Despite the ongoing summer heat in Athens, Greek protesters gathered at the port of Piraeus on the night of July 16th to block the loading of military cargo believed to be headed for Israel, adding to a rising wave of similar demonstrations.
The protest focused on the “Ever Golden” cargo ship, which activists believed was carrying steel intended for Israeli military use, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
Organized by Greek trade unions, leftist groups, anarchists, and communist collectives, the protest reflected the mounting public anger over what many see as Greece’s complicity in Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.
In a powerful act of solidarity, protesters attempted to delay port operations, seeking to prevent material support for violence and to raise awareness about Greece's role in the conflict. Protesters filled the piers with Palestinian flags, keffiyehs, and T-shirts bearing the slogan “Free Palestine,” chanting, among other slogans, “No cooperation with Israel – no port for genocide.”
A Greek user, likely affiliated with the group featured in the video, expresses solidarity with the protestors at Piraeus:
At the demonstration, a wide coalition of Greek citizens rallied against what they viewed as unacceptable support for Israel’s actions against Gaza. Activists surrounded the port, lit flares, chanted slogans of solidarity with Palestine, and demanded that Greece end its involvement in facilitating military exports.
Τhe dockworkers union (ENEDEP) at Piraeus Container Terminal, owned by the Greek state and operated by Piraeus Port Authority (PPA), majority owned by China COSCO Shipping, played a key role in organizing the protest. In a public statement, the union announced that it would not allow the five containers, suspected of containing military-grade steel, to be unloaded while the ship remained docked. According to Union President Markos Bekris, the cargo was believed to be headed to Israel. He warned that if the shipment continued, the union would be prepared to escalate the protests.
At the protest, they held banners condemning both the Greek and Israeli governments. Organizers framed their actions not only as anti-Zionist, but also as a rejection of Greece’s growing role as a logistical enabler of foreign wars.
The message from protesters was clear: the Greek people do not want to be complicit in what is widely seen as genocide in Gaza. Demonstrators condemned the New Democracy government, led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for facilitating military exports to Israel and for maintaining close relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even as reports of indiscriminate bombings of civilians in Gaza increase.
