Anarchists hold ‘Uprising Festival’ at Athens Polytechnic University
About 100 anarchists took part in the so-called “Uprising Festival” held November 12-14 on the premises of the Athens Polytechnic University, near the central Exarchia district, Kathimerini understands.
Sources told Kathimerini that about 30 anarchists had traveled to Athens from other countries in central and western Europe to attend the three-day event. Attendees also included 15 Albanian nationals that live in Exarchia, the site of frequent protests by anti-establishment groups.
The festival program included sabotage training, interviews with convicted anarchists/terrorists, and a tribute to the 2007 uprising in Greece’s Malandrino prison. Speakers included Zone to Defend (ZAD) activists from France who are reacting to a new airport development near the city of Nantes, as it is set to be built on protected swampland.
It was not clear whether the anarchists, who camped on the premises of the university, were planning to leave or remain inside the building ahead of events on Friday to mark the anniversary of the bloody 1973 student uprising that helped topple the then-military junta. The Polytechnic is often used as a safe haven by anarchist rioters seeking to evade the authorities.
Meanwhile, a 22-year-old French national was arrested shortly after midnight on Monday as he smashed surveillance cameras outside the Culture Ministry building on Bouboulina Street in Athens with a crowbar.
Police said he had already managed to smash two cameras before they reached him and that they found another camera in his possession.
