Ninety-five years ago, the black-shirted members of the “assault squads” targeted and persecuted Jews. Black-shirted individuals wearing Palestinian flags on their T-shirts organised new “assault squads” in Thessaloniki to “patrol” the city’s main streets, threatening and intimidating Jews, Zionists, Israelis, tourists, and business owners.

In both cases —then and now— the driving force has been hatred against Jews. Today, a new climate of Judeophobia is once again taking shape, threatening not only Greek Jews but also the well-being of society as a whole. History teaches us that antisemitism begins by targeting Jews, but it never ends with Jews.

It is with deep concern that we observe the tolerance shown by state authorities and civil society institutions toward this new wave of fanaticism directed against Jewish citizens of the State of Israel visiting Greece.

These “assault squads” and their followers seek to undermine the strategically important relationship between Greece and Israel at a time of instability in the Eastern Mediterranean that poses a threat to the security of both countries.