Scuffles broke out between riot police and demonstrators on the Greek island of Rhodes on Monday during a protest against the war in Gaza, while an Israeli cruise ship was docked at the island, local media reported.
Television footage showed a small number of protesters chanting, “Freedom for Palestine,” and “You are not welcome on this island!” near the port, with riot police pushing them back and minor scuffles breaking out.
Anti-war and anti-Israel activists had organized the demonstrations on the island to coincide with a scheduled stop by the Crown Iris cruise ship, operated by Israeli shipping giant Mano Maritime, which was carrying more than 600 tourists.
Despite the efforts to interrupt the cruise ship’s itinerary, Greek media reported that the passengers disembarked without incident.
Protest organizers estimated that between 100 and 300 people joined Monday’s demonstration, and accused police of using unnecessary force against them.
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“The riot police started pushing us and chasing us away from the area,” one organizer said in a statement after the fact. “We crossed the old city and went to the other side of the port, where there was again a heavy police presence.”
Οποίος νομίζει ότι μπορεί να κάνει κουμάντο στο νησί μας, καταλήγει να φωνάζει «τι κάνετε ρε» ❤️#Ροδος
pic.twitter.com/ACj45B4UZI
— Simoni C. (@Simonaki_) July 28, 2025
The organizers said that 13 people were arrested throughout the demonstration, including a local politician from the far-left Plefsi Eleftherias (Course of Freedom) party.
Local businesses on the tourism-reliant island opposed the protest, Greek media reported, and business representatives, along with representatives of the Rhodes Municipality and the Chamber of Commerce, were at the port to welcome the Israeli tourists with traditional local snacks.
Παρά τις πολλές προσαγωγές στο λιμάνι, αρκετοί διαδηλωτές υπέρ της Παλαιστίνης παρεκαψαν τον κλοιό των μπάτσων κ προσέγγισαν το λιμάνι #Ροδος#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/GpnaCAkb8N
— Stergios Alexiou (@stergiosale) July 28, 2025
Last week, the Crown Iris left another Greek island, Syros, early, without its roughly 1,600 passengers disembarking, after more than 150 protesters demonstrated at that island’s port.
The demonstrators unfurled Palestinian flags and called for an end to the war in Gaza. There were no reports of any violence in Syros.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar contacted his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis, over the Syros incident, and it was ultimately decided to cancel the planned port and reroute the ship to Limassol in Cyprus instead.
Related: Greek protesters block Israeli cruise ship from docking, forcing reroute to Cyprus
Footage posted to social media shows a large anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protest that prevented hundreds of Israelis from disembarking a cruise ship at the Greek island of Syros, July 22, 2025. (X; used in accordance with article 27a of the Copyright Law)
Greece is a popular tourist destination for Israelis, and an estimated 621,000 visited the Hellenic Republic in 2024 alone.
The country has seen a rise in antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led onslaught in southern Israel that started the war in Gaza.
Athens in particular has seen several attacks on Israeli tourists, and a group of Israeli teenagers said last week that they were attacked by a gang of anti-Israel assailants while vacationing in Rhodes.
According to the teens and their families, the attackers rallied outside a club frequented by Israelis, sparking a confrontation. The teens, aged 17-18, decided to leave and not get involved in the tussle, but were then pursued by dozens of the anti-Israel assailants, one of them told Channel 12 news.
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