Bulldozers start work at Grammatiko dump
The creation of a new landfill at Grammatiko, northeast of Athens, which will receive some of Attica’s trash, got under way yesterday despite more protests by local residents. Grammatiko community president Nikos Koukis and another protester were arrested during scuffles with police in scenes similar to those seen at the site two weeks earlier. Residents formed a human chain in an effort to stop two large mechanical diggers from reaching the proposed site of the waste management center. But riot police broke the protesters’ resistance after using tear gas and clearing a path for the vehicles to pass and begin work. Having already taken their case to domestic courts, residents said yesterday that they also plan to appeal to the European Court of Justice on the grounds that the project will cause damage to the environment.
