Chris Smalls, American labor union leader, reportedly tortured by Israeli security forces

Chris Smalls at the KNE-Odigitis Festival in Athens, Greece, 2024

Chris Smalls, an American trade unionist and leader of the Amazon Labor Union, has been subjected to torture by Israeli security forces, reports say. Smalls was aboard of Gaza-bound Handala aid ship which was seized by Israeli forces near the Gaza coast on Saturday night, with 21 unarmed civilians on board, including lawmakers, medics, and volunteers. 

“When he reached the Israeli prison, U.S. human rights defender Chris Smalls was physically assaulted by seven uniformed individuals,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said on X.

KKE General Secretary Koutsoumbas visited New York

Dimitris Koutsoumbas with ALU President Chris Smalls

Dimitris Koutsoumbas, the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), was the keynote speaker of a political and cultural event organized by the Party's Friends Club in New York on Saturday 27 April. The event, attended by dozens of members of the Greek Diaspora who live and work in the U.S, was held at the Kefalos Society of America in Astoria.

The opening speech was made by Kostas Lourdas on behalf of the KKE Friends Club in New York, while interventions were also made by KKE candidates for European Parliament, Lefteris Nikolaou Alavanos and Kostas Gouliamos, who accompanied Koutsoumbas in his North American trip.