Thessaloniki, Greece – Around 5,000 people gathered in Thessaloniki on Sunday to protest against the upcoming introduction of a new type of identity card later this month, according to police reports.
The demonstrators, bearing Greek flags and banners, congregated at the iconic White Tower along the city’s waterfront, a former fortification, where they chanted slogans and the national anthem. During the rally, a recorded speech by the late former head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens, was played, in which he had warned of threats to the Greek people.
Later, the protesters marched through the city center and subsequently dispersed without any incidents.
The new machine-readable identity cards are set to replace the current ones, containing the same information such as name, parents’ names, address, and height. The only additional information on the new IDs is optional and pertains to blood type.
However, these cards have generated conspiracy theories, with claims that they contain chips that could enable authorities to track cardholders’ locations or even control their thoughts. Many of those opposing the new IDs are deeply religious.
In response to these concerns, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed frustration during a recent cabinet meeting, stating that the new IDs will not contain “any chips or cameras or listening devices.”
The religious affiliations of the protesters pose a challenge for the Church of Greece, as some bishops have encouraged the demonstrations. Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens, who does not share the fiery rhetoric of his predecessor Christodoulos, announced that the Church’s Holy Synod will issue a statement regarding the IDs in the coming days and advised “judiciousness and prudence.”
A protest rally is scheduled to take place in the capital, Athens, next weekend.
These new identity cards, which comply with an EU-wide standard, will become mandatory by August 2026.
