The Thessaloniki Court of First Instance Prosecutor’s Office has ordered a preliminary investigation into an incident publicized on social media by the anarchist group Rouvikonas. According to their post, the group carried out an ‘anti-Zionist patrol’ last Saturday in the Mavili Square area of central Thessaloniki.
Probe Targets Multiple Potential Offences
The investigation—ordered by the Public Prosecutor for Criminal Prosecution—will examine whether Rouvikonas members may have committed several criminal offences, including participation in a criminal organization, public incitement to violence or hatred, incitement to commit crimes, assault, acts aimed at sowing discord, and threats to commit criminal acts. The State Security Directorate will lead the inquiry.
Group’s Stated Motives
In its social media post, Rouvikonas said the action aimed to oppose Israeli investments and the presence of Israeli business interests in Greece, while expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people. The group described the event as follows: ‘An anti-Zionist patrol took place on Saturday, 27 June, near Mavili Square, where Israeli capital has parasitically infiltrated—alongside comrades from the Permanent Struggle for Class Liberation and the Thessaloniki Libertarian Initiative.’
The post went on to criticize what it called a broader pattern of ‘colonization’ of major Greek cities by domestic and, especially, foreign capital. It accused Israeli (and other) investment funds of buying up beaches, neighbourhoods, and villages en masse—displacing local residents and turning them into ‘migrants in their own land’. It alleged that such investments, often facilitated by the Greek state selling assets at ‘bargain prices’, are part of Israel’s ‘soft power’ strategy—designed to exert economic influence over commercial cooperation and international relations. The statement also claimed these profits fund Israel’s extensive international propaganda apparatus.