University of St Andrews Academic Dr Antonis Vradis Safely Released from Israeli Imprisonment

St Andrews academic Dr Antonis Vradis was detained by Israeli forces this week while participating in humanitarian efforts with the Global Sumud Flotilla, sparking concern from the university community. Dr Vradis was released from prison and safely landed in Turkey on Thursday 21 May, where he was offered medical treatment. Dr Vradis then landed in Athens on Friday 22 May, travelling with the Greek delegations, as reported in The National.

Vradis, Reader in the School of Geography and Sustainable Development and University Court member at the University of St Andrews, took leave to join the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a civilian fleet of around 50 boats attempting to take humanitarian aid into Gaza. On Monday 18 May, Vradis was on board the GSF boat La Cirena when it was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters west of Cyprus. Vradis and over 400  other activists were then forcibly taken to Port of Ashdod Israel, after which they were transferred to Ktziot prison on Wednesday 20 May. Though Israel claims these actions were warranted to prevent the activists breaching what it described as a “lawful naval blockade on Gaza,” the Global Sumud Flotilla condemned the abduction of its activists as an “illegal, high-seas aggression,” the BBC reported. 

On Wednesday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting handcuffed flotilla activists. The video also shows Israeli authorities pushing activists to the ground, forcing them into stress positions, and making them walk with bent backs and lowered heads. Widespread allegations of further Israeli abuse of the detained activists was reported by The Guardian on Friday 22 May, including at least fifteen allegations of sexual assault. Several flotilla activists have been hospitalised with injuries obtained while in Israeli custody. Israel’s treatment of the detained activists sparked outcry as UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said “we’re very concerned by these reports." Dujarric continued stating that the “people who were responsible for that treatment should be held to account.” Ben-Gvir has now been banned from entering both French and Polish territory due to the video and the French foreign minister has called on the European Union to also sanction Ben-Gvir, The National reported.

In response to the interception and Vradis’ imprisonment, University of St Andrews students organised a protest at noon on Thursday 21 May to rally support and demand University acknowledgement of the situation. Approximately 45 students, staff, and community members gathered outside the ruins of Blackfriars Chapel on South Street to demonstrate their concern for Vradis and bring attention to what they felt was an inadequate University response to his detainment. At the time of the protest, the University had not acknowledged his detainment in any communications to the student body, a common practice during times of potential stress for the University community. 

Beyond requesting that the University issue a statement of support for Vradis and demonstrate that they were actively pursuing his release through all accessible diplomatic channels, the protesters also demanded that the University honour Vradis’ activism by expanding the number of STEPS (St Andrews Education for Palestinian Students) scholarships and engaging in divestment from Israeli-linked companies. During the protest, Social Anthropology Lecturer Dr Patrick O’Hare said that the University awarded three scholarships recently. 

The protestors held signs with photographs of Vradis and handed out informational flyers to passersby while listening to speeches from University Rector Stella Maris, Dr Patrick O’Hare, fourth-year Geography student and incoming Union President of Wellbeing Community Bartosz Rogala, and Laura Márquez. 

Maris read out Vradis’ own words from an article published in Al Jazeera earlier this month, in which he describes his reasons for participating in the GSF’s efforts. On 11 May, three days before setting sail for Gaza, Vradis wrote: “In defiance of Israel’s genocide, and in solidarity with the Palestinian people, our fleet is moving forward […] In their long history, Gaza flotillas have often been decried as performative, except, of course, they have yielded some very concrete results: back in October, despite being violently intercepted once again, the GSF mission contributed to the mounting pressure on Israel to accept a ceasefire, which was announced days after the violent interception.”

O’Hare then provided a statement from Vradis’ family, in which they wrote of their belief in his strength and his “selfless support” of “everyone he crosses paths with.” O’Hare went on to say that “if Antonis was speaking in person, he would say that this is not about him or the other crews who have been illegally kidnapped in international waters of Cyprus. It is about holding our complicit governments to account for their complicity in the gravest human rights violations.”

After final speeches and chants, the protest then dispersed at around 2pm. 

Later the same day, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Dame Sally Mapstone sent out a university-wide email confirming that Vradis had arrived in Istanbul after being released from Israeli custody. Vradis’ family confirmed that he and other activists received medical treatment in Turkey before returning to their home countries.

Dame Mapstone wrote that she “would like to thank our MP, Wendy Chamberlain, who ensured the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office reacted with appropriate speed to Dr Vradis’s situation and the team of people which has worked assiduously behind the scenes at the University over the past 72 hours to pressure the Israeli authorities to ensure Dr Vradis’s wellbeing and ensure his prompt release from custody.”

The University provided further detail about their involvement in getting Dr Vradis released:  “The University immediately contacted local MP Wendy Chamberlain requesting she request urgent intervention by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office. Vice-Principal (Communications) Niall Scott also wrote directly to the Israeli Government to insist on his release.”

After Vradis’ release from Israeli custody, protest organisers Rogala and Márquez told The Saint of their relief at his safe arrival in Turkey. Rogala and Márquez were glad that the University had released a mass email, but Rogala was confused as to why the University chose not to immediately tell concerned students that they were working “assiduously behind the scenes” to support Vradis. 

“If [the University] were supposedly doing that work, they knew about us,” Rogala said. “They knew that there were students organising [a protest]. Why were we not included in that conversation? Why were we not invited?” 

Rogala also questioned why communication between the University administration and students did not feature offers of emotional support during a stressful time for the university community. “Why were people not looked after in that period of time? In that period of time where a staff member, a person within the University family, was treated in that way?” Rogala said. Rogala noted that the University has previously sent emails offering support during major world events, such as the start of the Iran War, and wished that the University had considered the distress which Vradis’ detainment may have caused to those who know him personally. “Why was there no support? Even in Sally Mapstone's address [email] that she made to the University, there’s not even one line that talks about support, that talks about wellbeing.” 

Rogala went on to discuss the impacts of Dr Vradis’ activism. He told The Saint that he wants to honour Vradis’ actions by beginning a new wave of Palestinian advocacy in St Andrews. “It’s impacted us at the heart of our University. Someone who has walked down our streets, that has spoken in our lecture theatres, that has been with us. He has seen this, has risked his life, right?” Rogala said. “I think if the University really wanted to do something, Antonis really opened up the opportunity for them to recalculate and rethink what they've done in the past, what they haven't done, and to start something new.”

Rogala continued: “I think it’s also made us realise that once Antonis returns, he’s given us the opportunity to work now [...] through his own sacrifice to really make a change here and to show to the University that it’s never going to be comfortable to make comments, and it's never going to be easy to change a system, to change the foundations of an institution […] People are calling for it and there is a majority of people that are saying that this is something that we want [the University] to do. This is the change that we want to see.”

“I think we, as a group of students and as a wider community, have to start moving forward with that and start making that change together.”

Photo courtesy of the University of St Andrews