
Communist protesters have rioted in Athens to protest U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Greece.

Pompeo's visit on Saturday was met by demonstrators from the KKE, the Greek Communist Party, who burned an American flag, fought with police and threw red paint at a statue of former US President Harry Truman.

Members of the Communist-affiliated trade union PAME were also spotted attacking riot cops, who responded by blasting them with pepper spray.

During his visit to the NATO ally, Pompeo met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Defense Minister Panos Panagiotopoulos to discuss economic reform and security cooperation.

Protesters burn a U.S. flag during a demonstration against the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Athens Saturday

The American flag is burned in Athens as protester demonstrate against the visit of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Communist-affiliated protesters take part in a demonstration against the visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Mike Pompeo delivers his speech at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens. He said: 'That's harassment. And I'm never going to let that happen to my team'

Protesters in the Greek capital, which is frequently wracked by Communist and Anarchist demonstrations, also burned a Nato flag.

They focused particular ire on the statue of Truman, which has a long history of being toppled, defaced, bombed and abused by anti-American demonstrators.

Erected outside the U.S. embassy in downtown Athens in 1963, the statue was funded by the conservative Greek-American AHEPA organization.

Red paint is thrown by protesters at the statue of former US President Harry Truman in Athens

Greek police tried to protect the statue from further vandalism after it was attacked by Communists

The Truman statue is reviled by Greek leftists, and has previously been bombed and attacked with a chainsaw

A leftist protester holds a placard bearing a portrait of Mike Pompeo and reading 'not welcomed' as they take part in a demonstration to protest against the visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias bids farewell to his US counterpart Mike Pompeo after their meeting Saturday

In remarks in Athens, Pompeo accused members of Congress of harassing his department to obtain documents linked to an impeachment investigation against President Donald Trump.

'There have been congressional inquiries that have harassed and abused State Department employees by contacting them directly and seeking to have them provide documents... that belong to the State Department, that are official US government records' he said during a visit in Greece.

'That's harassment. And I'm never going to let that happen to my team.'

The US congressional committees leading the impeachment probe cranked up the heat on the White House this week amid mounting evidence that Trump may have illicitly used his office to enlist Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's help to damage the bid of 2020 Democratic rival Joe Biden in exchange for military aid.

After dodging questions for days, Pompeo finally confirmed Wednesday that he had been on the telephone call when Trump pressed Ukraine for damaging information on Biden.

Riot police fight with protesters demonstrating in Athens against the visit of Mike Pompeo

Protesters from the Communist-affiliated trade union PAME clash with riot police during a demonstration in Athens Saturday

Communists clash with riot police during a demonstration against the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Athens

Riot police respond with chemical irritants after communists attacked during protests in Athens

Pompeo's Democratic critics say he is now a 'witness' caught in a conflict of interest that should rule him out of decisions on how the State Department deals with the investigation.

He has been accused of 'stonewalling' the investigation and trying to limit what his staff could discuss if they testify.

Pompeo, who has been subpoenaed in the probe, said Saturday his department would provide 'all the documents required by the law', at a press conference in Athens.

The US top official was in Greece to reinforce cooperation with its NATO ally, signing an amendment to a mutual defense agreement.

A riot policeman stands covered in red paint thrown by protesters from the Communist-affiliated trade union PAME