The ominously billed Palestinian solidarity “Day of Rage” in Greece ended Sunday night with little impact. At the main protest against Israel in Athens’ Syntagma Square, only a few hundred people showed up.
Throughout the day, dozens of pro-Palestinian rallies were held across the country, but most drew only a handful of participants, and others just a few dozen. No unusual incidents were reported.
The BDS movement in Greece is expected to claim “victory,” saying the protests reflected the spirit of the Greek people; but, despite the effort, tens of thousands of Israeli tourists are still expected to visit. The movement’s biggest achievement was the publicity it gained, largely because of official government warnings.
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Authorities had prepared for possible attacks on Israelis and set up security chains, though they were ultimately not needed.
The strong ties between Israel and Greece were also visible in Cyprus, where Israel’s national basketball team defeated Greece in a warmup match ahead of the European Championship. The left-wing Syriza party had urged Greece’s team to boycott the game, saying that participation “would send the wrong message, given the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and recent actions by the Israeli government. Israeli sports teams should be boycotted, just as sanctions were placed on Russia.”
“In a time when thousands are dying of hunger in Gaza, Netanyahu is articulating a goal of ethnic cleansing, country after country condemns the policy of genocide, and Palestinian athletes are being killed before the world’s eyes — the right choice is not to play,” the party said.
But the initiative failed, and Greece went ahead with the game — and lost.