NEWS

Golden Dawn marches to US Embassy over 1996 islet incident

More than 5,000 supporters of Greece’s extreme-right Golden Dawn party marched past the US Embassy in Athens on Saturday night, chanting anti-Turkish, anti-US and anti-immigrant slogans to commemorate a 1996 border incident that caused a crisis between Greece and Turkey.

Many of the marchers held burning torches and hundreds of motorcyclists brought up the rear.

The march ended peacefully.

The 1996 incident involved two uninhabited islets off the Turkish coast whose ownership is disputed by Turkey and Greece.

Nationalists from both countries planted flags on the islets, and a military confrontation between the two nations was only averted after US intervention. Three Greek navy officers died when their helicopter crashed during a reconnaissance mission in the area.

Withdrawal of the Greek flag was seen by nationalists as a shameful capitulation. [AP]

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.