The newest Gaza freedom flotilla has come under the spotlight – not because of its stated aim of “breaking the Israeli siege on Gaza” – but because a senior member was accused of sexual misconduct.
The scandal began shortly after the flotilla set sail from Barcelona on 12 April, when the Palestinian group Heart of Falastin claimed that “a senior member of the flotilla, a member of the steering committee, the highest governing body of the organisation, code named B.L. for their protection (not ours), engaged in sexual relations with multiple activists while on the boat heading towards Gaza. Not one person. Not two. Three different individuals.”
Heart of Falastin then said, “Have sex with whoever you want. But to do it on the boat – while heading to a nation undergoing genocide – with volunteers who are under your authority, in a space where activists are sleeping, eating, and working together – is a clear violation of power.”
An investigation by The Jerusalem Post revealed that the accused person was Brazilian activist Thiago Avila. Avila, 39, gained recognition for participating in the June 2025 Gaza Freedom Flotilla, among others.
Other activists on the flotilla, such as Lisi Proenca (believed to be one of the three women), soon came online to defend Avila, whom they call a “good friend and comrade.”
Lefty love boat: Greta Thunberg’s freedom flotilla
However, the scandal did not die down in the way the Sumud Flotilla may have hoped, as the New York Post ran a piece on April 18 named ‘Lefty love boat: Greta Thunberg’s freedom flotilla rocked by sexual misconduct allegations.’
This prompted the Global Sumud Flotilla to release a statement denying any misconduct by Avila.
“GSF’s independent Ethics committee has investigated concerns raised regarding rumors alleging sexual misconduct by a Steering Committee member,” it wrote on Instagram.
“On April 12, the SC member implicated by these rumors requested a formal investigation by the EC. Given the seriousness of the allegations, their impact on the mission, and the fact that the mission is actively underway at sea, the process was expedited.”
“The EC conducted interviews with the three women believed to be referenced in the post, as well as other relevant individuals. All three women denied that any sexual misconduct occurred. The EC considers this case closed.”
Some have noted that the existence of a designated ethics committee for the flotilla may indicate incidents of prior misconduct. The GSF statement also said, “the structural separation between the SC members and the EC exists precisely to ensure that accountability is never self-administered.”
Avila himself has not directly commented, but has reposted the statement, and also reposted a video of support from Proenca with the words “thank you.” He also reposted a statement by Turkish GSF member Sümeyra Akdeniz Ordu, where she said the NY Post “can continue with their lies,” accusing it of an “agenda.”
‘Inspired’ by Hezbollah and Nasrallah
This is not the first time Avila has come under fire. During the June 2025 flotilla, it came to light that he attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and also posted a photograph with plane hijacker Leila Khaled.
In a social media statement, he said he was “inspired” by Nasrallah and claimed to have met him when he (Avila) was 19 years old.
“Not many people can say that they defeated the greatest evil forces of their generation not only once, but many times like Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah,” Ávila said.
Avila was also part of the 500-activist Global Sumud Flotilla in September 2025. This flotilla gained media attention after climate activist Greta Thunberg was removed from the Global Sumud Flotilla’s Steering Committee. The Italian paper Il Manifesto, which had a correspondent aboard one of the flotilla vessels, reported that “pressure is causing rifts within the organizing committee,” allegedly due to disagreements about external communication that focused too much on the flotilla’s internal affairs and not enough on the situation in Gaza.
The current spring Flotilla has already been criticized for other reasons, one being that it held a massive kick-off festival on the day of the launch, replete with concerts, activities, stalls, and workshops.
The group Palestine Reveals said on Instagram that “mobilization should reflect the respect and seriousness this moment demands, instead we are seeing concerts, a large stage, music, and celebratory atmospheres.”
“Turning a political action into something that resembles a festival-like event risks creating a disconnect between lived reality on the ground and the way solidarity is expressed.”
The flotilla aims to raise $1 million to help Gazans, but commenters on Palestine Reveals’ post raised concerns about where this money will go.
Mar Redondo i Justel commented that she was part of the Catalan GSF delegation “that helped make this event possible,” and that she felt “compelled to say that we were never aligned with this strategy.”
“Nobody needed this infrastructure. Nobody asked for a large festival format — let alone the Liberation Lab held in the days prior, which consumed thousands of euros in donations for an influencer gathering whose impact is nearly impossible to evaluate,” she commented.
She said the Catalan delegation fought hard for weeks to organize morning conversations on collective action on Saturday and a political act on Sunday that included a small musical moment. “What was imposed instead came from a small group of people deeply disconnected from how social movements actually work in Barcelona, driven by individual desire for recognition through a music festival.”
It is worth noting that none of the 40 vessels participating in the September Global Sumud Flotilla, which Israel intercepted on Yom Kippur, was carrying humanitarian aid.
Israeli Police spokesperson Dean Elsdunne went aboard at the time to show the empty interior of one of the flotilla’s largest vessels.
“It was never about bringing aid to Gaza. It was about the headlines and social media followings”, Elsdunne said in the video at the time.
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