Greek protest over ID cards

Tens of thousands of people in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki have demonstrated against government plans to remove any reference to religious affiliation from Greek identity cards.

The protest was backed by the Greek Orthodox Church, whose officials say the plans will weaken the traditionally strong links between church and state.

Addressing the rally, the country's archbishop, Khristodoulos, urged Greeks to defend their faith like lions.

The government has accused the Church of meddling in politics and has vowed to push through the changes, which it says are aimed at bringing Greece into line with European Union standards of privacy.

But the Church says it will continue its campaign with a similar rally in Athens in a weeks' time.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service