Greece's anti-immigrant Golden Dawn party scuffled with police who stopped them distributing food exclusively to Greeks in Athens' central square on Thursday (May 2) ahead of the Greek Orthodox Easter holiday on May 5.

Footage released by the party showed Golden Dawn members in their trademark black t-shirts hitting riot police on the head with rolled up Greek flags after being prevented from unloading eggs, bread, lamb to hand out in Syntagma Square.

Police responded with a brief burst of teargas.

Athens Mayor George Kaminis had banned the far-right party from conducting the handout in the square in front of parliament, calling it a "soup kitchen of hatred" because only those with a Greek identity card were eligible to receive food.

The party went ahead with the handout outside its offices, where hundreds gathered to collect potatoes and red Easter eggs.

Greeks have seen their living standards crumble as the country faces its sixth year of recession that has driven unemployment to record highs.

Opinion polls indicate Golden Dawn would be the third biggest party in Greece if elections were held now. The party, whose leader denies the Holocaust and whose members have been seen given Nazi-style salutes, denies it is neo-Nazi as alleged by critics.

Presented by Adam Justice