Antisemitism in Greece has risen to unprecedented levels, physically threatening Jews and Israeli citizens. On 11 July, the red-brown antisemite movement that emerged in Greece during the last two years introduced a new phase in antisemitic acts in Greece. Troops in black uniforms started patrolling the most touristic areas of the Greek capital – Monastiraki, Thisio, Plaka – searching for Israelis and Jews. More than 10 years ago, the Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party sent its troops, in black uniforms, to organise pogroms against immigrants. Black memories that Athens lives again.
Antisemitism is well-rooted in Greek society since the early years of the War of Independence. Greece is the most anti-Semitic country across all of Western Europe, reaching 69%, according to a 2020 survey by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). In the 1930s, fascist paramilitary troops, the 3E organisation, physically attacked the Jewish community of Thessaloniki, where Jews constituted the larger part of its population.
For several decades, acts of vandalism against Synagogues, Jewish cemeteries and cultural centres were not rare in cities where Jewish communities existed. After the 7 October Hamas invasion of Israel and the Israeli military response that followed, antisemitism in Greece emerged violently and, unfortunately, it remains unpunished.
The Holocaust Memorial in Larissa and the Monument of the Old Jewish Cemetery at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki were desecrated, and an anti-Jewish inscription was written on the wall of the Jewish cemetery in Volos. In addition, there were acts of physical and verbal violence against Israeli tourists in Athens, posters on the walls in Greek, English and Hebrew threatening Israeli tourists visiting Greece. Communist trade unionists in the tourism sector in Crete also called on their colleagues through social media to express hostility towards Israeli tourists.
In a press release issued on 19 June, the Central Jewish Council of Greece noted that “such events are accompanied by extreme rhetoric that has led to acts of brutal violence, with attacks on tourists, assaults, vandalism and the constant targeting of people, who are often described as ‘murderers’, solely and exclusively because of their ethnic or religious identity”.
A red-brown antisemite movement intimidates Jews and Israelis living in Greece or visiting as tourists, discriminates against artists visiting Israel and calls for acts of violence against Israeli citizens. Sometimes people from this red-brown alliance have attacked Israeli citizens simply because they heard them speak Hebrew.
These red-brown troops announced on Friday that “Palestinian walks have begun” because “the streets of Athens belong to those in solidarity with the Palestinian people and not to the murderers who come here to relax.”
Antisemitism in Greece has reached a new, dangerous level, threatening democracy and the economy. The Greek authorities have done nothing to stop it so far. They avoided even making declarations condemning such phenomena. However, the persons and political parties behind these violent acts are known to the authorities.
The different left and centre-left parties express anti-semitic views at various levels, enabling the rise of a “left” antisemitism. They merge criticism of the Israeli government for the devastating military operations in the Gaza Strip with anti-Jewish rhetoric that often questions the right of Israel to exist.
The ruling conservative New Democracy party prefers to ignore the problem.
