Greek Foreign Ministry condemns protest outside Turkish Consulate
The Greek Foreign Ministry issued a statement late on Friday condemning the actions of protesters outside the Turkish Consulate in the northern port city of Thessaloniki.
Dozens of Kurds had gathered earlier outside the diplomatic mission on Agiou Dimitriou Street to protest the death of 42-year-old jailed lawyer Ebru Timtik, who died in an Istanbul hospital on Thursday after a 238-day hunger strike in demand of a fair trial.
Chanting slogans against the Turkish government, protesters burned a banner bearing a photograph of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, prompting an intervention by the police.
In its ensuing announcement, the Foreign Ministry said it “fully condemns any action that does not accord with the spirit of peaceful protest.”
“All the necessary security measures have been taken and the Greek authorities have already taken the appropriate action,” the announcement added in reference to the arrest of two of the protesters and an investigation launched by a public prosecutor into the incident.
