Israeli cruise ship turned away from Greek island by Gaza war protest
Around 1,600 Israeli passengers on board the Crown Iris were prevented from disembarking amid safety concerns when more than 300 demonstrators on the Cycladic isle made clear they were unwelcome over Israel's conduct of the war and treatment of Palestinians in Gaza. A large banner emblazoned with the words Stop the Genocide was held aloft alongside Palestinian flags.
A statement from the protesters also took issue with Greece's increasingly close 'economic, technological and military' relationship with Israel. 'As residents of Syros but more so as human beings, we are taking action that we hope will contribute to stopping this destruction from the genocidal war that is taking place in our neighbourhood,' it said.
Some passengers on the vessel reacted by raising Israeli flags and chanting patriotic slogans, eyewitnesses said.
Confirming the incident, Mano Maritime, the Israeli shipping firm operating the vessel, said: 'The ship arrived at Syros, encountered a demonstration by pro-Palestinian supporters, and passengers were stuck on board without permission to disembark.'
Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, contacted his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis, over the incident, the Greek foreign ministry confirmed. It did not release any details of their discussion.
In recent years, Greece has become popular among Israeli tourists, reflecting the increasingly close ties between the two Mediterranean nations.
Although the protest concluded without injuries nor arrests, the episode highlighted mounting disquiet in Greece over Israel's actions in Gaza. Anti-Israeli graffiti have proliferated across the country, as has signage in support of Palestinians.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Protester arrested over ‘Plasticine Action' T-shirt
A protester has claimed he was arrested for wearing a 'Plasticine Action' T-shirt. Miles Pickering, an engineer from Brighton, was one of 532 people arrested at a demonstration in Parliament Square, central London, on Aug 9. He had been arrested under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which makes it an offence to wear anything supporting a proscribed organisation. Mr Pickering was not wearing clothing supporting Palestine Action, but a T-shirt declaring opposition to 'AI-generated animation' complete with the stop-motion character Morph giving the thumbs up from inside the letter 'O'. Palestine Action was proscribed by the Government in July after admitting that activists broke into RAF Brize Norton. Membership and support of a proscribed group can carry sentences of up to 14 years in prison. The protester later told The Guardian that an officer had glanced at his top and told him 'right, you're nicked' before taking him to Scotland Yard. He said a throng of cheering supporters had gathered by two gazebos where police were processing those arrested. 'They were taking photos of me, and everyone was laughing at how silly it was that I was getting arrested for being a plasticine terrorist,' he said. The engineer claimed a senior officer had enquired about arresting him under section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which could have brought a more charge of supporting a proscribed group. But the arresting officer is said to have intervened after noticing the exact wording of the shirt. 'He said: 'I've got good news and I've got bad news.' I said: 'What's the good news?' He said: 'I'm de-arresting you.' 'And I said: 'What's the bad news?' He said: 'It's going to be really embarrassing for me.' And then I walked free, while all the real heroes are the people that are actually getting arrested. Mr Pickering has now started selling the T-shirts to raise money for the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians, and hopes to see a number of people wearing them at the next organised protest against the ban on Palestine Action on Sept 6. 'There's people getting on this one, because it kind of works, doesn't it?' he said, adding: 'If 1,000 people wander around the Palestinian march wearing a T-shirt that says Plasticine Action with a picture of Morph, what are they going to do?' More than 700 people have since been arrested for supporting Palestine Action. The Met Police said more than 100 people hauled away by police on Aug 9 were over 70, with the average age of those arrested being 54. Officers arrested 263 men, 261 women and eight people who either defined themselves as non-binary or did not disclose their gender. Those arrested included Moazzam Begg, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee who was once accused of being a member of al-Qaeda. In June, Joe Farley was arrested at a silent demonstration in Leeds for holding a sign that displayed a joke from Private Eye. Ian Hislop, the satirical magazine's editor, described the 67-year-old's arrest as 'mind-boggling'. Last month, Sir Keir Starmer announced that the UK would recognise Palestinian statehood unless Israel agreed to a lasting ceasefire, granted entry to hundreds of aid trucks and signed up to a two-state solution.
