Athens Mayor Haris Doukas expressed outrage on Sunday at the comments made by Israeli Ambassador to Greece Noam Katz, who accused him of "not cleaning" the Greek capital of "antisemitic" graffiti, which offends Israeli tourists visiting the country.
"As the city's municipal authority, we have demonstrated our strong opposition to violence and racism, and we do not take lessons in democracy from those who kill civilians," Haris Doukas said on his X account.
"Athens, the capital of a democratic country, fully respects its visitors and supports its citizens' right to free expression," said Doukas, a member of the Greek opposition Socialist Party, PASOK.
Doukas' reaction comes after Noam Katz stated in the Kathimerini newspaper, published Sunday, that the mayor of Athens was "not doing enough to protect his city from organized minorities," who, he claimed, were responsible for "antisemitic" graffiti.
The mayor "is not cleaning up the city, which makes Israeli tourists feel uncomfortable," the Israeli ambassador told Kathimerini, the leading center-right daily.
"It is revolting that the ambassador focuses solely on graffiti (which is obviously being erased) while an unprecedented genocide is taking place in Gaza," the mayor of Athens retorted.
As in other European countries, numerous pro-Palestinian demonstrations, organized mainly by the left, have taken place in Athens and other cities across the country since the Gaza war.
On some Greek islands, the arrival of the Crown Iris cruise ship carrying Israeli tourists has sparked protests by hundreds of people in recent weeks.
Despite a pro-Arab policy pursued for several decades, Athens has developed close cooperation with Tel Aviv since 2010, primarily in security and energy matters.
The right-wing government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in power since 2019, has strengthened this cooperation and repeatedly condemned "the terrorist acts of Hamas and other radical groups" in Gaza, while citing "the humanitarian crisis" and the need for humanitarian aid.
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Since the war in Gaza, there has been an increase in the number of Israelis visiting Greece, a Mediterranean country close to Israel, or investing, particularly in the country's real estate sector, according to experts.
According to the mayor of Athens, "over the past year, the number of Israelis obtaining a Greek 'golden visa' has increased by more than 90%."