Chris Smalls
WHAT HAPPENED
Christian "Chris" Smalls, a 37-year-old New Jersey-born U.S. citizen and co-founder of the Amazon Labor Union, was seized on July 26, 2025, when Israeli naval forces boarded the Freedom Flotilla aid ship Handala in international waters roughly 40 nautical miles off Gaza. Smalls and 20 other activists were carrying baby formula, food, and medicine to the blockaded territory. According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, after Smalls—the only Black member of the crew—reached an Israeli prison, seven uniformed officers "choked him and kicked him in the legs, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back." He was held at Givon Prison, contracted scabies, went on a hunger strike, and was deported to New York on July 31. CAIR urged the U.S. Justice Department to investigate his treatment, and Smalls said he planned to sue Israel.
TESTIMONY
"They single-handedly attacked me, out of the 21 volunteers, because of the color of my skin." — Chris Smalls, Amazon Labor Union co-founder, to Democracy Now!
SOURCES
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR
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