
Riot police scuffle with demonstrators on Greek island during visit by Israeli cruise ship
Television footage showed a small number of protesters chanting 'Freedom for Palestine' near the port, with riot police pushing them back and minor scuffles breaking out. The cruise ship passengers disembarked in Rhodes without incident, Greek media said.
Anti-war activists had called for demonstrations on the island during a scheduled stop by the Israeli cruise ship, the Crown Iris, which was reportedly carrying more than 600 tourists. But representatives of local businesses on the island had opposed the protest.
Last week, the Crown Iris left another Greek island, Syros, early without its passengers disembarking after more than 150 protesters demonstrated at that island's port. The demonstrators unfurled Palestinian flags and called for an end to the war in Gaza. There were no reports of any violence in Syros.
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar contacted his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis, over the Syros incident.
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The Hill
28 minutes ago
- The Hill
Anti-war demonstrators protest the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on the Greek island of Crete
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza protested the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on another Greek island Tuesday – the third such protest on Greek islands in the last week. Protesters on the southern Greek island of Crete unfurled a huge Palestinian flag at the port of Agios Nikolaos and shouted 'Free, free Palestine' as the tourists on board the Crown Iris disembarked and left on buses for their tours of the island, according to images shown on local media outlets. Riot police kept the crowd away from the pier where the cruise ship was docked, while scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police. Local media reported that officers used pepper spray at one point to keep the crowd back. Four people were detained, local media said. Video showed police leading one man away, his arms cuffed behind his back, as he shouted 'Free, free Palestine.' Similar scenes unfolded the previous day when the Crown Iris docked in a port on the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, where clashes broke out between riot police and demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza. There also, the cruise ship's passengers disembarked for tours of the island, and no violence was reported. Anti-war protesters on Greece's Cycladic island of Syros were the first to hold a demonstration against the docking of the Crown Iris, on July 22. The crowd of about 150 people chanted slogans and carried banners that read 'Stop the Genocide' and 'No a/c in hell' — a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip. On that occasion, the ship's roughly 1,700 passengers didn't disembark and the ship left the island earlier than planned, with the company operating the trip, Israel's Mano Cruise, saying it had 'decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination.' Last week's incident had triggered a phone call by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Greek counterpart George Gerapetritis. Greece is a popular tourist destination for Israelis on package tours and traveling independently, particularly in the summer months, and there are several flights per day between Tel Aviv and Athens, as well as from Israeli airports directly to Greek islands.


San Francisco Chronicle
28 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Anti-war demonstrators protest the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on the Greek island of Crete
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza protested the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on another Greek island Tuesday – the third such protest on Greek islands in the last week. Protesters on the southern Greek island of Crete unfurled a huge Palestinian flag at the port of Agios Nikolaos and shouted 'Free, free Palestine' as the tourists on board the Crown Iris disembarked and left on buses for their tours of the island, according to images shown on local media outlets. Riot police kept the crowd away from the pier where the cruise ship was docked, while scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police. Local media reported that officers used pepper spray at one point to keep the crowd back. Four people were detained, local media said. Video showed police leading one man away, his arms cuffed behind his back, as he shouted 'Free, free Palestine.' Similar scenes unfolded the previous day when the Crown Iris docked in a port on the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, where clashes broke out between riot police and demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza. There also, the cruise ship's passengers disembarked for tours of the island, and no violence was reported. Anti-war protesters on Greece's Cycladic island of Syros were the first to hold a demonstration against the docking of the Crown Iris, on July 22. The crowd of about 150 people chanted slogans and carried banners that read 'Stop the Genocide' and 'No a/c in hell' — a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip. On that occasion, the ship's roughly 1,700 passengers didn't disembark and the ship left the island earlier than planned, with the company operating the trip, Israel's Mano Cruise, saying it had 'decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination.' Last week's incident had triggered a phone call by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Greek counterpart George Gerapetritis. Greece is a popular tourist destination for Israelis on package tours and traveling independently, particularly in the summer months, and there are several flights per day between Tel Aviv and Athens, as well as from Israeli airports directly to Greek islands.

Associated Press
29 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Anti-war demonstrators protest the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on the Greek island of Crete
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza protested the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on another Greek island Tuesday – the third such protest on Greek islands in the last week. Protesters on the southern Greek island of Crete unfurled a huge Palestinian flag at the port of Agios Nikolaos and shouted 'Free, free Palestine' as the tourists on board the Crown Iris disembarked and left on buses for their tours of the island, according to images shown on local media outlets. Riot police kept the crowd away from the pier where the cruise ship was docked, while scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police. Local media reported that officers used pepper spray at one point to keep the crowd back. Four people were detained, local media said. Video showed police leading one man away, his arms cuffed behind his back, as he shouted 'Free, free Palestine.' Similar scenes unfolded the previous day when the Crown Iris docked in a port on the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, where clashes broke out between riot police and demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza. There also, the cruise ship's passengers disembarked for tours of the island, and no violence was reported. Anti-war protesters on Greece's Cycladic island of Syros were the first to hold a demonstration against the docking of the Crown Iris, on July 22. The crowd of about 150 people chanted slogans and carried banners that read 'Stop the Genocide' and 'No a/c in hell' — a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip. On that occasion, the ship's roughly 1,700 passengers didn't disembark and the ship left the island earlier than planned, with the company operating the trip, Israel's Mano Cruise, saying it had 'decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination.' Last week's incident had triggered a phone call by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Greek counterpart George Gerapetritis. Greece is a popular tourist destination for Israelis on package tours and traveling independently, particularly in the summer months, and there are several flights per day between Tel Aviv and Athens, as well as from Israeli airports directly to Greek islands.