Keratea landfill will go ahead, insists government
The government says it will not back down from the construction of a waste management center in Keratea, southeast of Athens, following another night of fighting between police and protesters.
Speaking to Skai TV, Deputy Interior Minister Theodora Tzakri said that the government intends to see through longstanding plans to build a landfill near the village.
She said that the courts have backed the decision to build the facility and that the government has tried to appease locals by withdrawing police from the area.
However, the situation in Keratea is as tense as ever after seven hours of clashes between protestors and police on Tuesday. The exchanges of tear gas and Molotov cocktails went on well into the night and resulted in four policemen and four locals being injured. One person was arrested.
Authorities said that they managed to open Lavriou Avenue, which links Athens with the port of Lavrio, after a bulldozer removed both barricades that had been constructed by protestors.
