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Tens of thousands of Greeks demonstrated Sunday in the center of Athens before the vote of the Greek Parliament on the weekend of the Prespes agreement. REUTERS / Alkis Konstantinidis

In Athens, more than 60,000 people demonstrated to deny the former Yugoslav Republic's name to be the Republic of Northern Macedonia. For nearly 30 years, a majority of Greeks believe that only the Greek region of Macedonia has the right to bear this name. But the Prespes agreement signed in June could change that. It must be ratified by the Greek Parliament by the end of the week, many in the demonstration demanded a popular consultation.

With our correspondent in Athens, Charlotte Stiévenard

In front of the Parliament in Athens, a banner floats on which one can read " A referendum on Macedonia now ". Litsa is an educator. She came from the city of Kavala in Macedonia, the Greek border region of the former Yugoslav Republic of the same name.

" We are Macedonians ," says Litsa. We love our homeland Greece. Macedonia is Greek. We believe they steal our nationality, our personality . "

" Make a referendum, Mr Tsipras , to see who is lying, who is fascist and who is a democrat, " claims one of the speakers at the microphone.

For Litsa it would be a good idea: " This would make visible the fact that the people disapproves of this agreement, " she said.

Many in the manifestation seem indeed unshakable as Athina. This retired believes that the Greeks also have a say on the name of the neighboring country: " These people are homeless and they want to appropriate the name and identity. We will not give them, "she says.

The demonstration went off quietly until clashes between 20 rioters and the police broke out. Several journalists were injured, including one by suspected members of the Golden Dawn, the neo-Nazi party.