At least 60,000 protesters clashed with riot police in Athens today, using poles, smoke bombs and even Molotov cocktails during demonstrations against a controversial name change deal with Macedonia.
The deal, which the Greek parliament is due to ratify in days, will see Greece’s neighbour be renamed the Republic of North Macedonia, following a 28-year dispute.
The name Macedonia is a sensitive issue for many Greeks, who believe that it implies their neighbour has a claim on the Greek province of the same name.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has been accused of making ‘too many concessions’ over his championing of the landmark agreement, and barely survived a vote of no confidence last week.
Scuffles broke out after about 30 masked youths tried to force the closure of the parliament building, with riot police responding by using volleys of tear gas to disperse the seething mob.
Thousands of demonstrators hold Greek flags during a rally outside parliament in Athens today as they protested against a name change deal with Macedonia
Greece’s Parliament is to vote this coming week on whether to ratify the agreement that will rename its northern neighbour North Macedonia
Protesters clash with riot police during a rally held today against the controversial deal, which could end a 27-year dispute
A protester attacks a riot policeman with a wooden pole during the bad tempered demonstration, damaging his riot shield
Protesters hurled paint bombs and smoke grenades at riot police, who were out in force to try and beat back the angry demonstrators
A priest reacts as he holds a cracked icon depicting the Virgin Mary holding the Christ child during today’s demonstration
Police estimates put the number of demonstrators at 60,000, while organisers said 100,000 people had arrived for the rally.
Hundreds of buses brought demonstrators to Athens, with several coming from the region of northern Greece also called Macedonia.
At least 25 police officers were injured and seven people arrested, police said.
A first aid station said two protesters were hospitalised with breathing difficulties.
Some masked protesters also set upon journalists at the scene, smashing the equipment of photographers and cameramen, according to an AFP reporter.
Hundreds of buses brought demonstrators to Athens, with several coming from the region of northern Greece also called Macedonia
Police officers form a line as protesters approach them during a demonstration against the agreement in Athens today
A molotov cocktail explodes next to Greek riot police during today’s bad tempered clashes with angry protesters
At least 25 police officers were injured and seven people arrested, police said, with two protesters hospitalised with breathing difficulties
While many of the violent clashes involved younger protesters, people of all ages took to the streets to express their discontent
Police estimates put the number of demonstrators at 60,000, while organisers said 100,000 people had arrived for the rally
According to the government ‘the incidents were provoked by extremists, members of the Golden Dawn, who attempted to enter parliament’.
‘They attacked police with bits of wood and clubs, sending dozens of wounded to the hospital,’ said a statement from Prime Minister Tsipras.
A wide range of Greek political parties, from the far-right Golden Dawn to the Socialists, oppose the accord to rename Macedonia the Republic of North Macedonia.
But it could nonetheless be approved by the required 151 deputies in the 300-seat parliament in the coming days.
Years of tense negotiations finally brought the agreement last June between Greece’s left-wing Prime Minister and his Macedonian counterpart.
The dispute dates back to 1991 and the break-up of Yugoslavia after Macedonia adopted its name when it became an independent nation.
Protesters clash with police in front of the Greek parliament as they were fought back in their attempts to shut the legislature down
A wide range of Greek political parties, from the far-right Golden Dawn to the Socialists, oppose the accord but it could still be passed later this week
A priest covers his face to avoid inhaling tear gas as he joins protesters waving Greece flags in a day of demonstrations in Athens today
Demonstrators, one holding the Greek flag, are seen in a cloud of tear gas next to the flag with the star of Vergina, the emblem of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia
Riot police could be seen working hard to beat back the protesters, with several of them being arrested by officers amid the carnage
Protesters are against the deal because they believe that any use of the name Macedonia in the neighboring country’s name is a usurpation of ancient Greek heritage and implies territorial claims on Greece.
Among the people who addressed the protest were former conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, a member of the Mount Athos monastic community and a Greek-American former politician, Chris Spirou, once a member of New Hampshire’s House of Representatives.
In northern Greece, farmers temporarily blocked the highway leading to the Macedonian border in solidarity. It later reopened.
About 300 anarchists staged a counter-demonstration Sunday. Police erected barriers to prevent clashes. After their otherwise peaceful rally, anarchists burned a car with official license plates.
Protesters crumple to the floor as riot police – wearing gas masks- release tear gas in an attempt to beat them back in Athens
A cleric holds up an icon as protesters react near the Greek Parliament during today’s demonstration which involved thousands
Furious protesters hold a fag of Greece’s Macedonia region in front of the Greek Parliament in Athens today as they fight against a planned deal