Eleven cleared of toll protest charges

Eleven people who had been charged with obstructing traffic and breaching the peace during protests against a new toll station on the Athens-Thessaloniki national road in Afidnes, north of Athens, between 2009 and 2010 were acquitted Tuesday.

Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis and former SYRIZA MP and MEP Manolis Glezos were among those who spoke in court in defense of the accused.

The prosecutor recommended that the 11 be cleared of the charges as there was no evidence to suggest that they had been violent or caused any damage.