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The organization drew a direct comparison to the antisemitic violence that culminated in the Campbell Pogrom of 1931.
By Shula Rosen
The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) condemned what it described as the formation of “assault squads” in Thessaloniki after black-shirted men wearing Palestinian flags on their shirts allegedly harassed Jews and Israelis in the city on Saturday.
In a statement, KIS said the incident occurred on June 27, 2026, when groups of men patrolled central streets, threatening Jews, Israelis, Zionists, tourists, and business owners.
The organization drew a direct comparison to the antisemitic violence that culminated in the Campbell Pogrom of 1931.
“Ninety-five years ago, the black-shirted members of the ‘assault squads’ targeted and persecuted Jews. On June 27, 2026 —exactly 95 years later— black-shirted individuals wearing Palestinian flags on their T-shirts organized new ‘assault squads’ in Thessaloniki to ‘patrol’ the city’s main streets, threatening and intimidating Jews, Zionists, Israelis, tourists, and business owners,” KIS said.
The organization recalled that, following what it described as a campaign of hatred beginning in 1928, organized attacks were carried out on the night of June 29-30, 1931, against Jewish neighborhoods in Thessaloniki, including the burning of the Campbell Jewish quarter.
KIS said the two incidents were linked by antisemitism, warning that “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.”
The organization also criticized what it called the tolerance shown by state authorities and civil society institutions toward intimidation directed at Israeli visitors, arguing that such actions seek to damage the relationship between Greece and Israel during a period of instability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The World Jewish Congress also addressed the incident in a Facebook post, expressing support for KIS and Greece’s Jewish community.
“This was Thessaloniki on June 27. A group of men in black shirts wearing Palestinian flags organized new ‘assault squads’ to ‘patrol’ the city’s main streets – and intimidate Jews,” the organization wrote. It added that it stood “in solidarity with Greece’s Jewish community amidst this campaign.”
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