Molotov cocktails thrown at police in Exarchia

Hooded youths lobbed Molotov cocktails and stones at riot police units in Exarchia on Monday night, the latest episode in a spate of unrest in the central Athens district often dubbed an anarchist stronghold.

Police briefly detained four people after the altercations but they were all released without charge. Citizens’ Protection Minister Nikos Toskas has come under fire recently for failing to curb the activities of self-styled anarchists in Exarchia and beyond.

In a recent interview with Kathimerini, Toskas said authorities have an overview of the activities and identities of anarchist vandals, and “will gradually immobilize them.”