Greek anti-Israel activists plan 'Day of Action' targeting Israeli tourists over Gaza conflict

Three Greek-based anti-Israel groups have announced that they intend to launch a “Day of Action” on Sunday, targeting Israeli tourists visiting the country. The anti-Israel activists claim that they will not permit Greece to become a “refuge” for “genocidal people,” referring to Israeli military operations against the terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza.

“Let’s turn the islands, beaches, alleys, mountaintops, and shelters into places of solidarity – not relaxation for the murderous IDF soldiers,” the activists said in an official statement. “The organized effort to make Greece a ‘refuge’ for those who participate in or support the massacre in Palestine will not pass!”

“Let’s light our own fire in the heart of summer. For Palestine. For dignity. So that our place does not become a place of relaxation for genocidal people,” the statement continued.

“They are not ‘tourists’ but potential suspects for war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

On Tuesday, the group “March to Gaza” called on its supporters to “take keffiyehs, stickers and Palestinian flags with us” to “mobilize on the islands and in every tourist destination and shout loudly that we stand by Palestine until the end.”

Anti-Israel activists on the Greek island of Zakynthos called for a “protest rally and march against the genocide and starvation of the Palestinian people.”

The activists also condemned Israeli investments in the island’s real estate and compared the war in Gaza to the Holocaust of six million Jews during WWII.

“More and more areas of our islands, that is, are passing into the hands of Israelis to increase their wealth – wealth stained with the blood of thousands of Palestinians,” the group stated in a post.

Greece is a popular destination for Israeli tourists, and the current Greek government has developed close commercial and security relations with Israel. However, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiments in Greece have significantly increased since the Hamas surprise invasion and massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Last month, anti-Israel activists on the Greek island of Syros threatened Israeli tourists on board a cruise ship. A few days later, a radicalized Muslim immigrant from Syria verbally and physically attacked an Israeli couple at a beach in the Greek capital, Athens.

Athens mayor, Haris Doukas, verbally clashed on Sunday with Israeli Ambassador to Greece Noam Katz after the Israeli envoy criticized him for not cleaning up anti-Jewish and anti-Israel graffiti in the Greek capital.

"As the city's municipal authority, we have demonstrated our strong opposition to violence and racism, and we do not take lessons in democracy from those who kill civilians," Doukas stated, repeating the widespread claim that Israel deliberately targets civilians in Gaza.

Earlier this week, a Channel 12 News poll found that 56% of Israelis are concerned – some even fearful – about traveling internationally due to the growing climate of antisemitism worldwide.

Israel, along with the United States and Germany, has rejected accusations that it is committing “genocide” in Gaza, stating that no credible evidence has been presented to support the claim. In contrast, Hamas has openly declared its opposition to Israel’s existence, and its founding charter includes language calling for violence against Jews globally.