New protest in northern Greece against FYROM name deal
About 2,500 people, waving Greek flags and chanting slogans, have gathered in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki to protest a preliminary deal over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).
Wednesday's protest was organized by hardline groups that staged large rallies in Thessaloniki and Athens against a potential compromise earlier this year, before the agreement was concluded this month.
Similar protests have turned violent in the past.
Under the deal — which will take months to be finalized — FYROM will be renamed "North Macedonia."
It would end a 27-year dispute that started after Greece objected to its northern neighbor's name, saying it implied claims on the adjacent Greek province of Macedonia.
Hardliners on both sides of the border oppose the agreement, saying it offers too big concessions to the other country. [AP]
