ATHENS, Greece - Some 15,000 demonstrators chanting "we'll stop the war" marched to the American embassy in central Athens Saturday to protest the U.S.-led attack in Iraq.

Protesters splashed red paint on the road outside the embassy building and onto the front windows of a McDonalds restaurant.

Earlier Saturday, another McDonalds restaurant was damaged in a grenade attack after closing hours in an Athens suburb. No one was hurt and there was no immediate claim of responsibility, police said.

Authorities have tightened security at potential targets in the Greek capital after a spate of arson attacks against U.S. banks and other businesses since the war began.

The public in NATO-member Greece is overwhelmingly opposed to the war and all main political parties — including the governing Socialists — support the near-daily demonstrations to the American embassy.

Smaller rallies were also held in other Greek cities.

In Veria, in northern Greece, 2,000 protesters gathered near a meeting of European Union justice and interior ministers who ended two days of informal talks Saturday.

Police arrested six demonstrators who chained themselves to a bridge.

Greece currently holds the EU presidency.

Several thousand protesters also gathered in the northern city of Thessaloniki.

And in the western port of Patras, police fired tear gas to disperse several hundred demonstrating youths.  
 
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