GREEK PRIDE PARADE ATTACKED

Anti-gay protestors have thrown eggs and plastic bottles at participants in a Pride parade in Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, in the north of the country.

Associated Press reported that around 50 people were held back by police after they began pelting the 400 Pride participants with objects.

The authorities said, however, that there were no reports of injuries during Saturday’s parade, the first-ever in the city.

The incident follows recent anti-gay comments by Bishop Anthimos, the senior Greek Orthodox cleric in Thessaloniki.

In a statement just days before the event, he described the Pride celebrations as “an unacceptable event on our city’s ethics” and said that the march was “immoral”.

He was particularly incensed that the parade would pass in front of two large churches in the city.

The Greek capital Athens held its eighth annual Pride celebrations earlier this month without incident.