells with no air. One man needed to pee and begged the police. They refused. He screamed and cried, but they ignored him. He had to urinate in the police van. They laughed. It was psychological warfare.”

Acar says they were isolated and denied legal rights. “We weren’t treated like prisoners. We were treated like hostages. They didn’t read us our rights. They lied to us. They tried to make us sign false statements saying we entered illegally.”

Communication with lawyers was restricted. “Sometimes we were allowed just 7–8 minutes. They screamed at us, pushed us, tried to confuse us.”

She described a moment when guards mocked her religion. “I asked for something to read. They brought me a Bible, knowing I’m Muslim.”

“Rima Was Treated Worse Because She’s Palestinian”

Acar spoke emotionally about French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan. “I wrote ‘Israel is terrorist’ on a wall. But they took Rima and put her in isolation. I told them it was me. They said they’d come back for me but never did.”

Rima was handcuffed for seven hours. “She was put in solitary. So was activist Thiago Avila. The men’s cells had bugs, bedbugs. They were unhygienic. Some men needed doctors after release. Their skin was damaged.”

Activists were deprived of water. “After their PR stunt, we got nothing. I drank contaminated water and now I have stomachaches.”

Despite the abuse she endured, Acar reminded us that others have it far worse. “Palestinian women were mistreated much more. Watching them cry in silence broke me. Their strength… it’s heartbreaking.”

Acar described widespread racism. “We were only treated this ‘well’ because of media pressure. Without it, I can’t imagine what they would’ve done. Their aggression was visible. They didn’t touch us only because they were told not to.”

Racism and White Privilege

As a German citizen, Acar plans to take legal action against her government. “Israel couldn’t have done this alone. The complicity, the weapons, the money, the soldiers, this comes from Europe and the West.”

She said the German embassy blamed her. “They said it was my fault for going into a war zone.”

“If I were white, blonde, blue-eyed, and named Julia, maybe they would have helped, even if they didn’t agree with me.”

She added, “Racism exists in Germany. That’s why they support what’s happening to the Palestinian people. They dehumanize Arabs and Middle Eastern people.”

Acar acknowledged that the white activists on the Madleen were aware of their privilege. “The world cares more now because they see white faces. That’s not the people’s fault, it’s the system. And some people use that privilege to fight for justice.”

Though not a Turkish citizen, Acar received support from Turkey. “They tried to help, brought food, stayed in contact. So did the French and Spanish. But not Germany.”

She condemned Western media for spreading disinformation. “They asked us if we had weapons. They were pushing a narrative.”

One German politician even threatened to press charges against some activists, accusing them of “terrorism” only because they attempted to break the Israeli siege on over 2 million people.

Acar believes the Madleen voyage broke a wall of fear. “The Zionists are not that powerful. If we rise together, it’s possible. The power is with the people.”

Asked if the Madleen mission would be the last, Acar smiled and said: “That’s a promise. We’re coming back.”