Crete protesters try to block arrival of Israeli tourists
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The protesters at the port of Agios Nikolaos waved banners saying “Stop the genocide” as the Crown Iris approached.
PHOTO: AFP
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ATHENS – Greek police used tear gas and made arrests as some 300 people tried to block an Israeli cruise ship on the island of Crete, the latest in a series of protests targeting the vessel.
The protesters at the port of Agios Nikolaos waved banners saying “Stop the genocide” as the Crown Iris approached, according to images on the public broadcaster ERT. The images also showed police using tear gas to disperse the crowd, allowing several hundred passengers to board buses on the island.
“I had a sore throat from the tear gas and had to leave the demonstration,” Ms Elena Toutoudaki, a teacher in her 50s, told AFP.
Three people were arrested before being released, according to a local police source.
Protesters have targeted the Crown Iris, with around 600 people – mostly Israelis – on board, on other Greek islands.
On July 28, protesters scuffled with police who made eight arrests as the ship docked in Rhodes, media reports said, while last week 200 people protested in Syros as it approached.
Police had insisted passengers could disembark on Syros, but the Times of Israel reported that the ship’s owners decided to skip the island.
Greek Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis subsequently said anyone who “prevents a citizen of a third country from visiting our country will be prosecuted under the anti-racism law”.
Numerous demonstrations against the war in Gaza have taken place in Athens and other cities across Greece. AFP
