The ship made an emergency stop at the Cretan port, where hundreds of protesters gathered with Palestinian flags and solidarity slogans. According to reports, Israeli passengers, including IDF soldiers and their families, responded with obscene gestures and insults against Palestine.

Confrontation with police

Police forces intervened to push protesters back from the port fence, using chemical agents against the crowd. After the passengers disembarked and travelled to Knossos, demonstrators marched through the city centre, voicing opposition to the ship’s reception and to the commercial benefits associated with it.

The protest was part of a wider wave of actions across Greece against the Crown Iris. Earlier stops at Syros and Rhodes had also triggered mobilisation, with residents and local organisations speaking out against what they called complicity in genocide. In Syros, the decision to deny the ship a welcome drew international attention and political backlash, with the Greek deputy prime minister later issuing an apology to Israel. In Rhodes, mobilisations were met with threats and pressure.

Wider significance

The demonstrations highlight growing public anger over attempts to normalise Israel’s presence in Greece amid the continuing bombardment of Gaza. In Heraklion, one of the slogans that resonated during the march was: ‘Whoever takes blood money, his hands bleed.’

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