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I’ve known Chris Smalls for over 5 years.
He’s my friend. My brother. One of the most courageous people I know. This is the man that got the first Amazon warehouse to unionize!
Some see him and think he’s just a tough guy — the way he dresses, the way he speaks truth to power.
But I know the real Chris.
He’s sweet. He’s kind. He’s deeply compassionate.
He cares about people — and he’s always put his life on the line to fight for justice. That’s why he got on a boat to take humanitarian aid to Gaza.
And now he’s been beaten and detained by the Israeli military.
What was his crime?
Chris was aboard the humanitarian ship Handala, as part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
The ship was carrying baby formula and humanitarian aid to the starving children of Gaza.
No weapons.
No political demands.
Just food.
Chris was there to break the siege on Gaza and deliver life-saving nutrition.
What did Israel do in response?
They detained him.
And when he arrived at the Israeli prison, they attacked him.
According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Chris was:
Beaten by 7 uniformed Israeli forces
Choked and kicked, leaving visible injuries on his neck and back
Surrounded by 6 special police officers when his lawyer met with him — a level of force not used against any other activist
They made an example out of him. He was the ONLY one of the 17 detained people that was beaten and he was the only one that was an African American.
As Congresswoman Summer Lee said:
“Chris Smalls — a Black American labor leader — was trying to feed Palestinians being starved in Gaza. The IDF detained and beat him for it.
This assault must not go unnoticed and he must be freed immediately.
Israel must be held to account. Let aid through. End the genocide.”
That’s exactly it.
Chris isn’t a criminal.
He’s a freedom fighter.
A labor leader.
A son of this country.
And a witness to what Israel does to those who dare speak up.
The Israeli government abducted my friend.
And now he’s a political prisoner.
He didn’t have a gun.
He had formula.
He didn’t storm a beach.
He boarded a boat.
He didn’t ask for fame.
He showed up with love.
And for that, they beat him.
They choked him.
Surrounded him with elite police units.
And nobody in the White House has said a damn word.
The same government that arms Israel could demand his release today.
But they won’t.
Because to admit that Chris is being wrongly detained would mean admitting that what he was doing was right.
And what he was doing — feeding Palestinians, breaking the siege, opposing genocide — is what every moral person should be doing.
The truth is this:
Chris was beaten because he dared to do what all of us should do.
He was detained because he tried to keep children alive.
He was silenced because his courage embarrassed them.
I’m asking you to say his name with me.
Chris Smalls.
Humanitarian.
Labor leader.
Brother.
Friend.
Political prisoner.
And one of the bravest souls I know.
📢 We will not be silent. Not for Chris. Not for Gaza.
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