Sunday, January 20, 2019

Many Protest in Athens on FYROM's New Name; Oppose New Republic of North Macedonia Name

Clashes broke out today (January 20, 2019) between police and a group of masked protesters in Athens, as tens of thousands demonstrated against a name change deal with neighboring FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) that the Greek parliament is due to ratify in days, according to the AFP website.

The violence flared as Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras attempts to face down a political storm over his championing of a landmark agreement with Macedonia aimed at ending a 27-year dispute with Athens over the country's name. Macedonia is also the name of a province in northern Greece.

Twenty-five police officers were hurt in the protests, while two protesters were hospitalized with breathing difficulties.

Several Greek political parties oppose the accord to rename Macedonia the Republic of North Macedonia. But it could be approved by the required 151 deputies in the 300-seat parliament in the coming days.

No comments:

Post a Comment