A group of far-right Greek extremists burned Turkish flags late Friday in Thessaloniki to protest the reopening of the Hagia Sophia Mosque for worship in Istanbul.

Axar.az reports citing Turkish media that the group burned a Turkish flag after gathering outside the Agia Sofia Church before marching toward the Turkish Consulate while holding signs that read: "For homeland, nation and orthodoxy."

Protesters were stopped outside the consulate by security forces but burned another Turkish flag and sang the Greek national anthem and shouted slogans.

Besides being a functioning mosque, Hagia Sophia is also among Turkey’s top tourism destinations for domestic and foreign visitors alike.