An Israeli tourist was badly injured near Athens by a Syrian man shouting ‘’free Palestine,’’ “I am Hamas,” and “damn Israel.”
By Rachel Avraham
According to a report in the Combat Antisemitism Movement, ‘’An Israeli tourist was seriously injured at a popular beach near Athens in a suspected antisemitic assault on Saturday, intensifying concerns for the safety of Israelis and Jews in Greece as antisemitic hostility continues to grow across the country. Stav Ben Shushan was visiting the Bolivar Beach Bar with his wife and friends when a man approached the group, shouting, “Free Palestine,” “Damn Israel,” and “I am Hamas,” while filming them.’’
The Combat Antisemitism Movement further reported, ‘’After beach security removed the man, he returned and ambushed Ben Shushan while he was swimming — biting off part of his ear. Ben Shushan was hospitalized for treatment of his wounds.’’
According to the report, ‘’Greek police arrested the suspected attacker, reportedly a Syrian migrant. In a disturbing twist, police also briefly detained Ben Shushan after the assailant filed a counter-complaint accusing him of racism. Israeli officials confirmed they were in contact with Greek authorities and were assisting the victim.’’
‘’According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the attack was preceded by verbal harassment from a group that had identified the tourists as Israeli, underscoring the targeted nature of the assault, the Combat Antisemitism Movement reported. ‘’This violent incident is part of a broader pattern of rising anti-Israel aggression in Greece. Just days earlier, Israeli teenagers were assaulted by Turkish tourists on the island of Rhodes. The same week, a pro-Palestinian mob prevented the Israeli-owned MS Crown Iris from docking on the island of Syros, forcing the cruise ship and its 1,600 passengers to reroute to Cyprus.”
“Come to Greece and ignore the extreme cries of hatred and fanaticism,” the general secretary of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece – Victor Eliezer – told The Jerusalem Post. He did note, however, that there are groups that come “mainly from the extreme Left,” and “demonstrate against Israel and Zionists, accuse the Israelis of genocide in Gaza, write anti-Israeli slogans, put up posters against the presence of Israelis in Greece and recently attacked two businesses of Israeli citizens and did not allow the disembarkation of Israelis on the island of Syros.” Nevertheless, Eliezer claims that these groups represent a fringe part of Greek society.
“The Greeks are a hospitable people, and I think that in no way do these extreme acts represent my fellow citizens,” he told the Jerusalem Post. “However, I would tell our Israeli visitors not to respond to provocations that aim to create noise and impressions; to come to Greece and ignore the extreme cries of hatred and fanaticism.”
In terms of the permanent Jewish community of Greece, Eliezer said they are “not afraid” but are nevertheless “concerned by observing the phenomena of extreme rhetoric against Zionism and the State of Israel that go beyond the limits of criticizing the policy of a government.”
“After October 7, 2023, the extreme rhetoric of the Populist extreme Left has caused this ‘Judeophobia’ [taking the term from the French philosopher Pierre-André Taghieff.],’’ Eliezer stressed. ‘’That is, they question Israel’s right to exist and identify with the views of the Iranian ayatollahs. They adopt the slogan “From the river to the sea.” This is the new form of antisemitism in Greece. The demonization of the State of Israel and the delegitimization of its right to exist.”
He reiterated, however, that these phenomena and beliefs do not represent the majority of Greek society, adding that the government spokesman and other ministers of the Greek government, as well as leading figures of the opposition Socialist party, were quick to condemn any threat against Greek Jews or Israeli citizens.
Photo from Oneindia News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCtYbVslVn4
