It remains unclear how receptive Greeks will be to any such demand, as the flag of Greece in its current form dates back to 1822, more than seven decades before the rise of political Zionism.
Athens, November 5 – Activists in the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions movement against Israel staged a protest today outside the parliament building in the Greek capital today, calling on the government to alter the colors of the country’s flag so that they do not resemble that of Israel.
A group of about twenty protesters congregated in the plaza facing the building on Thursday morning, holding aloft placards and waving flags on which the blue and white had been replaced by black and green, respectively. The activists chanted slogans and listened to several speakers who led them in chants for approximately an hour and a half.
Both the Greek and Israeli flags use only blue and white, though in different configurations and with different symbolism. The activists, however, aim to prevent any sort of normalized relations with Israel as a way of applying political pressure. As part of that effort, explained the activists, they seek to delegitimize the use of blue and white on national flags in order to isolate Israel and wrest various concessions on behalf of Palestinians.
“There is nothing inherently wrong with the Greek flag or its colors,” clarified Éímai Nas Gáidaros, the protest leader. “But for the moment, the moral thing to do is avoid using the colors so closely associated with Zionism, since using blue and white will, however unintentionally, grant legitimacy to a usurper regime that oppresses Palestinians.”
It remains unclear how receptive Greeks will be to any such demand, as the flag of Greece in its current form dates back to 1822, more than seven decades before the rise of political Zionism, and more than 125 years before the establishment of the State of Israel. The colors of the Greek flag are said to represent to sea and sky, the clouds, and various other features of Greece’s natural beauty, whereas the color scheme and stripes on the Israeli flag invoke the azure stripes that adorn many traditional Jewish prayer shawls. Aside from the apparent differences and chronological problem with the demand, the flag activists face an uphill battle convincing Greeks to part with a piece of their collective history.
“We realize this is not a simple demand, and we do not raise it lightly,” insisted activist Copro Phagiac. “Just as soon as the larger goals of BDS are achieved, and Israel ceases to exist as a Jewish state, Greece can go right back to using its traditional colors. In the meantime, this alternative color scheme,” she said, gesturing to the flags hoisted at the rally, “can substitute nicely, and they also recall some of the colors of the Palestinian flag, which I personally think is a nice touch.”
Perversely, the movement’s demands are likely to find disfavor with some of the country’s staunchest anti-Israel forces. A spokesman for Golden Dawn, a far-right Greek party that has been described as Neo-Nazi, dismissed calls to relinquish any symbol of Greek national heritage. When challenged by a Golden Dawn spokesman to explain why BDS had singled out Greece when so may other countries have blue-and-white flags, Phagiac responded, “You have to start somewhere.”
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