Latest news with #EPTNews
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
More than 70 arrested during Athens riots after Molotov cocktails thrown at police
Molotov-wielding protesters clashed with police in Athens, engulfing the area in flames at the weekend. Footage shared on social media shows multiple burning vehicles in Exarchia, a neighourhood in the popular British tourist destination. Fireworks and stones were also thrown at the district police station, local media reports, with parked cars and motorbikes set alight. Athens police detained 72 people and reported one officer was injured during the turmoil, according to Greek channel EPTNews. The disturbances started after a music performance in a nearby park, with the rioting extending to other streets, witnesses told the broadcaster. According to Greek Police, a series of violent incidents took place late Saturday night in the Exarchia district. Just before midnight, unidentified individuals launched attacks on officers stationed at the junction of Kallidromiou and E. Benaki streets, The Standard reported. The assailants reportedly used Molotov cocktails and stones, prompting the police to respond with chemical agents. The riots began just days after a bomb exploded near the offices of Hellenic Train, Greece's main railway services operator. The explosion Friday evening resulted in limited damage and no injuries. The perpetrators had forewarned of the explosion by calling two media organizations about 40 minutes before it happened. It follows widespread public anger over a 2023 railway disaster, Greece's worst, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more injured when a freight train and a passenger train heading in opposite directions were accidentally put on the same track. The deadly accident exposed severe deficiencies in Greece's railway system, including in safety systems, and has triggered mass protests led by relatives of the victims against the country's conservative government around the accident's second anniversary. Greece has been experiencing ongoing demonstrations in the past month. Last week, thousands of Greeks gathered in Athens to demand higher wages to cope with rising living costs and a one-day strike left ferries docked at ports, flights grounded and trains at a standstill. The conservative government has increased the monthly minimum wage by a cumulative 35 per cent to 880 euros since 2019. But many households still struggle to make ends meet amid fast-rising food, power and housing costs, Greece's largest labour unions say.
The Independent
14-04-2025
- The Independent
More than 70 arrested during Athens riots after Molotov cocktails thrown at police
Molotov-wielding protesters clashed with police in Athens, engulfing the area in flames at the weekend. Footage shared on social media shows multiple burning vehicles in Exarchia, a neighourhood in the popular British tourist destination. Fireworks and stones were also thrown at the district police station, local media reports, with parked cars and motorbikes set alight. Athens police detained 72 people and reported one officer was injured during the turmoil, according to Greek channel EPTNews. The disturbances started after a music performance in a nearby park, with the rioting extending to other streets, witnesses told the broadcaster. According to Greek Police, a series of violent incidents took place late Saturday night in the Exarchia district. Just before midnight, unidentified individuals launched attacks on officers stationed at the junction of Kallidromiou and E. Benaki streets, The Standard reported. The assailants reportedly used Molotov cocktails and stones, prompting the police to respond with chemical agents. The riots began just days after a bomb exploded near the offices of Hellenic Train, Greece's main railway services operator. The explosion Friday evening resulted in limited damage and no injuries. The perpetrators had forewarned of the explosion by calling two media organizations about 40 minutes before it happened. It follows widespread public anger over a 2023 railway disaster, Greece's worst, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more injured when a freight train and a passenger train heading in opposite directions were accidentally put on the same track. The deadly accident exposed severe deficiencies in Greece's railway system, including in safety systems, and has triggered mass protests led by relatives of the victims against the country's conservative government around the accident's second anniversary. Greece has been experiencing ongoing demonstrations in the past month. Last week, thousands of Greeks gathered in Athens to demand higher wages to cope with rising living costs and a one-day strike left ferries docked at ports, flights grounded and trains at a standstill. The conservative government has increased the monthly minimum wage by a cumulative 35 per cent to 880 euros since 2019. But many households still struggle to make ends meet amid fast-rising food, power and housing costs, Greece's largest labour unions say.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Yahoo
Riots break out in central Athens district, 70 arrested
Riots broke overnight in the Athens district of Exarchia, when unknown individuals threw petrol bombs, fireworks and stones at the district's police station. Several parked cars and motorcycles caught fire. Riot police who arrived at the scene used tear gas to disperse the rioters. More than 70 arrests were made, the Greek broadcaster EPTNews reported on Sunday, citing security sources, more than 70 arrests were made. One person was slightly injured, according to the emergency services. The unrest reportedly began after a music event in a park in the district, according to eyewitness accounts. Around midnight, approximately 50 people left the event and began attacking the nearby police station. The riots quickly spread to adjacent streets. Reporters on the ground stated that the situation had calmed down by Sunday morning. The police suspect that the riots may have been a protest related to a train accident around two years ago that resulted in 57 deaths. On Friday, unknown individuals carried out a bomb attack on the headquarters of Hellenic Train, Greece's main provider of rail transport for passengers and freight. No one was injured in the attack and investigations are still ongoing. Numerous relatives of the victims, as well as political parties, accuse the railway company and the conservative government of neglecting the railway system.
