Official of extremist group allegedly attacks Athens mayor

ATHENS, Greece, May 2 (UPI) -- Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis was allegedly assaulted by a Golden Dawn official as police barred the right-wing party from staging a Greeks-only food giveaway.

Golden Dawn deputy Giorgos Germenis allegedly tried to hit Kaminis, who was at Syntagma Square distributing Easter candles to children but was blocked by the mayor's security guards, ekathimerini.com reported.

Police used tear gas to prevent Golden Dawn members from using Athens' main square to distribute food ahead of this weekend's Orthodox Easter.

A 12-year-old girl was injured.

A witness said Germenis tried to reach for his gun during the incident.

Members of Golden Dawn later were seen distributing food outside of the party headquarters, ekathimerini.com said.

Ekathimerini.com didn't report on any arrests.

Kaminis praised police efforts to bar Golden Dawn's food giveaway as a "victory for the democratic state."

"Syntagma Square will never be used again by anyone to hand out goods," he told Skai TV. "This square belongs to the city's residents. Only the municipality can decide how it is used."

Last year, Golden Dawn conducted a similar event in Syntagma Square, asking to see people's ID cards to ensure migrants didn't receive the food.