Sky News
4 hours ago
- Sky News
Sixty more people to be prosecuted for 'showing support' for proscribed Palestine Action, Met Police says
A further 60 people will be prosecuted for "showing support for the proscribed terrorist group Palestine Action", the Metropolitan Police has said. This follows the arrest of more than 700 people since the group was proscribed on 7 July, including 522 in central London during a protest last Saturday. Stephen Parkinson, director of public prosecutions, said: "The decisions that we have announced today are the first significant numbers to come out of the recent protests, and many more can be expected in the next few weeks. "We are ready to make swift decisions in all cases where arrests have been made." The Metropolitan Police said it has been working closely with Counter Terrorism Policing, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and the Attorney General's Office "to process the case files, with more prosecutions expected in the coming weeks". Palestine Action was proscribed in July after the group claimed responsibility for damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton and was also linked to "allegations of a serious assault on staff and police officers at a business premises in South Gloucestershire," Met Police said. "Proscription of Palestine Action made membership or support of it a criminal offence," the force said. Last week, the Met confirmed the first three charges in England and Wales under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, linked to Palestine Action, following the arrests of three individuals at a protest in Parliament Square on 5 July. Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said: "I am proud of how our police and CPS teams have worked so speedily together to overcome misguided attempts to overwhelm the justice system. "If necessary, we are able to investigate and quickly charge significant numbers of people each week if people want the potentially life-changing consequences of a terrorist conviction. "At the same time, we will continue to police the numerous protests each week where people express their views in support of Palestine without choosing to break counter-terrorism laws by supporting proscribed terror groups." The Met said the consequences for those charged under the Terrorism Act include a maximum sentence of six months' imprisonment. If a person is a member of a professional body, they may face disciplinary proceedings and potentially lose their job. Their future job applications could also be affected, as employers may see their records. Additionally, they might be denied admission to university courses and entry to several countries, including the US, Australia, and Japan, the Met said.
Sky News
4 hours ago
- Sky News
More than 500 people arrested after Palestine Action protest - with almost half aged 60 and above
The number of people arrested after a protest in London on Saturday supporting banned group Palestine Action has risen to 532, police have said. Around half of them (259) were aged 60 and above - including almost 100 people who were in their 70s. Some 522 arrests were for displaying a placard in support of a proscribed organisation contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, according to the Metropolitan Police. War in Gaza latest As of 9pm on Saturday, the number was put at 466. Hundreds of people attended the demonstration in Parliament Square, organised by Defend Our Juries, with the Metropolitan Police warning it would arrest anyone expressing backing for Palestine Action. Membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act. In a post on X shortly after 6.45pm on Sunday, Defend Our Juries said every person arrested in the square had been released from police custody, and that none had been charged. One of the arrests took place as the Palestine Coalition march formed in Russell Square, while 521 were at the protest. Of those arrested, the biggest number (147) was in the 60-69 age group, while 97 people were aged between 70 and 79, and 15 others were between 80-89. Six were aged 17-19, sixty-five were in the 20-29 age group, 55 were aged 30-39, 45 were aged 40-49 and 89 were in the 50-59 age group. The average age of those arrested was 54, while some 263 of those arrested were male, 261 were female and eight either defined themselves as non-binary or did not disclose their gender. Among the arrests, six were for assaults on officers (none were seriously injured), one was for "obstructing a constable in the execution of his/her duty", two were for breaching Section 14 Public Order Act conditions, and one was for a racially aggravated public order offence. Anyone who was arrested as part of the operation was taken to one of two prisoner processing points in the Westminster area. Those whose details could be confirmed were released on bail to appear at a police station at a future date. They were given conditions not to attend future demonstrations related to Palestine Action. Those who refused to provide their details at the prisoner processing points and those who were found to have been arrested while already on bail, were taken to one of a number of Met Police custody suites. Charity Amnesty International described the mass arrests under UK terrorism law as "deeply concerning". The crowd, sat on the grass inside Parliament Square, could be seen writing "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action" on white placards at 1pm, with the vast majority remaining silent. Meanwhile on Sunday, hundreds of people joined a march on Downing Street to urge the release of those being held in Gaza by Palestinian militant group Hamas. A scuffle broke out after at least two men shouted "Free Palestine" in front of the march. One man was seen being bundled to the ground close to Trafalgar Square after being surrounded by around a dozen people.
