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16 activists taken in custody

The Turkish police on the evening of Nov 3 detained several activists who had stormed the 'Kathrin' in İstanbul over allegations that it carried explosives destined to help Israel in the ongoing war against the Palestinian enclave of Gaza and Lebanon. In thel port of Haydarpaşa, a group of pro-Palestinian activists has been holding a vigil for over a month in protest of Turkey’s refusal to allow the departure of two ships seeking to deliver aid to Gaza organized by Turkish and international humanitarian groups, citing bureaucratic obstacles. The activists, aligned with the conservative Anatolia Youth Association, raided the ship chanting anti-Israeli slogans and waving Palestinian flags, and subsequently began a sit-in onboard. The protestors demanded that the ship leave the port immediately. Riot police arrived at the site quickly and forced the protestors to disperse. 16 protestors who resisted were detained and were still in police custody as of the afternoon of Nov 4. The leader of the Islamist Felicity Party (SP) Temel Karamollaoğlu called on Turkish authorities to release the activists from police custody. Report with photo: https://www.turkishminute.com/2024/11/04/activists-detained-in-istanbul-for-protest-of-german-ship-allegedly-carrying-explosive-to-israel/

Protesters stormed ship in Istanbul

On Nov 4, Turkish activists have stormed the 'Kathrin' at the Haydarpasa port in the city of Istanbul following the vessel’s arrival. They chanted slogans while on board the vessel that had reached Haydarpasa after leaving its military cargo that featured eight shipping containers holding 150,000 kilograms of RDX (Research Department Explosive) devices at the port of Alexandria. The 'Kathrin’s' cargo was intended for Israeli Military Industries, the munitions production arm of the military company Elbit Systems, which uses the explosives to make such weapons as aerial bombs, mortars, and rockets. Report with photo: https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/11/04/736587/Turkey-Israel-ship-war-genocide-Gaza

German lawyers filed lawsuit seeking blockade of cargo

German lawyers have filed a lawsuit in Berlin seeking to block the 'Kathrin'’s cargo of 150 tons of military-grade explosives, which they say is destined for the world’s largest defense contractor from Israel. The European Legal Support Center announced on Oct 30 that it had filed a lawsuit on behalf of three Palestinians from Gaza, claiming that the RDX explosives could be used to make munitions for Israel’s war against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip, and contribute to war crimes, which Israel categorically denies. According to the German-based Lubeca Marine, the owner of the 'Kathrin', there was never any question of [the ship] calling at Israel, and it reportedly unloaded its cargo in Bar, Montenegro. The company declined to provide further details about the cargo for contractual reasons, but said it complied with all applicable international and European regulations, including ensuring that the required licenses were issued before any operation. The European Legal Support Center said the RDX shipment was destined for Israeli Military Industries, a division of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest defense contractor. “We never claimed that the Kathrin was destined for Israel (itself), it’s the shipment that is destined for Elbit Systems,” Ahmed Abed, a lawyer with the European Legal Support Center, told Reuters about the complaint filed with the Berlin Administrative Court. The 'Kathrin' docked in the port of Alexandria on Oct 28 and, unloaded military equipment. It was expected to leave on Nov 5, according to the Alexandria port website. The ship has been denied entry to several African and Mediterranean ports, including Angola, Slovenia, Montenegro and Malta. Portuguese authorities have reportedly recently demanded that the ship change its flag from Portuguese to German in order to continue its journey. In August, Namibian authorities prevented the ship, which was sailing from the port of Haiphong, from entering its main port. The German Ministry of Economic Affairs, which is involved in the complaint because the ship flies the German flag, has confirmed to have received letters from lawyers on the matter, stating the cargo did not constitute a German export, as the explosives were neither loaded nor shipped from German territory. It added that there was no legal basis for requiring an export license under German law.