A group of anarchists attacked Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and his wife Danae Stratou while they were dining at a restaurant in Athens on Tuesday, but luckily the couple wasn’t harmed.
About 30 youngsters reportedly yelled at the couple to leave and threw glass objects at them, but Varoufakis’ wife
shielded him by hugging him, Reuters reported. The group tried briefly to hit Varoufakis without hitting his wife and then retreated.
Details on what prompted the attack aren't clear, though Varoufakis said he thought the group was trying to embarrass him rather than injure him.
Varoufakis eventually left the restaurant, where he told the anarchists they could beat him but they had to listen to him first,
the Greek Reporter said. About 200 people gathered around as he talked with them. The encounter ended peacefully.
"I started a dialogue with them, saying that I wanted to hear them out, even if that meant that I would be hit," Varoufakis said, according to Reuters. "After 15 minutes of a tense but non-violent talk, spirits calmed."
The anarchists had their faces covered, but Varoufakis said the
incident was organized, The Guardian reported.
The outspoken minister has drawn criticism from European creditors over negotiations to unlock the country’s final bailout installment, the U.K. newspaper said. The country announced Monday that it was reshuffling its negotiating team.
The country’s banks have seen a sharp drop in deposits as the negotiations have
struggled, The Telegraph reported.
Twitter users commented on the incident.
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