Demonstrators disperse as police employ tear gas at Macedonia rally

The volume of protesters was large, with estimates speaking of at least 200,000 protesters. The vast majority of families, elderly and children. It is worth noting that the Police saw just 60,000 protesters. Indeed, it was unprecedented in its first announcement to speak of 100,000 protesters and later lower the number of protesters to 60,000. It should be noted that at the same time there were allegations that buses full of protesters were blocked at toll stations, and many demonstrators were not able to reach the center of Athens.

The rally had a pulse and everything seemed to run smoothly until a group of men some hooded attacked police on the stairs of the Parliament building and police apparently decided to dismantle the rally, otherwise one may consider the choice to drop tear gas in the crowd as deliberate, causing panic, respiratory problems and loss of consciousness among the elderly and children, and causing all those at the top of the square to run anywhich way to find breathing room.

The initial skirmishes resulted in the majority of the large crowd, which had gathered outside the Greek parliament to protest against the government’s plan to ratify a deal that would practically concede the term “Macedonia” to FYROM, dispersing.

Meanwhile, during the rally at Syntagma Square, a man was stabbed multiple times on Solonos Street after being assaulted by strangers who also burned his bike.
According to medical sources from the emergency ambulance services, the 35-year-old man was stabbed in his thigh and was rushed to the “Red Cross” hospital. So far, it has not been determined whether the man participated in the large rally at Syntagma.

After the escalation of the use of tear gas by police, many people, including children and elderly fainted and were rushed into the Hotel Grand Bretagne for first aid.

The police were quick to blame the riots and assaults on extreme right elements, claiming the rioters could not have been Antifa groups, extreme leftist groups or anarchists as they had been contained by security forces from approaching the main square.

It should be noted that the ruling leftist SYRIZA party has in the past been accused of either condoning or turning a blind eye to violent actions coming from extreme leftist groups.