Residents vow to guard park
Residents of the central Athens district of Kypseli yesterday said they would guard a local park, slated for the construction of a car park, 24 hours a day to prevent municipal authorities from felling any more trees there. Locals clashed with riot police for several days in a row as officers tried to guard municipal workers clearing the site for an underground parking facility. Locals said at least 45 trees, many over 100 years old, had been cut down. Authorities counter that only a few trees were felled and say the site will be planted with more than 100 trees once the underground car park has been constructed. The row over the park moved to Parliament on Wednesday when a left-wing MP questioned the government about the implications of the move for the capital’s dwindling green spaces. Officials at City Hall have insisted that the project is legal and crucial for the densely populated district of Kypseli, where parking spaces are scarce.
