Arrests in Greece after protest during Obama visit

On the first day of his visit, Obama also touched on issues that have shaken Greek society – a dramatic influx of migrants fleeing war and poverty and a crippling financial crisis.

“It fuels a feeling that globalization only benefits those at the top”, he said.

Many Greeks feel that had Obama’s visit come sooner in the economic crisis, it might have helped more.

“History does not move in a straight line, it zigs and zags”, Mr Obama said.

“When we see people, global elites, wealthy corporations seemingly living by a different set of rules, avoiding taxes, manipulating loopholes. this feeds a profound sense of injustice”, he added.

Opening his final overseas trip as president, Obama acknowledged he was surprised by Trump’s victory – and said it stemmed from deep-seated anxieties among working-class Americans that government must do better to address.

The president earlier opened his Greek visit by offering reassuring words in Greece about the USA commitment to NATO even as he prepares to hand off to a Donald Trump administration, saying Democratic and Republican administrations alike recognize the importance of the alliance to the trans-Atlantic relationship.

And to listeners at home fearful about Trump, he offered a path out of the wilderness, albeit a long and winding one. “And that will include, frankly, acknowledgement of our election results, the Brexit election results”.

Leftist groups are angry that Obama, the first U.S. leader to visit Athens since Bill Clinton in 1999, is visiting just two days before the anniversary of a bloody 1973 student revolt that helped topple a Greek military junta backed by Washington.

‘The fate of the world is teetering and you, North Carolina, are going to have to make sure that we push it in the right direction, ‘ he said.

Mr Obama leaves Greece on Thursday to fly to Germany for talks with Ms Merkel.

Tuesday’s violence placed Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ left-wing Syriza party in an uncomfortable position: Formerly a key participant in anti-American and anti-austerity protests, it is now using the same crowd control measures it used to strongly deplore. In turn, technology limits unawareness and ignorance, as it drives up the availability of information, while also generating a wave of pessimism, however, as we are now exposed to every single instance of violence and racial injustice.

“When you see a Donald Trump and a Bernie Sanders, very unconventional candidates have considerable success, obviously there’s something there that’s being tapped into”.

Before his speech, Obama climbed up the Acropolis, the ancient citadel that serves as a monument to free thought and artistic expression. Obama passed through the Propylaea, the monumental gateway that serves as an entrance to the site, and walked along the Parthenon temple, which is dedicated to the goddess Athena, considered the patron of Athens.

More than 5,000 police were deployed in the capital’s streets for the two-day visit.

The first USA president to visit Greece since Bill Clinton in 1999, Obama was in Athens to discuss the country’s financial problems and the possibility of further debt relief from Europe, but he seemed preoccupied by events back home.

On Tuesday night, a few thousand globalization opponents sparred with police during protests in Athens. In fact, establishing the system is an even more considerable challenge in America, as it is characterized by racial, religious and cultural diversity. “And there is no doubt that has produced populist movements, both from the left and the right”, he said.