The port of Rhodes, Greece, witnessed a striking scene on Monday as the Crown Iris cruise ship arrived carrying approximately 660 Israeli tourists.
On one hand, local authorities and organizations gave the visitors a warm welcome. Representatives—including Rhodes Mayor Alexandros Koliadis, Deputy Regional Governor Apostolos Asprakis, and members of the island’s tourism and business sectors—greeted them with traditional sweets and treats.
This symbolic gesture, as reported by rodiaki.gr, was met with enthusiasm from the Israeli tourists, who posted videos on social media of themselves happily singing and unfurling a large Israeli flag at the port.
However, just outside the port, a very different scene unfolded. Dozens of demonstrators held a protest rally condemning Israel’s military policy in the Gaza Strip. The demonstration resulted in 15 detentions, with 8 individuals ultimately placed under arrest.
The charges against those arrested include, on a case-by-case basis, violence against public employees and violations of the country’s anti-racism law.
Authorities had anticipated the protest, which had been announced online, and consequently implemented heightened security measures. Riot police and port police security forces were deployed both inside and outside the port to prevent any potential conflicts with the tourists.
Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis had previously emphasized the enforcement of the anti-racism law, stating that individuals attempting to obstruct the entry of foreign nationals into Greece would be prosecuted, following a similar incident on Syros.
Last week, several hundred pro-Palestinian protesters on the Greek island of Syros successfully prevented approximately 1,600 Israeli tourists from disembarking from the same cruise ship at the port of Ermoupolis. The Greek government condemned the incident.
Israeli tourists targeted in Greece: Antisemitism or anti-Zionism?
The recent protests in Greece have sparked debate. Critics argue that when protests specifically target individuals simply because they are Israeli, rather than focusing on the policies of the Israeli government, they risk crossing the line into collective punishment or discrimination. Such actions can veer into antisemitism when they attribute the actions of the state to all people of that nationality or, in the particular case, of Jewish heritage.
Protesters maintain that their opposition is directed at the policies of the Israeli government, particularly its military actions in Gaza, and not at Jewish people as a whole. They argue that criticizing the actions of a state is a legitimate form of political expression, distinct from hatred toward any people or religion.
Demonstrators also say they are motivated by a desire to show solidarity with Palestinians and condemn human rights abuses and occupation. Some view the presence of Israeli tourists as a symbol of normalization or support for what they call “genocide” in Palestine.
“The Greeks are a hospitable people”
Last week, the general secretary of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece—Victor Eliezer—called on Israelis to “Come to Greece and ignore the extreme cries of hatred and fanaticism.”
Eliezer told the Jerusalem Post that Jews are welcome in Greece. He said that “even religious Jews can move freely on the streets of Athens, and to date we have not received a complaint of an attack against any religious Jew.” The exception to this was an attempted attack on the Chabad kosher restaurant in Athens a few months ago, when two Pakistanis were arrested.
He did note, however, that there are groups—“mainly from the extreme Left”—who “demonstrate against Israel and Zionists, accuse the Israelis of genocide in Gaza, write anti-Israeli slogans, put up posters against the presence of Israelis in Greece and recently attacked two businesses of Israeli citizens and did not allow the disembarkation of Israelis on the island of Syros.”
According to Eliezer, however, these groups represent only a small minority. “The Greeks are a hospitable people, and I believe these extreme acts do not, in any way, represent my fellow citizens,” he told the Jerusalem Post.
Related: Jewish Community Warns of Rising Antisemitism in Greece Amidst Middle East Conflict
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