ATHENS: Greek police used tear gas and made arrests as some 300 people tried to block an Israeli cruise ship on the island of Crete, the latest in a series of protests targeting the vessel.
The protesters at the port of Agios Nikolaos waved banners saying “Stop the genocide” as the Crown Iris approached, according to images on the public broadcaster ERT.
The images also showed police using tear gas to disperse the crowd, allowing several hundred passengers to board buses on the island.
“I had a sore throat from the tear gas and had to leave the demonstration,” Elena Toutoudaki, a teacher in her fifties, told AFP.
Three people were arrested before being released, according to a local police source.
Protesters have targeted the Crown Iris, with around 600 mostly Israelis on board, in other Greek islands.
On Monday, protesters scuffled with police who made eight arrests as it docked in Rhodes, media reports said, while last week 200 people protested in Syros as the ship approached.
Police had insisted passengers could disembark on Syros, but the Times of Israel reported that the ship’s owners decided to skip the island.
Greek Minister of Citizen Protection Mihalis Chryssohoidis subsequently said anyone who “prevents a citizen of a third country from visiting our country will be prosecuted under the anti-racism law.”
Numerous demonstrations against the Israeli war on Gaza have taken place in Athens and other cities across Greece.
Crete protesters try to block arrival of Israeli tourists
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Crete protesters try to block arrival of Israeli tourists
- Protesters at the port of Agios Nikolaos waved banners saying “Stop the genocide” as the Israeli cruise ship approached
Nigeria seeks French help to combat insecurity, says Macron
- African country has witnessed violence and mass kidnappings from schools
LAGOS: Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has sought more help from France to fight widespread violence in the north of the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday, weeks after the United States threatened to intervene to protect Nigeria’s Christians.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has witnessed an upsurge in attacks in volatile northern areas in the past month, including mass kidnappings
from schools and a church.
US President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of possible military action in Nigeria, accusing it of mistreating Christians. The government says the allegations misrepresent a complex security situation in which armed groups target both faith groups.
FASTFACTS
• US President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of possible military action in Nigeria, accusing it of mistreating Christians.
• The government says the allegations misrepresent a complex security situation in which armed groups target both faith groups.
Macron said he had a phone call with Tinubu on Sunday, where he conveyed France’s support to Nigeria as it grapples with several security challenges, “particularly the terrorist threat in the North.”
“At his request, we will strengthen our partnership with the authorities and our support for the affected populations. We call on all our partners to step up their engagement,” Macron said in a post on X.
Macron did not say what help would be offered by France, which has withdrawn its troops from West and Central Africa and plans to focus on training, intelligence sharing and responding to requests from countries for assistance.
Nigeria is grappling with a long-running insurgency in the northeast, armed kidnapping gangs in the northwest and deadly clashes between largely Muslim cattle herders and mostly Christian farmers in the central parts of the country, stretching its security forces.
Washington said last month that it was considering actions such as sanctions and Pentagon engagement on counterterrorism as part of a plan to compel Nigeria to better protect its Christian communities.
The Nigerian government has said it welcomes help to fight insecurity as long as its sovereignty is respected. France has previously supported efforts to curtail the actions of armed groups, the US has shared intelligence and sold arms, including fighter jets, and Britain has trained Nigerian troops.
