Greek protesters topple Truman statue in anti-war demo

ATHENS, July 25 (Reuters) In a move harking back to the US invasion of Iraq, Greek leftists pulled down a statue of former US President Harry S Truman as part of an anti-war demonstration today against the Israeli bombing of Lebanon. ''About 25 demonstrators tied ropes to the Truman statue and pulled it down,'' a police spokesman told Reuters.

The group was part of a larger demonstration of several hundred Greeks marching on the U.S. and Israeli embassies.

The statue, located in central Athens not far from the US embassy, has been the subject of numerous attacks over the years. It has been seriously damaged at least twice before, once by a bomb attack in the 1980s.

As president, Truman supported the right-wing Greek government against Greek Communists in the country's 1946-48 civil war.

REUTERS MQA PM2350