Greeks take to streets in Macedonia name protest

More than 50,000 protesters massed in the streets of Thessaloniki, northern Greece’s biggest city, yesterday, police said, in a long-running row between Athens and Skopje over the use of the name Macedonia.

Athens argues that the name Macedonia suggests that Skopje has territorial claims to the northern Greek region of the same name, of which Thessaloniki is the capital.

Hardline clerics, far-right leaders and Greek diaspora groups had called for the rally, with the turnout exceeding media estimates of 30,000.