Notary

Notaries came under attack from members of a protest movement opposed to foreclosures of first homes at courts in Athens and Thessaloniki on Wednesday.

At the capital's main court complex, two notaries and a lawyer managed to break through a crowd of protesters and enter the courtroom where auctions were to take place but they were subsequently surrounded by demonstrators.

After months of protesters blocking notaries' access to courthouses around the country in protest at property foreclosures, the government has drafted legislation that will allow the auctions to take place online.

The coordinating committing of the Greek union of notaries on Tuesday announced its members would not be taking part in home auctions initiated by the Greek state, banks, pension funds and municipalities on Wednesday.

However, certain auctions could go ahead if permission was applied for by notaries, including those aimed at collecting unpaid wages or alimony, for instance.

The coordinating committee of Greece's union of notaries said its members would not be attending home auctions initiated by banks, the Greek state, pension funds and municipalities on Wednesday.

Demonstrators scuffle with riot police during a protest against home auctions outside the Bank of Greece offices in Thessaloniki on Wednesday. Early last month the association representing the country's notaries called on members to boycott repossessions of primary residences.

The coordinating committee of Greece's unions of notaries on Tuesday said that its members would not be attending weekly auctions again this Wednesday, after refusing to sign off on the process for several weeks.

Dozens of people protested at courthouses in Athens and Thessaloniki Wednesday, expressing their opposition to first-home foreclosures.

Around 150 protesters barged into the Athens Magistrates Court and forced the notaries in attendance out of the premises while heckling them.

There were similar scenes at Thessaloniki Magistrates Court.

The union representing Greek notaries on Tuesday called on its members to continue their boycott on foreclosures of first homes at courts on Wednesday.

The union representing Greek notaries on Tuesday called on its members to continue their boycott on foreclosures of first homes at courts on Wednesday.

Notaries have decided to extend their abstention from the legal proceedings of auctioning off main residences in Greek courts, scheduled to take place on Wednesday, October 19, until the government guarantees the smooth conditions for the procedures to move forward.