Greek police have launched an official investigation following a highly unusual march by dozens of radical pro-Palestinian Arab activists through the streets of Thessaloniki in recent days.
The participants, clad in black shirts emblazoned with the flag of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), held a protest march through the city center as part of an event labeled by organizers as an "anti-Zionist tour." The march triggered significant tension and widespread public outcry across the country.
According to local Greek media reports, law enforcement authorities are currently reviewing whether chants made during the procession constituted incitement to hatred or violence, and whether there are grounds to prosecute the event's organizers.
The march was organized by activists affiliated with the far-left anarchist group "Rouvikonas." In a statement issued by the organizers, they openly declared that the objective of the march was "to protest the growing Israeli presence in Thessaloniki and the city's transformation into a major tourist destination for Israelis."
The event provoked fierce condemnation and deep anxiety among Jewish community institutions in Greece and worldwide. The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) issued a particularly scathing condemnation, drawing a direct and alarming parallel between the recent march and dark chapters of the city's antisemitic history.
"Exactly 95 years after assault squads roamed the streets of Thessaloniki attacking Jews, organized groups dressed in black have reappeared, spreading fear among Jews and Israelis," the Board’s statement read.
The World Jewish Congress also joined the condemnations, issuing an official response stating that the event was not a legitimate protest, but rather a deliberate attempt to intimidate and undermine the security of the local Jewish community and tourists visiting the city.