Greek and German activists protested outside the German Embassy in Athens on Saturday to demand reparations for Nazi crimes committed in Greece during World War II.

The demonstration was held on the 70th anniversary of the massacre of 218 civilians in the village of Distomo in central Greece by the Nazis on June 10, 1944.

Holding banners that read "justice and compensation", the group of about 100 protesters called for immediate action from Germany on a cause that has been taken up by pressure groups and opposition figures in Greece since the onset of the financial crisis.

Many Greeks blame Germany for the strict austerity imposed on their country in return for a massive $327 billion bailout funded jointly by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

Greece agreed to significantly cut public spending to receive the bailout and stay in the eurozone of 18 European Union countries that share the euro as a common currency. But the austerity measures imposed by the government, at the insistence of the EU, are deeply unpopular.

One of the most prominent campaigners on the issue, former Greek resistance fighter and newly elected member of the European Parliament, Manolis Glezos, told Skai radio station that the issue of reparations would be the first thing he raises at the European Parliament.

Glezos, who at 91 is the oldest person to be elected to the parliament, is a member of the left-wing SYRIZA party.

Greek President Karolos Papoulias, who was also a member of the resistance to the Nazis from 1942 to 1944, supports the campaign for reparations and claims to have raised the issue with his German counterpart during a visit to Greece in March.

A working group set up by the Greek government estimates that the total amount due to Greece is $220 billion.

Germany argues that the issue of reparations to Greece was settled in 1960 as part of an agreement with several European governments.