A growing number of demonstrations targeting Israeli tourists are taking place across Greece, fueled by growing anger over the situation in Gaza; the protests are disturbingly anti-semitic, Politico reports.
Protesters clashed with police in Crete on the 29th of July after locals prevented about 1,500 Israeli tourists from disembarking a cruise ship. Greek authorities have said the renewed demonstrations have crossed the line from anti-war protests to attacks on Israelis. The protests are also reported to be racist and anti-Semitic.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa`ar has spoken to his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis, about the latest incident, and Athens has vowed to take a tougher stance and use laws against racist acts to stop the protests.
Greece’s Public Order Minister said last week that anyone who tries to prevent a third-country national from legally entering Greece will be arrested and prosecuted under anti-racism laws.
While waiting for a cruise ship carrying Israeli tourists to dock, protesters unfurled a large Palestinian flag and chanted “Free Palestine!”
According to local media, clashes broke out between police and protesters, with police using pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Four protesters were arrested.
This is the third incident in a week. On the 28th of July, a demonstration, after which 13 people were arrested, took place on the island of Rhodes, when a cruise ship with 600 Israelis docked there.
On the 22nd of July, tourists from Israel did not disembark at the port of Syras after being met there by protesters. Israeli Ambassador Noam Katz wrote on X that he wanted to thank everyone who stood up against the intimidation of tourists at the port of Syras. He noted that Israelis regularly choose Greece as a travel destination, and travel frequently, spend generously, strengthen local tourism and ties between the countries, which is a benefit for both Greece and Israel.
Compared to other European countries,
Greece has generally seen fewer protests in support of Palestine.
According to a QED poll conducted in June, about 55% of Greeks believe that the country should remain neutral, 34% are against Israel, and 11% expressed full support for Israel. However, protests have become more frequent in recent weeks.
On the 16th of July, dock workers and protesters in Piraeus tried to stop the unloading of steel destined for the Israeli army. The workers’ union said it would not allow the port to be used for military purposes.
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