Greek police fired tear gas and water cannons on Saturday to break up a demonstration of thousands of people protesting against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations.
Authorities said protesters hurled flares at police in Greece's second-biggest city of Thessaloniki, who blocked them from trying to reach the area where Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was due to deliver his annual economic address.
The annual speech typically attracts crowds of demonstrators, and police estimated more than 15,000 people, including labour unions, took part in the demonstrations on issues ranging from economic policy to Covid-19 vaccines.
The two worlds that collide in Greece. On the left students of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Law School that held their first outdoor class. On the right a riot police force that is prevailing students & members of staff from accessing campus facilities. 1/ pic.twitter.com/r5BOjJzDqq
— Giorgos Katsambekis (@G_Katsambekis) March 14, 2021
The protesters clashed with riot police near the venue, throwing firebombs, firecrackers and stones at police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades and gave chase to the protesters. The clashes lasted about an hour, and there were nine arrests.
There were also protest marches by unionists and the extreme left. Participants in the latter burned a US and a European Union flag, as well as electricity bills, but there was no confrontation with police.
Protests against Covid-19 vaccinations began in July after the government announced the mandatory inoculation of health care workers and nursing home staff.
Authorities have suggested vaccines could become obligatory for other groups too, such as teachers.
'Yes to vaccines, but not mandatorily,' the federation of public hospital workers, POEDYN, said in a statement.
Greece has suspended nearly 6,000 frontline health care workers from their jobs for missing a September 1 deadline to get at least one vaccine shot.
Earlier this month, it offered unvaccinated healthcare workers a second chance to get a shot and allow those who have been suspended to return to work.
POEDYN is worried that a total of 10,000 unvaccinated staff could be suspended, disrupting operations at understaffed hospitals at a time when infections remain high.
Tougher air, sea and rail transport restrictions also come into effect on Monday, with the unvaccinated no longer entitled to free testing.
The protests came as Mitsotakis delivered a speech on Greece's economy, his keynote address at the Thessaloniki International Fair, where heads of government traditionally announce the coming year's policies.
Mitsotakis noted that despite there are about 70,000 more people employed than before despite the pandemic; 46,000 additional businesses, and bank savings increased by 35 billion euros (£29 billion), of which 20 billion (£17 billion) were from additional household savings.
The prime minister also put special emphasis on climate change following massive wildfires that ravaged the country last month.
'This tragedy of overheating will be avoided only if the planet reduces [carbon] emissions to zero by 2050,' he said, adding that his government will effect a swift transition away from the heavily polluting lignite, or brown coal, into renewable energy.
#Grecia: 15.000 persone manifestano contro obbligo vaccinale. (Thessaloniki: Greek riot police blast tear gas and water cannons in bid to stop 15,000 activists protesting mandatory vaccines from reaching area where PM was delivering economic address) pic.twitter.com/sDvv2ULGab
— Panta Rei ???✝️ (@rej_panta) September 12, 2021
Over 14,000 people in Greece have died from causes related to the pandemic.
Around 5.7 million Greeks, or 55 per cent of the population, are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and 59 per cent have received one dose, according to the latest official figures.
The country recorded 2,197 confirmed new infections on Saturday, and 39 deaths.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
