Spree of anarchist violence in center
Suspected anarchists staged a series of raids in central Athens on Tuesday night and yesterday morning, causing widespread damage but no injuries and fueling fears of a new wave of «anti-establishment» protests. The most violent attack was on a branch of Attica Bank in central Athens at 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Around 15 youngsters used sledgehammers to smash the building’s glass facade before throwing homemade Molotov cocktail bombs inside. The bombs started a fire on the ground and first floors, trapping two people there. The bank’s legal adviser and guard managed to flee to the roof of the building where a fire engine crane collected them. Police believe the same assailants targeted a nearby fast-food store later. Vandals also attacked a car, parked outside the Foreign Ministry, belonging to Deputy Minister Yiannis Valinakis. Also alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros was pelted with yogurt while dining at an Exarchia taverna with his family. This followed an attack Monday night on a car belonging to right-wing LAOS Deputy Kyriakos Velopoulos. Early yesterday, vandals hurled stones at offices belonging to New Democracy and the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) in the central district of Petralona.
