A group of Muslims will carry out a protest outside Saudi Arabia‘s embassy in Athens on Wednesday, in response to the recent execution of a Shiite cleric by Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, had been an outspoken critic of the Sunni Saudi Arabian regime for years. He was sentenced to death in October 2015, having been found guilty of looking to bring “foreign meddling” in the country, disobeying the country’s rulers and resorting to the use of arms against the Saudi state, according to the BBC.
He was among the 47 beheaded on Saturday, January 1. His execution instigated the reaction of Iranians, a group of which torched the Saudi embassy in Tehran a day later. Saudi Arabia responded by cutting diplomatic ties with Iran.
Ashir Haydar, the representative of the Shia community in Athens, noted that members of the Shia community, as well as certain Sunnis who condemn the execution will protest outside the Saudi embassy.
During an interview with Praktorio FM radio station, Haydar noted that there is no concern of the dispute between Shiites and Sunnis spilling over in Greece. He pointed out Shiites and Sunnis in Greece often attend each other’s events.
Haydar further claimed that the five legal bodies that represent Shiites in Greece are composed by 5,000-6,000 members.
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