Masses of Greeks march on US Embassy

national | miscellaneous | news report

Thursday March 20, 2003 14:57

by fianna fail scumbag

Greeks protest against the US agressors and killers of kids

More than 100,000 people, many of them high school and university students, have marched on the US Embassy in Athens.

Mass demonstrations are being held throughout Greece to protest the war against Iraq, and more are planned for Friday and the weekend.

Chanting "No to the war" and "Americans killers of people," the protesters in Athens gathered for the first of two demonstrations organised by student and teachers' unions.

Teachers' unions across Greece gave students the day off to take part in the demonstrations. The American Community School in Athens was closed for security reasons until March 24. More than 50 children from the US embassy attend the school.

Police said a suburban branch of America's Citibank was slightly damaged by a firebomb. There was no claim of responsibility. Police have beefed up security at American businesses around Greece.

In other demonstrations, more than 11,000 people took part in a march to the US Consulate in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, while about 10,000 rallied outside the British Consulate in the western port of Patras.

Police said a few demonstrators in Patras hurled eggs and petrol bombs at the consulate, but the molotov cocktails missed their target and were quickly extinguished. Thousands of people had earlier held candlelit vigils in Athens and Thessaloniki.

Greeks overwhelmingly oppose the war and many newspapers and television stations have been highly critical of the US-led action, many urging Greeks to demonstrate. "Desert nightmare has begun," wrote the Athens daily Ethnos, while the headline in the daily Ta Nea read "Millions are defenseless at the mercy of super weapons."

The government, which holds the EU presidency, also opposes the war but has cited international and bilateral agreements to allow the US to use its airspace and a US Navy base in Souda Bay, Crete. The base hosts refueling and spy planes.

Government spokesman, Tilemahos Hitiris, said: "Greece is against the war and Greece is not participating in the war. The Greek government expresses its disappointment because a war that could have been averted has been underway since the early morning hours."