A SCOTTISH activist who took part in a major aid flotilla to Gaza is set to return home on Saturday after being deported by Israel.
Hughie Stirling, 68, was one of two Scots taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, a major humanitarian mission aiming to deliver much-needed aid to Gaza, when Israeli forces intercepted the activists on Monday.
More than 400 people were kidnapped by Israel in international waters – where Israel has no jurisdiction – before being taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
Horrific footage of Israeli officials beating and dragging the activists was shared by Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, sparking a number of diplomatic incidents – with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying on Wednesday he had ordered the activists to be deported as soon as possible.
The activists arrived at Istanbul Airport in Turkey on Thursday, where a number gave accounts of alleged abuse, assault and torture while being detained by Israel.
The National understands that Stirling, from Ullapool, is set to arrive at Inverness Airport on Saturday evening, with the rest of the UK delegation landing at London Stansted Airport on Saturday afternoon.
The second Scot taking part, St Andrews University staff member Dr Antonis Vradis, was travelling as part of the Greek delegation and landed in Athens on Friday evening, and he has since made contact with his family.
The activists are now on their way home, but the UK Government has been slammed for its "complete lack of support" to those involved – with families claiming the UK activists were left to wander Istanbul Airport in their prison uniforms, some with no shoes, and were met with little assistance from embassy officials.
While it is understood officials have made contact with the activists in Turkey, organisers claim there has been little to no help offered on the ground, while loved ones have said they have been left in the dark with no communication from the Foreign Office.
The National understands it has been left to one member of the UK delegation to coordinate the return of all the activists, including providing them with a phone to call loved ones, taking them to hospital and finding accommodation for them – while a number of other countries, such as Turkey, are understood to have paid for and facilitated the safe return of their own citizens.
Caroline Williams, Stirling's partner, told The National that Stirling was left without shoes, was missing a hearing aid, and his glasses were smashed by Israeli officers.
"He was totally overwhelmed," she said, after finally managing to make contact with Stirling on Thursday evening. "He said he's been quite thrown about."
Williams was left watching livestream feeds from Istanbul Airport to find out whether her partner was among those to be deported on Thursday, with the Foreign Office reportedly unable to tell her whether Stirling was on the flight.
She hit out at the UK Government after a number of statements from officials, including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, claimed the Foreign Office was liaising with the families of those involved – with Williams saying she had not not heard from officials since Wednesday, when the video showing Ben-Gvir taunting activists circulated on social media.
She added that what she experienced is "nothing" compared to what the loved ones of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons have gone through, stressing that the focus must be on the more than 9000 Palestinians currently being held in notorious conditions.
The National understands the families of other UK activists have had similar experiences, and the UK delegation has written to the Foreign Office on their behalf to condemn the "incomprehensible" response loved ones have received.
In a letter sent to the flotilla's UK delegation on Friday and seen by The National, Foreign Office representatives claimed that "direct contact with detainees was not possible in Israel itself while the Israeli government processed participants for removal to Turkey".
The letter further added that "direct contact has been possible in Turkey", where "flotilla participants have been offered a range of support, including from the Turkish authorities who are supporting the immediate medical and other needs of participants".
A Foreign Office spokesperson also told The National that "a team of UK officials were deployed to meet British nationals arriving in Turkey and worked with the Turkish authorities to provide welfare checks and access to mobile phones to call friends or relatives".
But organisers hit back, with spokesperson Cal Rosie saying that "no practical or useful support was provided by the UK Government to the participants to contact their families or to get home from Turkey".
A spokesperson for the UK delegation added: "After enduring the extreme brutality of their Israeli captors, the least our team of humanitarians could expect was the support of their own Foreign Office and assistance with accommodation, communication with their families, and their journeys home."
The spokesperson said the activists had to "scramble late at night" after they arrived "to find somewhere to sleep with only the clothes on their backs, some even with no shoes, no way to contact their families and no offer of assistance with travel back to the UK".
They added that representatives from the UK delegation flew to Turkey at "zero notice" as soon as it emerged the activists were being deported to Istanbul, but that progress has been "frustrating and fractured" due to a lack of communication with the Foreign Office.
They continued: "Our delegates should be home by now with their families and not waiting around for Yvette Cooper and the Foreign Office to decide to fulfil the most basic responsibilities in their remit."
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Our first priority is the safety of our nationals, and our teams on the ground have been working hard to provide the support needed.
“A team of UK officials were deployed to meet British nationals arriving in Turkey and worked with the Turkish authorities to provide welfare checks and access to mobile phones to call friends or relatives.
“We continue to raise our concerns about the treatment of flotilla participants and the lack of consular access provided with the Israeli government.”
