Dozens arrested in new squat crackdown
A police operation was carried out in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, on Wednesday morning to prevent an attempt by members of an anti-establishment group to retake a building in the city center. Police said 29 people were arrested.
The Aristotle University building, at the junction of Taskos Papageorgiou and Olympou streets, housed the so-called Terra Incognita squat from 2004 until it was evacuated by police in August 2020. The premises were sealed ever since.
Before they were cleared out on Wednesday, members of the group hung banners from the roof of the building, in solidarity with a hunger-striker imprisoned on terrorism charges.
Citizens’ Protection MInister Takis Theodorikakos said the operation was part of ongoing efforts to “decisively tackle every form of criminality, putting an end to squats and gray areas of lawlessness, and returning public spaces to society,” he said.
