Raging Violent Anarchists Attack Police in Greece
Ain’t anarchy great?
Violence Erupts in Greek Strike
Riot police members are attacked with petrol bombs during a protest in Athens on Wednesday.
ATHENS—Greek police fought running street battles with hundreds of anarchist youths Wednesday as tens of thousands of workers marched through central Athens to protest against government austerity measures and draconian labor-market changes.
Hooded youths attacked police with petrol bombs and flares and a former conservative minister, Kostis Hatzidakis, was attacked while trying to exit from the parliament building.
The anarchists threw rocks at the lawmaker and he was chased and beaten with sticks. Pictures showed him bleeding from a wound apparently to his head. He eventually took flight and escaped into a nearby building.
A witness said more than 150 protestors were involved in the attack on the minister. The witness said they shouted: “Thieves, thieves, shame!”, but that it was directed at the whole of parliament itself rather than Mr. Hatzidakis directly.
The clashes caused minor property damage around Athens’s central Syntagma square, close to the parliament, with protesters using paving stones and other objects to hurl at police.
Protesters then rampaged through the city center, setting fires and damaging shop fronts around the central business district. At least three cars were damaged by the protesters,
In Syntagma square, police motorcycle squads charged protesters and detained several people.
“We have unfortunately had violent incidents,” police spokesman Panagiotis Papapetropoulos said. “Protesters threw Molotov cocktails at police and some injuries have been reported that are fortunately not serious. We have resorted to using tear gas and have made several detentions, but we don’t have the total numbers yet because the operations at several hot spots in the city are ongoing.”
Dimitrios Boubas, a spokesman in Mr. Hatzidakis’s political office, said in a statement: “He tried to leave the parliament and take a short walk to return to his nearby office but he was surrounded and attacked by a screaming crowd.
“He was injured in the attack but not very heavily. His bodyguard tried to protect him and a few people that were around also tried to prevent the crowd from harming him further.