More than 2,000 protesters gathered in central Athens on Tuesday evening to demonstrate against U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Greece, according to police estimates. The rally, organized by the PAME labor union—affiliated with Greece’s Communist Party (KKE)—along with student and left-wing groups, took place at Syntagma Square in front of Parliament, where traffic was halted and hundreds of police officers were deployed as part of heightened security measures .
Protesters carried banners with slogans such as “Rubio is not welcome” and “U.S., NATO, and EU murderers must stay away from our country and region,” as posted on social media calls to join the demonstration . The protest followed a pattern of solidarity demonstrations in Greece over the past three years, particularly since the outbreak of war in Gaza.
Rubio arrived in Athens on Tuesday night under strict security, with a 32-vehicle convoy—including 25 security and police cars, six motorcycles, and an ambulance—escorting him to the Conrad Athens The Ilisian hotel, where draconian security measures were in place . He was greeted at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport by Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and U.S. Ambassador to Athens Kimberly Gilfoyle.
Greek police banned further demonstrations in central Athens from Wednesday through Rubio’s departure on Thursday. Rubio is scheduled to meet with Gerapetritis and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday. Before his trip, Rubio told journalists that “Greece is a very important ally of the United States. It is a country where we have not only a military presence but also strong economic ties” .
