Greek police put down anti-fascist demo in Thessaloniki

Greek police put down anti-fascist demo in Thessaloniki, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Cities across Greece saw violent clashes between riot police and anti-fascist demonstrators who had organised rallies to protest the killing of left wing singer Pavlos Fyssas by a member of Golden Dawn. Fysass, 34 was stabbed to death after an altercation in a cafe in a suburb of the Greek port city of Pireaus, one of the most economically deprived districts in the country.

In Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city about 5,000 people took part in the protest march which planned to pass by the two Golden Dawn offices in the centre of the city, however, police coaches closed off the approach. Later riot police units used tear gas, flash grenades and baton charges to disperse demonstrators, leading to running street battles through the commercial district of Greece's second largest city.