Greek protesters target German officials at event

The protesting municipal workers pushed and threw coffee on a German consul, Wolfgang Hoelsche-Obermaier, as he arrived to attend the conference, which brought together Greek and German mayors in the northern city of Thessaloniki.

The workers later forced open shutters and tried to enter the building where the conference was held, but were pushed back by police.

A German deputy labor minister who has been appointed special envoy to Greece, Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, was also attending the event.

Fuchtel raised hackles in Greece after saying Wednesday that the work handled by 3,000 Greek municipal workers can be processed by 1,000 of their German colleagues. He later said his comments had been misunderstood.

"These people haven't come here to help us, but to announce our death sentence," said Themis Balasopoulos, leader of Greece's municipal workers union, who was at Thursday's demonstration.

The protesters chanted "Nazis out" and "This will not pass" as they tried to obstruct municipal officials from attending the conference.

Hoelsche-Obermaier said he was not upset by the attack against him.

"It was a misunderstanding. I am more pro-Greek than I was before today," he told reporters.

Germany is the biggest contributor to Greece's rescue loans and has been one of the most vocal advocates of the tough austerity measures demanded of Athens. As a result, protesters in Greece often target Germany in their demonstrations.

Asked about the incident, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the German-Greek meeting was "a good thing."

"I heard that there were very constructive talks," she said, but added that "Violence is no means for political disputes."