The "illegal" immigrant ship Exodus 1947 (Yitziat Europa 5707), reaches the shores of Israel with 4,500 souls on board. After a fierce struggle, during which unarmed immigrants use weapons such as tin cans and sticks to prevent the British from boarding, the ship is towed to Haifa port and the refugees sent back to Europe. This results in demonstrations and protests all over the Jewish world. The refugees refuse to disembark in France and demand to return to Palestine. (Mordecai Naor, Zionism. The First 120 Years. Timeline, Articles, Documents and Glossary. The Jewish Agency for Israel, The Zionist Library, 2002, p.135-136).
The Central Zionist Archives house tens of photographs of the ship and the refugees that were returned to Europe, as well as files that include correspondence regarding illegal immigration.