(ANSA-AP) - ATHENS, JANUARY 20 - Protesters clashed with
police outside Greece's parliament during a rally that drew tens
of thousands of people Sunday against the Greek-Macedonia name
deal.
Demonstrators threw rocks, flares, firebombs, paint and
others objects at riot police who responded with tear gas. Some
protesters jumped over a fence and tried to scale the steps, but
officers chased them back down. One man draped in a Greek flag
attacked police with a large stick, while others swung big flags
on wooden poles to strike officers. Police said nine officers
were injured. Parliament is expected to start a debate Monday on
ratifying the deal and vote on it by Friday. Macedonia's
parliament has already approved it, agreeing that the country
would go by the name North Macedonia. Macedonia and Greece
struck the deal in June to end a decades-long dispute over
Macedonia's name, which Greece says harbors territorial claims
on its northern province of the same name. Protesters are
against the deal because they believe that any use of the name
Macedonia in the neighboring country's name is a usurpation of
ancient Greek heritage and implies territorial claims on Greece.
Organizers of Sunday's protest in Athens said they hoped to
attract more than 600,000 people. Police estimated a crowd size
of 60,000. (ANSA-AP).
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