Nine European Nationals to Be Deported from Greece for Anti-Israel Protests

Nine European nationals are set to be deported from Greece for their participation in disruptive anti-Israel demonstrations on the campus of the University of Athens School of Law last month. The protesters, who are from Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and Spain, were among 28 people of Greek and foreign origin who were detained on charges of disrupting the operation of a public entity and assistance in damaging foreign property.

Nine European nationals are set to be deported from Greece for their participation in disruptive anti-Israel demonstrations on the campus of the University of Athens School of Law last month.

The protesters, who are from Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and Spain, were among 28 people of Greek and foreign origin who were detained on charges of disrupting the operation of a public entity and assistance in damaging foreign property.

Evidence included leaflets, Palestinian flags, two smoke flares, gas masks, helmets, paint cans, and banner poles, along with a statement uploaded on a website in Greek and English urging others to join the protest, according to court documents.

The Greek protesters were released pending trial last Tuesday, but the nine foreign nationals – one man and eight women, aged 22 to 33 – remain in custody pending an administrative decision on their deportation.

Their lawyers said in a statement that deportation orders had been issued, which would prevent the defendants from attending their own trial.

University of Athens students stage a protest in support of Palestinians, calling for an end to the Gaza war in Athens, Greece on May 13, 2024. (Costas Baltas/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Lawyers Ioanna Sioupouli and Anny Paparoussou said that their clients who live and work in Greece planned to appeal. Lawyer Vassilis Papadopoulos, representing a 33-year-old Spaniard, called the decision "arbitrary and illegal."

In 2019, Greece’s conservative government scrapped a law that had prohibited police from entering universities, saying the legislation was used as a cover for lawlessness.

Demonstrations in support of Palestine, like in the U.S., have swept Greece in response to Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.

The Greek government has condemned the violence in Gaza and called for a ceasefire, but it has also criticized Hamas for firing rockets into Israel.

The European Union has also condemned the violence and called for a ceasefire.

The United Nations has called for an immediate ceasefire and has expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The United States has called for a ceasefire and has urged both sides to show restraint.

The Israeli government has said that it will not agree to a ceasefire until Hamas stops firing rockets into Israel.

Hamas has said that it will not stop firing rockets into Israel until the Israeli government lifts its blockade of Gaza.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has been going on for decades. There have been several ceasefires over the years, but none have lasted.