The arrival of the Israeli cruise ship Crown Iris at several Greek islands has sparked a wave of scattered protests organized by activists and Greek citizens expressing their opposition to the ongoing Israeli offensive on Gaza. The ship, owned by Israeli company Mano Maritime, was carrying hundreds of tourists on a Mediterranean cruise that included multiple Greek ports.
The events began on July 22, when the ship attempted to dock at the island of Syros. Around 150 protesters gathered at the port, waving Palestinian flags and chanting anti-Israel slogans, forcing the ship to depart without allowing passengers to disembark. On July 28, Crown Iris reached the island of Rhodes under tight security. Riot police were deployed to contain similar protests. Despite the tension, tourists were eventually allowed to disembark after police secured the area.
In Crete, on July 29, dozens of protesters gathered at the port of Agios Nikolaos, holding banners that read "Free Palestine" and "Stop Israeli Apartheid." Police intervened using pepper spray to disperse the crowd, and four protesters were arrested following brief clashes.
These actions are part of a broader wave of solidarity that has swept across Greece in recent months, amid the rising civilian death toll in Gaza and ongoing Israeli military operations. Demonstrators denounced what they described as “tourism normalization” with Israel, arguing that hosting Israeli vessels in Greek ports ignores the suffering of Palestinians. The Greek government affirmed its commitment to freedom of navigation and the rights of tourists, while also stressing the importance of upholding the right to peaceful protest within legal boundaries.
So far, there has been no official response from Israel regarding the protests, and the Greek government has not announced any change in its policy toward Israeli ships. However, observers warn that the continued occurrence of such incidents could lead to future diplomatic tensions and may impact bilateral relations and regional tourism.
Sources: AP News, The Guardian, DW, JNS, The Washington Post
