Christmas tree attacked by Greek rioters

Rioters attacked a Christmas tree in central Athens today, tossing rubbish and hanging bin bags from its branches before clashing with riot police.

In the northern city of Thessaloniki, a small-group of self-styled anarchists occupied a cinema in the city’s main square and threw cakes and sweets at Mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos and one of his deputies. The mayor was attending a Christmas event distributing the sweets to children with sickle-cell anaemia, when the rioters seized the stand and threw its contents at the city officials.