A cruise liner carrying Israeli tourists has been forced to reroute to Cyprus after being turned away from the Greek island of Syros after a quayside protest over the Gaza war.
Around 1,600 Israeli passengers on board the Crown Iris were prevented from disembarking amid safety concerns. More than 300 demonstrators on the Cycladic isle made clear they were unwelcome over Israel’s conduct of the war and treatment of Palestinians in Gaza.
A large banner emblazoned with the words “Stop the Genocide” was held aloft alongside Palestinian flags.
A statement from the protesters also took issue with Greece’s increasingly close “economic, technological and military” relationship with Israel. “As residents of Syros but more so as human beings, we are taking action that we hope will contribute to stopping this destruction from the genocidal war that is taking place in our neighbourhood,” it said.
Some passengers on the vessel reacted by raising Israeli flags and chanting patriotic slogans, eyewitnesses said.
Confirming the incident, Mano Maritime, the Israeli shipping firm operating the vessel, said: “The ship arrived at Syros, encountered a demonstration by pro-Palestinian supporters, and passengers were stuck on board without permission to disembark.”
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, contacted his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis, over the incident, the Greek foreign ministry confirmed. It did not release any details of their discussion.
During the delay at the port, passengers told Israel’s Channel 12 news that they had been told by onboard security to remain indoors, rather than to go out onto the deck.
One Israeli passenger told Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, however, that when one of the passengers saw the protest, “we raised Israeli flags and some of us started singing”.
“We felt safe inside the ship, but the children are a little stressed,” the passenger said.
In recent years, Greece has become popular among Israeli tourists, reflecting the increasingly close ties between the two Mediterranean nations. An estimated 621,000 visited the Hellenic Republic in 2024 alone.
Although the protest concluded without injuries nor arrests, the episode highlighted mounting disquiet in Greece over Israel’s actions in Gaza. Anti-Israeli graffiti have proliferated across the country, as has signage in support of Palestinians.
Israel’s national security council’s current guidelines for travel to Greece put the country’s threat level at two, of a possible four, meaning Israelis and Jews are advised to take “increased precautionary measures” there.
- The Guardian and agencies
