Spanish Police Beat Flotilla 'Activists' Minutes After Landing in Bilbao | WATCH

Gaza flotilla activists who were deported from Israel on Thursday landed at Bilbao airport in Spain's Basque Country and were met with police batons. Clashes broke out between local police, returning activists, and a group of supporters who had gathered to welcome them back. Four people were arrested. Footage circulating on social media showed officers striking activists with batons as the confrontation unfolded.

According to Spanish media reports, the violence began when the group of activists and their supporters refused to clear the area at the request of police. The activists had landed in Bilbao at approximately 2:00 p.m. local time, arriving directly from Israeli detention.

What happened in Israeli custody

The activists had just been released after days of detention following Israel's interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which attempted to break the naval blockade of Gaza. Around 430 activists in total were deported, most to Turkey, with smaller groups sent to Spain, Italy and elsewhere.

Multiple activists returned home with accounts of mistreatment in Israeli custody. Israeli prison officials denied all allegations of mistreatment.

The Bilbao confrontation adds a new dimension to what has already become a major international incident, after Israel's Minister of Defense Itamar Ben Gvir harrassed and humiliated Flotilla participants. France, Turkey, Greece, Italy and Indonesia all summoned Israeli envoys or issued formal condemnations over the treatment of flotilla activists in Israeli detention. Israel's Foreign Ministry maintained that "all foreign activists from the PR flotilla have been deported" and that the naval blockade of Gaza is lawful.