Skouries protests begin in Athens
Traffic was being diverted in Mesogheion Avenue on Thursday morning as protesters in favor of a gold mine in Skouries, Halkidiki, in northern Greece, were gradually gathering outside the Ministry of Production Reconstruction.
Authorities said that about 4,000 Skouries miners and supporters of the mine’s operations had arrived in Athens on 82 buses. They were protesting the ministry’s decision to suspend one of the mine’s licenses in order to carry out a review of the project.
Meanwhile, a second demonstration by activists opposing the project in Skouries mainly due to its environmental impact, was expected to begin outside the main entrance to Athens University at 6 p.m.
In their efforts to keep the two protests apart authorities were imposed a series of emergency measures in central Athens on Thursday.
