Militant fare dodgers detained in Athens

Police detained 16 suspected members of anti-establishment groups in the early hours of Friday morning after a group of around 100 people tried to board a train bound for Veria, in northern Greece, at the capital’s Larissis station without paying for a ticket.

Employees of the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) intervened and stopped the train’s departure, prompting angry exchanges between train staff and the youths who had been headed for a music festival in Imathia.

A riot police unit was dispatched to the scene to stop the tensions escalating into violence and ushered the youths out of the train station. Thirteen of the people detained for questioning were released while the other three were charged for various offenses.