Reyes Rigo, Lucía Muñoz, and Alejandra Martínez return to Palma: "We will continue until Palestine is free."

PalmThe three Mallorcans, Lucía Muñoz, Alejandra Martínez, and Reyes Rigo, arrived in Palma today, Monday, after defending Palestinian rights in Israel with the Freedom Flotilla. At the airport, they were greeted by family and friends amidst Palestinian flags and shouts of "Long live the struggle of the Palestinian people." Rigo declined to comment on the sentence imposed by the Israeli state, asserting that she is fine and believing that "the focus should be on Palestine."

For her part, Muñoz asserted that "they have not stopped working to ensure Reyes Rigo's return as soon as possible" and denounced "the inaction" of the Balearic Islands' institutions in the face of this problem. "Marga Prohens, Llorenç Galmés, and Jaime Martínez haven't lifted a finger. They could have done many things, but they haven't even called their families. They have abandoned a Palma resident kidnapped by a genocidal state."

The activists have taken the opportunity to ask the people who have received them to join the mobilization that several unions have called this Wednesday to demand a stop to the genocide in Palestine and "against the occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing being carried out by the Zionist entity (Israel) in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. "This is not over. There is no peace without justice and we must continue to support the struggle of the Palestinian people until they are free."

On the other hand, Muñoz has attacked the construction of a new bomb and missile warehouse at Son Sant Joan airport. "We denounce the militarization of the airport, which more than 20 pass through. We don't want more weapons, we want fewer flights," he denounced. In addition, he also referred to the stoppage of the largest nuclear aircraft carrier of the United States that recently arrived in Mallorca. "We do not want the militarization of the Islands. If they want bombs, let them bring them home," he declared.

Upon her early arrival in Madrid, activist Reyes Rigo stated that being detained in Israel for almost two weeks was "worth it," after returning to Spain this Monday morning. Rigo warned that they will continue sending more flotillas until "Palestine is free." "It was worth it. We will return. We must denounce the genocidal Israeli state, which has kidnapped us in international waters, taken us to a prison for prisoners—well, for terrorists," Rigo told the media upon her arrival at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.

He also urged the Spanish government to file a complaint with international justice and to denounce "this kidnapping and imprisonment," which, he stated, is "nothing compared to what our brothers and sisters are suffering" in Palestine, where women, children, and men are "rotting" in prisons.

Rigo celebrated that the action of the flotillas "has in some way shaken the world," and has announced that they will send as many as necessary until "Palestine is free." Finally, he called on workers to join the general strike called for this October 15 in solidarity with Palestine.

Other members of the flotilla have insisted on the importance of also focusing on the West Bank, and not just Gaza. "Please, it's Palestine, it's not Gaza, it's not the West Bank, it's all of Palestine," they stressed.

There are no more Spaniards in Israel.

Reyes Rigo was the only Spanish member of the Global Freedom Flotilla—the first flotilla—still held in Israel since October 1st. She landed at 8:20 a.m. in Madrid, along with the last five members of the Freedom Flotilla—the second flotilla—on a commercial Iberia flight that departed early in the morning from Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Three other Spanish activists from the second flotilla had already arrived in Madrid this Saturday, including Jimena González, a member of the Más Madrid party.

Also traveling to the Madrid airport were Lucía Muñoz, the coordinator of Podemos Baleares, and Alejandra Martínez, another member of the party, along with other people close to the flotilla members, who were greeted with shouts of support for Palestine and their mission of "za."

This new return operation, like the previous ones, has been managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its central services, the Spanish Embassy, and the consul in Tel Aviv, "who have done an extraordinary job," according to official sources.

Thus, there are no longer any Spaniards from the flotilla detained in Israel. In total, during the last two weeks, 57 Spanish citizens have returned: 49 from the Global Sumud Flotilla and 8 from the Freedom Flotilla, after having been held in the Ktziot prison, located in the Negev desert.

The last six Spaniards, who arrived at Terminal 4S of Madrid airport from Qatar, were imprisoned until now "for refusing to sign the voluntary deportation," according to sources from the Rumbo a Gaza flotilla told Europa Press.

Agreement with the Prosecutor's Office

Reyes Rigo was able to return to Spain after reaching an agreement with the Israeli Prosecutor's Office to reduce the charges against her.

According to Lucía Muñoz, a Unides Podemos councilor at Palma City Hall who also participated in the flotilla, the Spanish consul informed Rigo's family that the agreement, which included the imposition of a fine, was reached during a hearing on Friday.

A court in Beer Sheva accepted the agreement after Rigo pleaded guilty to causing bodily harm and aggravated assault on a guard at the prison where she was being held.

She was initially accused of biting a female officer's hand and refusing to enter her cell. The charge was later amended, and it was alleged that she had dug her nails into the guard while resisting.

Under the agreement, the court sentenced her to ten days in prison—which she had already served—and ordered her deported.

During her appearance before the judge, Rigo reported being mistreated in custody. "They hit us, pushed us, and on the fifth day they attacked my friend, and I tried to protect her," she said, according to an Israeli newspaper. "They grabbed me by the head and my glasses fell off," she added. She also explained that she shared a cell with thirteen other women in a space designed for five people, were not provided with water, and were given "rotten" food.