A young Cork man who was among the activists detained by Israel en route to Gaza is just a ‘normal lad trying to make a difference.’ Those are the words of his mother, Linda, who said she is proud of her son’s actions but that she fears for his safety after they lost contact when Israeli soldiers boarded his vessel.
Joshua St Leger, 26, accompanied President Catherine Connolly’s sister, Margaret and a large group of other activists who were attempting to bring aid to the shores of Gaza when their flotilla was intercepted by the IDF in international waters. This is one of several floatillas which have attempted to reach the shores in recent months, all of which have been turned back by Israel.
Joshua had previously attended the National Maritime College in Ringaskiddy as a cadet, but after struggling to find placements during covid, he instead completed a degree in engineering at MTU. Linda said her son isn’t an ‘airy, fairy, hippie or anything like that’ but that the suffering in Gaza kept him up at night and prompted him to join the global aid effort.
The rest of his family found out about his intentions to join the flotilla only four days before he departed. Despite the shock of the announcement, his mother and the rest of his close family expressed their full support for him and said they’d make arrangements to get him home if necessary.
The family kept in contact with Joshua throughout the trip and were aware of the activity around the vessels on Sunday night. On Monday, Joshua confirmed that they had been boarded, told his family he loves them, and told them not to worry before he threw his phone overboard. This is a common practice among flotilla activists as a means of preventing Israeli forces from gaining access to the phones.
The family watched the events unfold on a livestream before it was cut off by a soldier, and that’s the last they’ve seen of Joshua since. Linda has been contacting TDs and Government departments almost constantly since the boarding, and she’s calling on the Irish Government to act to ensure her son is returned safely to her.
Linda said: We’re pretty stressed now; we’re just trying to contact the Irish government to go and act and get all the Irish, including Joshua and all the people who were taken. I was baffled on the 29th of April when Israelis were allowed to board the boats, take people, and lock them up in their boats,” she told Cork’s 96FM Opinion Line with PJ Coogan.
“I’m from Crosshaven. What I compare that to is we went out on a boat, and somebody just came along and took us and put us on their ship and locked us up and beat us and whatever else they did to the poor people that were taken. I can’t see how that’s in any way right.”
Linda says she’s contacted the Taoiseach about Joshua’s detainment and said she was disappointed with the response she received.
She continued: “I emailed Micheál Martin after the first interception on the 29th of April, when Joshua was safe, and I didn’t hear a response. I got a response last week with an email saying, oh yeah, this is part of the [Department of Foreign Affairs]. They take care of this. We’re forwarding your email to them.
“Now, I get it. He’s a Taoiseach, and he’s busy – but our votes got him there. So I do think that he has a responsibility to the people living within his constituency. I have no doubt about that, and nobody will change my mind.”
Linda commended the responses from other politicians, including Cllr Jack White, Pádraig Rice TD, and Thomas Gould TD, all of whom have been in direct contact with the family. The Crosshaven woman also gave credit to the Department of Foreign Affairs, which assured her that it has a plan in place to address the situation.
No official record of Joshua’s detention has been provided to the Irish Government, and the family is currently in the dark as to his whereabouts.
Linda described her son’s actions as courageous and said she hopes, for Joshua’s sake, that at least one ship gets through the Israeli blockade, however unlikely that may be. Linda said she’d be on the first plane over there if she thought that would help, but for now, the family are trying to raise awareness about the situation and pressuring the Government to take action.
“We’re just trying to raise awareness and trying to contact as many people as possible. And, like, Joshua isn’t any kind of airy, fairy, hippie or anything like that. He’s a normal young guy who’s trying to make a difference. That’s it,” she said.
Much like Margaret Connolly and the rest of the activists, Joshua had prerecorded a message in the event of his capture, which has since been shared across social media.
The video shows Joshua aboard the vessel that Israelis later boarded, and he said: “My name is Joshua St. Ledger. I’m an Irish citizen from County Cork. If you’re watching this video, I have been illegally detained and kidnapped by Israeli occupation forces in international waters while attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to the shores of Gaza.
“I would ask that you call on your local government and TDs for the immediate and safe release of myself, as well as the other volunteers who have been kidnapped. I would ask that you call for an end to Ireland’s complicity in this genocide and the use of Shannon Airport to enable this. I would ask that you also keep your eyes on Gaza and remember those 9,000 Palestinian hostages currently being held without jury and without trial by the Israeli forces.
“Free Palestine and free Gaza”
