Three Greek pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel groups are planning a “Day of Action” on Sunday against Israeli tourists, vowing that the country will not become a “refuge” for “genocidal people.”
The effort by the groups, first announced last week, comes on the heels of a string of anti-Israel incidents in Greece, a popular nearby tourist destination for Israelis. Near-identical Instagram posts in Greek by the three groups — March to Gaza Greece, Palestinian community in Greece and BDS Greece — celebrated some of those incidents and called for protests at “on islands and tourist destinations.”
“Let’s turn the islands, beaches, alleys, mountaintops, and shelters into places of solidarity — not relaxation for the murderous IDF soldiers,” the announcement said. “The organized effort to make Greece a ‘refuge’ for those who participate in or support the massacre in Palestine will not pass!”
The announcement added, “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 posts don’t specify exactly what form the “Day of Action” will take, but appear to be geared toward protest activities. On Tuesday, March to Gaza urged in a post that people should “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.”
On the island of Zakynthos, a group has called for an evening “protest rally and march against the genocide and starvation of the Palestinian people.” The post also draws parallels between the Holocaust and the war in Gaza, and condemns Israelis who have invested in the island’s real estate.
Zakynthos is known for having sheltered the island’s Jewish community during the Holocaust.
“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 post said.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag during a demonstration against the war in the Gaza Strip outside Greece’s Parliament in central Athens, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (AP/Petros Giannakouris)
As part of the “Day of Action,” March to Gaza is calling for Greece to adopt an arms embargo against Israel and to end all military cooperation between the countries. It is also calling 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,” the post 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.
The Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the “Day of Action.”
It follows 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 the Greek government condemned. Multiple Israelis have said they were attacked after speaking Hebrew in public places.
Tourists walk on the beach in front of hotels on the Aegean island of Rhodes on August 29, 2020. (Louisa GOULIAMAKI / AFP)
In an interview published on Sunday, 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.”
Israel Hayom reported Tuesday that an Israeli embassy employee was evacuated from his home in Athens, though the Israeli daily added that the context for the evacuation was unclear.
Kathimerini reported on Wednesday that the embassy called reports of an evacuation due to anti-Israel protests “false and unfounded.”
AFP contributed to this report.
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