A prosecutor in Thessaloniki has ordered a preliminary investigation into far-left activists who claim to have staged an "anti-Zionist patrol" through the city, after the group posted images appearing to show members marching in black uniforms emblazoned with the Palestinian flag.
The inquiry will examine whether the group, known as Rubicon, can be held liable for incitement to violence or hatred, and for issuing threats to commit crimes.
The case stems from a social media post describing Saturday's march as targeting a part of the city "where Israeli capital has parasitically intruded," alleging that Israeli and other funds are buying up beaches, neighbourhoods and villages and "turning their residents into migrants in their own land."
The group also condemned Israeli investors for bringing "bloodstained" money into Greece and criticised the presence of "Zionist tourists," including Israeli military personnel, while war continues in Gaza and Lebanon.
The march struck a particularly raw nerve in Thessaloniki, whose once-thriving Jewish community was deported by German occupying forces during World War II to Nazi death camps, where most were killed.
The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) condemned the group as antisemitic, drawing comparisons to Nazi stormtroopers, and accused authorities of tolerating "a new wave of fanaticism" aimed at undermining Greece's strategic ties with Israel.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said those involved "should be brought to justice," adding:
"Everyone who thinks they can take the law into their own hands… should be led before a prosecutor."