Syros, MINA – A cruise ship carrying 1,600 Israeli tourists was denied docking at the Greek island of Syros earlier this week after more than 300 local activists staged a protest waving Palestinian flags and banners reading “Stop the Genocide.”
Authorities diverted the Crown Iris to Cyprus citing security concerns, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reported Friday. Demonstrators condemned both Israel’s assault on Gaza and Greece’s growing military and economic ties with Tel Aviv, rejecting involvement in an ongoing genocide.
The incident reflects mounting global anger over Israel’s Gaza offensive and Western governments’ failure to hold Tel Aviv accountable. Civil society movements worldwide are increasingly stepping in through grassroots action, legal challenges, and boycotts.
In Belgium, two Israeli soldiers were questioned under universal jurisdiction laws during the Tomorrowland music festival over alleged war crimes. Meanwhile, the Maldives imposed a full ban on Israeli passport holders, citing “continued atrocities in Gaza.”
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Similar hostility has surfaced in Sri Lanka’s Arugam Bay, once a popular destination for Israeli surfers, where tensions between locals and tourists have escalated to violence, prompting police investigations and embassy warnings.
These moves send a clear message: while Western states maintain political and military support for Israel, ordinary citizens and sovereign nations are taking bold steps to oppose Gaza’s genocide. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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