Israeli cruise ship docks at Greek island of Rhodes amid protests
Greek police arrested 13 protestors who gathered to protest ship’s arrival, sparking harsh criticism from opposition
Activists stage a protest against the arrival of Israeli tourists at Rhodes Port, Greece, on July 28, 2025. The demonstration was organized to block passengers from disembarking the "CROWN IRIS" cruise ship, which docked at the island in the afternoon amid ongoing tensions over the situation in Gaza.
ATHENS
An Israeli cruise ship, which last week was blocked by a pro-Palestine crowd from disembarking at the Greek island of Syros, on Monday docked at the island of Rhodes amid fierce protests.
At a call by a leftist faction of the Workers’ Union of Rhodes Municipality, trade unionists, leftist groups, and parties gathered around the port to protest the ship’s arrival and show their solidarity with Palestinians in the face of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Waving Palestinian flags and banners condemning the ongoing genocide in Gaza, around 150 protestors chanted “There is no peace without justice,” “Freedom in Palestine,” and “Not in Rhodes or anywhere.”
But the police were quick to intervene, and scuffles broke out. Police arrested 13 of the protestors and took them to the local station.
After a protest in front of the station, including Greek Communist Party lawmaker Maria Komninaka, all the protestors were eventually released.
On the incidents, the party said in a statement: “The government bears enormous responsibility for this practice and especially for the miserable attempt it makes to attach the stigma of ‘anti-Semitism’ to demonstrations of solidarity with the people of Palestine.”
The New Left party also said in a statement: “While Israel continues the genocide of the Palestinian people without stopping, with international reports documenting crimes against humanity, the Greek government suppresses citizens who raise their voices against hypocrisy, violence, and complicity. The Citizen Protection Ministry and personally Minister (Michalis) Chrisochoidis bear full responsibility for the political choice to treat peaceful protesters as criminals.”
