Fortress parliament ahead of Prespa vote and demonstrations

More than 1,500 police officers will be used to stop and apprehend protests that have been announced on Thursday, against the Prespa agreement.

Police walls with six riot police buses and a total of 300 police officers will man the security barricades around the House and the Foreign Ministry and will be set up gradually starting in the morning.

The police are expected to employ drones and a helicopter to have an image of what is happening, while the Metro station in Syntagma is expected to close around at 15:00.

The main barricade will be at the side entrance of the Parliament on Vasilisis Sofia street, which will be double and will form a safe passageway for the unimpeded access of parliamentarians to parliament without hindrance and thrown objects as had happened in the recent past.

One block of riot police will set up in the flower shops, on the side of parliament and the second one above Academias Street.

Finally, the police planning foresees the installation of two double squadrons of riot police, with the first human barrier being set up in front of the Unknown Soldier's Monument and the second above it, to strengthen the first in the case of coordinated attacks.

Two rallies were announced for 18:00 in the afternoon in downtown Athens. The first in Syntagma Square, without a platform and speakers, by the "Committee for the Struggle for the Hellenicity of Macedonia", which organized the great rally last Sunday, while the other is organized by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) at the Freedom Park.