BDS Greece: Tourism is not neutral

The recent mobilization in Syros against the Israeli cruise ship operated by the complicit company Mano Shipping, was an effective act of defending International Law, showing solidarity with the Palestinian people, and rejecting the normalization of the genocide that has been ongoing in Gaza for 22 months.

It has nothing to do with “acts of hatred” as the murderous state tries to label it—promptly echoed by the Greek government spokesperson and the usual media mouthpieces.

The truth is simple: tourism is not neutral when it offers shelter or tolerance to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and their perpetrators.

Since October 2023, over 300,000 reservists and 160,000 regular soldiers have participated in Israel’s genocidal operation in Gaza. In addition, 800,000 people live in the illegal, under international law, Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, where, alongside the army, they seize land, forcibly displace the native Palestinian population, and commit murders. Many of them now visit Greece as “tourists” — without any vetting mechanisms, accountability, or consequences.

Videos from the Mano ship show passengers chanting well-known racist and genocidal Zionist slogans like “Let your village burn” and “Death to Arabs”. These are not “innocent tourists” — they are supporters of genocide, and possibly perpetrators. But we will never know for sure because the Greek government conducts no checks.

The Mitsotakis government, instead of standing by the side of the victims and defending international law, is trying to criminalize solidarity. With statements such as the one made by government spokesman Marinakis about “law and order in Syros” and the need to “activate the anti-racist law”, it targets citizens who defend Law and Humanity.

The attempt to present opposition to genocide and the defence of International Law as “anti-Semitism” is a clear instrumentalisation and distortion of the law, especially when hundreds of thousands of Jews around the world are crying “Not in our Name” for the crimes against the Palestinian people.

It is not racism to deny war criminals entry into your country, racism is silence when a people are slaughtered because they are not white, not European, not powerful.

Just a few days ago, 28 Western governments – including, eventually, Greece – denounced:

• The “drip-feed provision of humanitarian aid”

• The “horrific killing of at least 1,000 Palestinians seeking aid”

• The ongoing “inhuman killing of civilians, including children”

• The “attempt to alter the territorial and demographic makeup of the Occupied Palestinian Territories”

• The “escalating settler violence and accelerated settlement expansion in the West Bank”

And yet, the perpetrators are allowed into Greece without interference.

Those responsible for these crimes roam freely in Europe and Greece as tourists.

There is no mechanism to investigate their role in war crimes.

Greece must stop hosting war criminals and stop turning a blind eye.

We demand:

1. Reinstatement of visa requirements for Israeli travelers

2. Entry screening to investigate possible involvement in war crimes or crimes against humanity, for:

◦ Those who served in the Israeli military since October 2023

◦ Those who live or work in illegal Israeli settlements

3. Prosecution of individuals for crimes against humanity under international law

It is the duty of every tourism and hospitality professional to make it clear that their businesses are not open to war criminals, perpetrators of crimes against humanity, or those who support them – regardless of nationality, religion, skin color, etc.

Justice may be slow – but it comes for all.

Just like with the Holocaust, accountability may be delayed, but it is inevitable.

A new Nuremberg awaits those responsible for the crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.

Not only the direct perpetrators of mass atrocities will stand trial, but also the politicians and media who supported, sheltered, and protected them — in the EU, the US, and Greece.

BDS Greece states clearly:

We honor the people of Syros who, with their presence and voice, blocked the ship of complicity.

We stand against the authoritarian repression of the government.

We denounce Greece’s complicity in genocide through military, diplomatic, and economic support to Israel.

Freedom for Palestine – No to complicity – No to silencing