Athens and Thessaloniki Like War Zones After Thursday Riots
A day after widespread clashes between anarchists and police in central Athens and Thessaloniki, the scenes coming from the two city centers are shocking.
Cars and motorbikes lie as burned-out hulks, shops are destroyed and streets choked with debris look more like a war zone rather than the bustling, modern city centers that they are.
Last night’s confrontations took place around Exarcheia, a neighborhood that always suffers most during the annual demonstrations. This year marked the tenth anniversary of the murder of the 15-year old boy Alexandros Grigoropoulos.
Young men who claimed to be anarchists, with covered their faces, smashed sidewalk concrete, threw rocks and pieces of lumber at the police during the night. They also placed barricades across several streets in central Athens, around Exarcheia district.
Thirteen people were arrested throughout the night, two of whom are German nationals. All are expected to be brought before the district attorney of Athens.
Three people were transferred to hospitals in the night because of injuries they sustained during the night’s clashes.
A video on Twitter showed one police officer beating one of the young men they had taken into custody. Police authorities announced that they have already launched an investigation for the incident.
We witnessed a police officer beating an handcrafted young men at Exarchia, Athens. #antireport pic.twitter.com/CiCWCxgory
— · Hibai Arbide Aza · (@Hibai_) December 6, 2018
The city of Thessaloniki also witnessed widespread violence on Thursday night, and one of the new metro system construction sites on Egnatia street was set ablaze. The Theology department on the campus of Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University was also vandalized, with spray-painted symbols of anarchy left on the office furniture.
Fifteen people were arrested following the clashes, with the University issuing a statement condemning the incidents, saying that ”today is a day of mourning” for the University.
