Pakistanis plan to protest in Athens one week after Greek authorities did not allow Indian community

The Pakistani community plans to protest in the center of Athens on Sunday at 5:00 PM.

Only one week after Greek authorities canceled the permission for the Indian community to protest at the Pakistani Embassy, the Pakistani community plans to protest in the Athens neighborhood of Omonia.

It is unclear whether the Pakistanis have approval from Greek authorities, but social media posts show that there are plans to protest against India.

Greek authorities did not allow the Indian community in Greece to protest on Sunday at the Embassy of Pakistan in Athens despite for many years allowing the Pakistani community to protest biannually at the Embassy of India.

Canceling the approval given just before the protest was to take place, a strong police presence at the Embassy ensured that any would-be protestors from the Indian community would not. Nonetheless, with absolute respect to the wishes of the Greek authorities, no members of the Indian community attempted to protest, unlike the Pakistani community's continual defiance.

It is recalled that on February 15, 2021, Pakistanis protested in front of the Indian Embassy in Athens regarding the Kashmir issue. Under essential COVID-19 obligatory health rules in early 2021, an SMS to authorities had to be sent before leaving home for very specific reasons, such as working, shopping, or banking and obviously did not include protesting.

However, even beyond breaking COVID-19 restrictions, the Pakistani community protests twice a year in front of the Embassy of India in Athens over the Kashmir issue, calling into question why the Indian community was not able to make a rare protest in the context of the dozens of tourists killed in Pahalgam in Kashmir on April 22 by Pakistan-backed terrorists.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis describes India as a close partner and friend, starkly contrasting with a Turkey-allied Pakistan. Yet, his government tolerates the Embassy of Pakistan coordinating protests against the Embassy of India and does not allow the Indian community to publicly condemn Pakistan's financing, training, and coordinating of terrorist forces in the wake of the Pahalgam attack that left 26 dead and 20 injured.

The Greek government cannot announce its intentions to be India's gateway to Europe and want to develop security and intelligence ties but tolerate Pakistani biannual protests at the Embassy of India in Athens and then unfairly treat the Indian community.

A new precedent has been set, meaning Pakistanis can no longer have permission to protest in Greece.