Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has said he and his wife came under attack by anarchists while dining in a central Athens restaurant.

In a statement Wednesday, Varoufakis said he and his wife were in the Exarchia district, a neighborhood popular with extreme leftists and anarchists, Tuesday night when a group barged into the restaurant.

The group, who had their faces covered, demanded the minister leave the area and threw glass objects at the couple, Varoufakis said, without either of them being hurt.

He said that when some of the group moved in a threatening manner against him, his wife embraced him so that the potential attackers could not get at him without hitting her first.

Varoufakis eventually spoke with the group outside the restaurant, he said, and tempers were calmed. [AP]