Latest news with #GeorgeGerapetritis
Asharq Al-Awsat
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Anti-war Demonstrators Protest the Arrival of an Israeli Cruise Ship on the Greek Island of Crete
Demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza protested the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on another Greek island Tuesday – the third such protest on Greek islands in the last week. Protesters on the southern Greek island of Crete unfurled a huge Palestinian flag at the port of Agios Nikolaos and shouted 'Free, free Palestine' as the tourists on board the Crown Iris disembarked and left on buses for their tours of the island, according to images shown on local media outlets. Riot police kept the crowd away from the pier where the cruise ship was docked, while scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police. Local media reported that officers used pepper spray at one point to keep the crowd back. Four people were detained, local media said. Video showed police leading one man away, his arms cuffed behind his back, as he shouted 'Free, free Palestine.' Similar scenes unfolded the previous day when the Crown Iris docked in a port on the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, where clashes broke out between riot police and demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza. There also, the cruise ship's passengers disembarked for tours of the island, and no violence was reported. Anti-war protesters on Greece's Cycladic island of Syros were the first to hold a demonstration against the docking of the Crown Iris, on July 22. The crowd of about 150 people chanted slogans and carried banners that read 'Stop the Genocide' and 'No a/c in hell' — a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip. On that occasion, the ship's roughly 1,700 passengers didn't disembark and the ship left the island earlier than planned, with the company operating the trip, Israel's Mano Cruise, saying it had 'decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination.' Last week's incident had triggered a phone call by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Greek counterpart George Gerapetritis. Greece is a popular tourist destination for Israelis on package tours and traveling independently, particularly in the summer months, and there are several flights per day between Tel Aviv and Athens, as well as from Israeli airports directly to Greek islands.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Israeli cruise passengers are greeted by furious pro-Palestine activists in Crete with riot cops pepper spraying crowds after Med voyage blighted by protests
Crowds of furious pro-Palestine activists calling for an end to the war in Gaza demonstrated against the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on another Greek island on Tuesday - the third such protest on Greek islands in the last week. Protesters on the southern Greek island of Crete unfurled a huge Palestinian flag at the port of Agios Nikolaos and shouted 'Free, free Palestine' as the tourists on board the Crown Iris disembarked and left on buses for their tours of the island. Activists from the sizeable protest, some garbed in keffiyehs, carried posters and placards, accusing Israel of committing genocide and 'deliberately starving Palestinians'. The demonstrators clashed with police squads, armed with riot shields and helmets, who were deployed at the pier where the cruise ship was docked and tried to push back the chanting masses. Officers even used pepper spray at one point to keep the protest in control as scuffles broke out between activists and the police, reported local media. Four people were detained, local media said. Video showed police leading one man away, his arms cuffed behind his back, as he shouted: 'Free, free Palestine.' In another video, a man is led away forcefully by two officers gripping his elbows as a woman watches on disapprovingly, saying: 'I thought it was freedom of speech.' Similar scenes unfolded the previous day when the Crown Iris docked in a port on the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, where clashes broke out between riot police and demonstrators condemning Israel's military conduct in Gaza. A number of activists were arrested at the rally and groups of officers were photographed restraining others. There also, the cruise ship's passengers disembarked for tours of the island, and no violence was reported. 'The riot police started pushing us and chasing us away from the area,' one pro-Palestinian organiser said in a statement after the demonstration. 'We crossed the old city and went to the other side of the port, where there was again a heavy police presence.' Anti-war protesters on Greece 's Cycladic island of Syros were the first to hold a demonstration against the docking of the Crown Iris, on July 22. The crowd of about 150 people chanted slogans and carried banners that read 'Stop the Genocide' and 'No a/c in hell' - a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip. On that occasion, the ship's roughly 1,700 passengers didn't disembark and the ship left the island earlier than planned, with the company operating the trip, Israel's Mano Cruise, saying it had 'decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination'. Strong security measures had been deployed on Rhodes by Greek authorities in a bid to prevent a repeat of Syros, where the tourists - including 300 to 400 children - were forced away. Last week's incident had triggered a phone call by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Greek counterpart George Gerapetritis. Greece is a popular tourist destination for Israelis on package tours and traveling independently, particularly in the summer months. There are several flights per day between Tel Aviv and Athens, as well as from Israeli airports directly to Greek islands. Following the unrest in Soros and Rhodes, the police were on high alert when the Israeli tourists arrived at Agios Nikolaos in Crete, with one of the banners greeting tourists reading: 'Zionism = Fascism.'
