The mayor of Greece’s second-largest city was admitted to hospital with injuries after he was set upon by a group of ultra-nationalist demonstrators.
The attack took place in the northern coastal city of Thessaloniki on Saturday during a commemoration marking the killing of Greeks in the Ottoman Empire during the tail end of the World War I.
Known to many Greeks as the “Pontic Genocide”, the killings are marked by annual events organised by Pontic Greek associations. Groups and representatives from across the political spectrum attend each year.
The 75-year-old mayor, Yiannis Boutaris, reportedly sustained injuries to his head, back and legs after being attacked with bottles and kicked in the head and body.
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