Riot police fired tear gas today at rioting protesters challenging a heavy security cordon protecting European leaders gathered at a Greek seaside resort.
Several hundred demonstrators ran away from about 10,000 peaceful marchers and pelted police with firebombs, rocks and bottles. The crowd then fled in panic from the clouds of tear gas at the "red zone" about three miles from the European Union summit side.
Police chased some of the protesters back toward the nearly deserted seaside village of Neos Marmaras, where marchers had gathered before heading to the security perimeter. Some protesters set fires along the road.
Most the marchers, who say they are opposed to violence, refused to join the anarchist contingent and planned later rallies. The protests represented the biggest potential flashpoint of the three day EU gathering in northern Greece.
The protesters carry a broad range of issues including environmental protection, stronger EU resistance to Washington's policies and labour reforms. A group of Greek miners fighting to keep their jobs joined the crowd.
Before the march, some demonstrators hunted the few open shops for swimming goggles or cloth strips as protection against a possible tear gas response from authorities. Most stores and some homes were sealed tight with metal sheeting.
At least 5,000 police were sent to confront the demonstrators. Some staked out the hills in case protesters tried to bypass the road to Porto Carras, about 60 miles south-east of Thessaloniki. Other patrols watched the beach, which was blocked by shipping containers.
Greek authorities erected a tent city for the protesters outside Thessaloniki and offered transport and other amenities in a bid to discourage the violence that has marred other major international gatherings in recent years.
AP