Euronews
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Pro-Palestine group protests arrival of Israeli cruise ship on Crete
Demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza protested against the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on another Greek island on Tuesday, the third such rally in Greece in the last week. Protesters on the southern island of Crete unfurled a huge Palestinian flag at the port of Agios Nikolaos and shouted "Free, free Palestine" as the tourists on board the Crown Iris disembarked and left on buses for their tours of the island, according to images shown on local media outlets. Riot police kept the crowd away from the pier where the cruise ship was docked, while scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police. Local media reported that officers used pepper spray at one point to keep the crowd back. Four people were detained, local media said. Video showed police leading one man away, his arms cuffed behind his back. Similar scenes unfolded the previous day when the Crown Iris docked in a port on the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, where clashes broke out between riot police and demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza. There also, the cruise ship's passengers disembarked for tours of the island and no violence was reported. Anti-war protesters on Greece's island of Syros were the first to hold a demonstration against the docking of the Crown Iris on 22 July. The crowd of about 150 people chanted slogans and carried banners that read "Stop the Genocide" and "No a/c in hell," a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in Gaza. On that occasion, the ship's roughly 1,700 passengers didn't disembark and the ship left the island earlier than planned, with the company operating the trip, Israel's Mano Cruise, saying it had "decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination." Last week's incident had triggered a phone call by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar to his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis. Greece is a popular tourist destination for Israelis on package tours and traveling independently, particularly in the summer months, and there are several flights per day between Tel Aviv and Athens, as well as from Israeli airports directly to Greek islands.
The Hill
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Anti-war demonstrators protest the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on the Greek island of Crete
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza protested the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on another Greek island Tuesday – the third such protest on Greek islands in the last week. Protesters on the southern Greek island of Crete unfurled a huge Palestinian flag at the port of Agios Nikolaos and shouted 'Free, free Palestine' as the tourists on board the Crown Iris disembarked and left on buses for their tours of the island, according to images shown on local media outlets. Riot police kept the crowd away from the pier where the cruise ship was docked, while scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police. Local media reported that officers used pepper spray at one point to keep the crowd back. Four people were detained, local media said. Video showed police leading one man away, his arms cuffed behind his back, as he shouted 'Free, free Palestine.' Similar scenes unfolded the previous day when the Crown Iris docked in a port on the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, where clashes broke out between riot police and demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza. There also, the cruise ship's passengers disembarked for tours of the island, and no violence was reported. Anti-war protesters on Greece's Cycladic island of Syros were the first to hold a demonstration against the docking of the Crown Iris, on July 22. The crowd of about 150 people chanted slogans and carried banners that read 'Stop the Genocide' and 'No a/c in hell' — a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip. On that occasion, the ship's roughly 1,700 passengers didn't disembark and the ship left the island earlier than planned, with the company operating the trip, Israel's Mano Cruise, saying it had 'decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination.' Last week's incident had triggered a phone call by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Greek counterpart George Gerapetritis. Greece is a popular tourist destination for Israelis on package tours and traveling independently, particularly in the summer months, and there are several flights per day between Tel Aviv and Athens, as well as from Israeli airports directly to Greek islands.
San Francisco Chronicle
19 hours ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Anti-war demonstrators protest the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on the Greek island of Crete
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza protested the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on another Greek island Tuesday – the third such protest on Greek islands in the last week. Protesters on the southern Greek island of Crete unfurled a huge Palestinian flag at the port of Agios Nikolaos and shouted 'Free, free Palestine' as the tourists on board the Crown Iris disembarked and left on buses for their tours of the island, according to images shown on local media outlets. Riot police kept the crowd away from the pier where the cruise ship was docked, while scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police. Local media reported that officers used pepper spray at one point to keep the crowd back. Four people were detained, local media said. Video showed police leading one man away, his arms cuffed behind his back, as he shouted 'Free, free Palestine.' Similar scenes unfolded the previous day when the Crown Iris docked in a port on the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, where clashes broke out between riot police and demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza. There also, the cruise ship's passengers disembarked for tours of the island, and no violence was reported. Anti-war protesters on Greece's Cycladic island of Syros were the first to hold a demonstration against the docking of the Crown Iris, on July 22. The crowd of about 150 people chanted slogans and carried banners that read 'Stop the Genocide' and 'No a/c in hell' — a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip. On that occasion, the ship's roughly 1,700 passengers didn't disembark and the ship left the island earlier than planned, with the company operating the trip, Israel's Mano Cruise, saying it had 'decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination.' Last week's incident had triggered a phone call by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Greek counterpart George Gerapetritis. Greece is a popular tourist destination for Israelis on package tours and traveling independently, particularly in the summer months, and there are several flights per day between Tel Aviv and Athens, as well as from Israeli airports directly to Greek islands.
