Late Tuesday, protesters gathered in Chania, on the Greek island of Crete, after the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arrived for docking at Souda Bay amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran. The rally took place in a nearby port city as warnings from Washington raised concerns about the risk of wider military action.
The USS Gerald R. Ford docked Monday at the American naval base at Souda Bay on Crete, positioning the carrier as part of what the AP described as a major buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East. The timing of the docking followed public warnings by U.S. President Donald Trump about possible action against Iran.
Protesters held a peaceful rally supported by the Greek Communist Party. In Chania, they displayed individual placards with the word “Killers” in English, reflecting their opposition to the presence of the U.S. carrier and the broader U.S. military posture in the region.
The AP report said regional tensions had spiked again largely over the future of Iran’s nuclear program. Against that backdrop, the protest on Crete reflected how developments around Iran—and the prospect of new military steps—were being watched and criticized beyond the Middle East.