A mass rally in the heart of Athens called in reaction to the resurgent fYRoM “name issue” is scheduled to proceed as planned at 2 p.m. (12.00 GMT), with organizers expecting tens of thousands of people to attend, as buses continued to arrive in the Greek capital from around the country.
The protest in Syntagma square comes two and half years after another major rally greeted a “No” vote in a controversial July 2015 referendum announced by the Tsipras coalition government over creditors’ withdrawn offer at the time. This time, however, the leftist-rightist coalition government is on the defensive, and appears to be focus of much of the opposition that is ostensibly associated with negotiations – via a UN mediator – with the neighboring country over a mutually acceptable name for the latter. The theme of Sunday’s rally, in fact, is opposition to the term “Macedonia” in any solution for the “name issue”, itself a much more hard-line position than the one expressed in a 2008 Greek political party leaders’ decision. The latter allowed for a composite name with geographic qualifier before the name “Macedonia”, and for all uses (erga omnes).
Although trailing by double-digit percentage points in all mainstream opinion polls, very little to no political reaction to the current “strange bedfellows” coalition government has appeared on Greece’s streets and squares since the summer of 2015 – until the “name issue” resurfaced on the political agenda last month, that is.
Several government officials and SYRIZA lawmakers attempted to downplay Sunday’s rally, with some linking the event to far-right and ultra-nationalist quarters.
Another noteworthy development is the line-up of main speakers at Sunday’s rally, with renowned composer and veteran leftist icon Mikis Theodorakis joined by progressive constitutional law expert Giorgos Kasimatis, and the Orthodox Metropolitan (bishop) of Syros island, Dorotheos. The presence of a top ecclesiastical leader at the rally’s podium also marks an abrupt “about-face” by the powerful Church of Greece’s leadership and Archbishop Ieronymos, which first appeared negative towards the prospect of public demonstrations over the issue but then relented after a large turnout was recorded at a similar rally in the northern city of Thessaloniki two weeks ago.
A counter-rally was also held a few hours before the rally a few city blocks from Syntagma by antifa-like protesters amid an extremely heavy police presence.
The Syntagma metro station was also closed, as per a police order.
