Greek Protesters block military Cargo bound for Israel

The protest represents a multi-dimensional struggle: economic, geopolitical, and ethical.

Written by Elvis Takahashi Mantello

Globalvoices.org ) – Despite the lingering 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 suspected to be bound for Israel, part of a growing wave of similar demonstrations. The protest focused on the “Ever Golden” cargo ship, which activists believed was carrying steel intended for Israeli military use. 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.

The Greek public’s growing anti-war stance

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.

The Mitsotakis-Netanyahu coalition

Many activists pointed to the deepening ties between Greece and Israel as a source of frustration and outrage. While Prime Minister Mitsotakis publicly described Israeli actions in Gaza as “unjustifiable” back in May, his government has continued to ramp up military and strategic cooperation with the Israeli state.

According to reports, Greece has significantly increased its purchase of Israeli military technology, including drone systems, missile defence equipment, and cyber surveillance tools. Joint military exercises between the two countries have also become more frequent, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, where energy exploration and regional tensions have made such alliances increasingly strategic.

These developments go beyond pragmatic diplomacy and instead signal ideological alignment. In the eyes of protesters, Mitsotakis is not simply cooperating with Netanyahu but actively supporting him.

Beyond the issue of direct military support, Greece’s silence on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has become a major point of public discontent. The New Democracy government has not offered substantial humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, opened safe channels for Palestinian refugees, or applied significant diplomatic pressure on Israel to halt its offensive.

While most of the European Union’s foreign ministers supported a Dutch proposal to review the bloc’s ties with Israel over its actions in Gaza, Greece and Cyprus did not join the initiative. Greece also did not co-sign a joint statement, endorsed by 22 other countries, condemning Israel for creating famine conditions in Gaza.

Activists view this as a blatant disregard for human, and specifically Palestinian, life. While Gaza faces mass displacement, infrastructure destruction, forced starvation, and what numerous observers, including UN officials, have called genocide, the Greek government has remained unmoved.

This indifference, many argue, mirrors the government’s broader policies targeting vulnerable populations. Just weeks before the July protests, the Greek government announced it would suspend the processing of asylum applications from North Africa, citing a recent increase in arrivals on southern Greek Aegean Sea islands.

This decision fits into a broader anti-migrant stance that has characterized the New Democracy administration: fortified borders, the criminalization of migration, and systematic pushbacks. One could argue that the government’s treatment of displaced people parallels its neglect of Palestinians, both seen as disposable populations in service of geopolitical interests.

Militarism, empire logic, and local resistance

For many demonstrators, opposition to military shipments is part of a larger political stance. The Piraeus protest was not only about Gaza; it was a rejection of imperialist agendas and Greece’s alignment with NATO, the EU, and Israel.

The location of the protest is also symbolically significant. COSCO’s privatized container terminal, largely owned by Chinese state interests, underscores growing discontent with foreign control over Greek infrastructure. In this sense, the protest represents a multi-dimensional struggle: economic, geopolitical, and ethical.

As of July 20, the “Ever Golden” remained docked at Piraeus. ENEDEP continued to uphold its position of non-cooperation. While symbolic, this act of resistance is also practical and strategic. By targeting the logistics of military conflict, including ports and freight terminals, Greek protesters are adopting classic yet effective methods of direct action.

Their call to action serves as a reminder that resistance is not only expressed through marches but also through organized disruption and solidarity.