A pro-Palestinian “Day of Action” on Sunday targeting Israeli tourists in Greece appears to have passed without major incident.
The initiative, announced more than a week in advance, was organized by a coalition of Greek pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel groups that called for protests “on islands and tourist destinations.”
Greece is a popular nearby vacation spot for Israelis, and the effort came on the heels of several high-profile incidents targeting Israelis in Greece. Protest materials vowed that “The organized effort to make Greece a ‘refuge’ for those who participate in or support the massacre in Palestine will not pass!”
Ahead of Sunday, Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry posted a list of 55 planned protests and noted “the likelihood that multiple demonstrations may escalate into confrontations or acts of violence.” The Foreign Ministry had urged Israelis in Greece to avoid protests, refrain from displaying visible Israeli symbols, stay alert in crowded places and keep family updated on their location.
But there were no reports of altercations between protesters and Israelis. Social media pages connected with BDS Greece and several other local anti-Israel organizations posted photos of numerous small gatherings on different islands and cities throughout the country. Most appear to have just a handful of participants, or several dozen at most.
Protesters in the photos held signs and banners accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza — a charge Israel rejects — and featuring popular pro-Palestinian slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Some bore the Day of Action’s slogan, “Not in our land, not in our name.”
✊???????????? Σήμερα η Ελλάδα είναι ένας απέραντος χάρτης αλληλεγγύης | Από τα σοκάκια της Σαντορίνης μέχρι τις πλατείες της…
Posted by March to Gaza Greece on Sunday, August 10, 2025
A protest in Athens, the Greek capital, appeared to be somewhat larger, with hundreds gathered in a public square holding Palestinian flags and anti-Israel signs. One post by organizers claimed “hundreds of thousands” participated in the protests overall.
As part of the “Day of Action,” one of the organizing groups, March to Gaza, called for Greece to adopt an arms embargo against Israel and to end all military cooperation between the countries. It also called on Greece not to allow entry to the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who, it claims, have participated in the war, nor to West Bank settlers.
“They are not ‘tourists’ but potential suspects for war crimes and crimes against humanity,” a post by the group said. Current and former IDF soldiers have faced calls for arrest, and even police questioning, over alleged crimes in Gaza in countries across the world, in part after pro-Palestinian organizations identified them and notified local law enforcement.
✊???????????? Σήμερα η Ελλάδα είναι ένας απέραντος χάρτης αλληλεγγύης | Από τα σοκάκια της Σαντορίνης μέχρι τις πλατείες της…
Posted by March to Gaza Greece on Sunday, August 10, 2025
The Day of Action followed a string of anti-Israel protests and altercations in Greece. Israeli cruise ships have met crowds of protesters, who in one case prevented a ship from docking in an incident that the Greek government condemned. Multiple Israelis have said they were attacked after speaking Hebrew in public places.
In an interview published a week ahead of the protests, Ambassador Noam Katz told Kathimerini, a Greek daily publication, that Israeli tourists felt “uncomfortable” in Athens because Mayor Haris Doukas was not acting against “organized minorities” who put up antisemitic graffiti.
Doukas responded within hours on X, writing, “We have proved our strong opposition to violence and racism and we do not take lessons in democracy from those who kill civilians.”