Protests at streets and outside court house of Thessaloniki, in support of Esphigmenou Monastery monks in Mt. Athos, after court of Thessaloniki convicted the abbot and a monk to twenty years in prison. Meanwhile anarchists tried to invade the demonstration. “Hands off the Esphigmenou Monastery”
The monk found guilty for throwing firebombs at a court bailiff who was trying to evict the monks from a building in Karyes, capital of the Mt. Athos monastic community, in July 2013, while Abbot Methodios was convicted for incitement. Another six monks were sentenced to 10 years as accessories but were freed on appeal. Esphigmenou Monastery has been involved in a long-standing dispute with the Ecumenical Patriarch whom they accuse of treason for seeking better relations with the Catholic Church.