Injury in fracas at tollbooth
A woman working at the Afidnes toll station north of Athens was hospitalized after suffering injuries to her neck, head and abdomen on Tuesday.
According to Nea Odos, the firm responsible for the section of highway from Metamorphosi in northern Athens to the Maliakos Gulf in central Greece, the employee was allegedly attacked by protesters belonging to the ?I won?t pay? movement.
?I won?t pay? supporters have been blockading tollgates around the country or forcing the bars open since last year in protest at increased charges. They have also refused to pay for public transportation, citing the same reason.
According to a statement released by Nea Odos, a group of ?I won?t pay? protesters attacked the tollbooth attendant when she accepted money from a motorist who expressed his desire to pay while they were staging a blockade.
The statement also added that the demonstrators went on to block access to the ambulance that had been called to the scene to attend to the injured woman, whose transportation to the KAT trauma hospital in northern Athens was delayed by at least half an hour and made possible only after police were called in to disperse the protesters.
The ?I won?t pay? group issued a response in which it said that the tollbooth attendant attacked its protesters first, injuring the face of one member of the group.
