Skirmishes between protesters and police

Skirmishes between protestors and riot police broke out in Athens and Thessaloniki on Sunday.

Over 12,000 people gathered in Syntagma Square on Sunday afternoon to demonstrate over the deadly rail collision in Tempe, releasing black balloons to mark the 57 deaths. However, almost an hour later an unidentified group clashed with officers on the scene with many of the peaceful demonstrators forced to leave.

The group thew Molotov cocktails, while the police utilized tear gas and flashbang grenades.

The police also clashed with members of the Greek Communist Party (KKE) in Thessaloniki, after the latter hung a banner off the city landmark, the White Tower. The police used tear gas to push back the protestors.

The KKE released a statement condemning the police intervention, calling it an “unprovoked attack.”