Pro-Palestine activists block Israeli cruise ship from docking in Greece over Gaza genocide

Pro-Palestinian activists on the Greek island of Syros prevented Israeli passengers from disembarking a cruise ship on Tuesday.

The MS Crown Iris, an Israeli-operated cruise ship flying a Panamanian flag, had departed Haifa on Sunday, stopped in Rhodes, and was scheduled to allow passengers ashore in Syros between midday and 6pm.

Instead, around 300 activists gathered at the dock waving Palestinian flags and holding banners reading "Stop the Genocide" and "No AC in Hell" forcing the vessel to divert.

Video footage gone viral on social media shows some Israeli passengers responding by waving Israeli flags and chanting pro-Israel slogans.

Greek media described the protest as peaceful. Local port authorities stationed police at the dock to prevent any clashes, but no demonstrators boarded the ship, and no arrests were reported.

An Israeli passenger quoted by Walla news said the protest involved "around 100–120 people".

Following the demonstration, the ship's crew decided to bypass Syros and sail to Limassol in Cyprus before returning to Haifa on Thursday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar reportedly called his Greek counterpart, Giorgos Gerapetritis, requesting intervention to allow the docking, but the ship departed before any agreement was reached.

The protest is part of a growing wave of grassroots actions across Europe targeting Israeli ships, planes, and cultural events in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 61,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its bombardment in October 2023.

Greek activists said the Syros action aimed to condemn the complicity of Israeli businesses in funding and sustaining the war.

"Tourism cannot be separated from genocide," one protester told local media. "As long as Israel continues its crimes, we will refuse to welcome its ships."