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Special police to combat civil unrest stood face to face with their fellow protesters who blocked the main entrance of the Police Academy in the Goudi District, Athens. Trade unionists from the Greek police are using different methods to protest against the government's decision to cut their wages and to not pay them the overtime work of the last two years. As a sign of disagreement with the forthcoming steps, they blocked the entrance, where early on Thursday buses with squads of special forces should have left for Thessaloniki.

Over the weekend, the northern city will host the annual Thessaloniki International Fair. The state administration is increasing the police presence and is detaching commandos from Athens, who, if needed, will participate in the suppression of social unrest in the week of the fair.

About 50 protesters appeared suddenly in front of the Athens Police Academy in the early hours of the day and blocked the door from which the buses to Thessaloniki should have left. By ministerial order the police protesters were surrounded by their colleagues from the special forces to combat unrest. Escalating tensions led to several minor clashes between the two sides, but there was no openly manifested violence, nor use of chemicals.

Reactions in social media about the situation were not late in coming. Dissatisfaction with the new wage cuts, excessive taxes, expensive fuel and rising unemployment in Greece is increasing, but the police officers' clashes with their colleagues on duty caused mixed feelings in people. A Facebook user wrote: "An arrest by a policeman on charges of resisting against power and public disorder is yet to be seen....". Others commented that if it had been a protest of any other professional or social group, to prevent the execution of an important task, the special forces would have pulled truncheons out as well as bottles with tear gas, and the matter would have ended there and then. 

Shortly before 11 a.m. the police protesters withdrew because their competent minister said he would receive them for a meeting to discuss how to solve the problem with the payment of overtime work. Meanwhile, workers from the shipyards in the country blocked Mesogeion Avenue in Athens also in protest against the cuts in their incomes.