Hania squat evacuated after 16 years of occupation
A building belonging to the Technical University of Crete in Hania that has been used as a squat by anarchists since 2004 was raided in the early hours of Saturday by police.
There was some tension during the operation as supporters of the squat pelted police with stones, prompting officers to fire tear gas to disperse them.
A journalist sustained minor leg injuries during the protest.
After squatters were removed from the building, a private contractor removed their belongings from the squat, dubbed Rosa Nera.
The police raid was the latest in a series of such operations by the police as part of the conservative government’s pledge to crack down on lawlessness.
Last month, police raided a squat in Thessaloniki believed to have been used by its anarchist occupants to prepare attacks against police officers and political targets.
In the raid on the squat, known as Terra Incognita, police seized homemade explosive devices, jerry cans of fuel and gas canisters.
Users of the Terra Incognita squat are believed to be behind paint attacks on the offices of conservative New Democracy MPs Stratos Simopoulos and Anna Efthimiou, in May and July respectively, while the group claimed responsibility for a similar attack in March on the Volos home of Achilleas Beos, a businessman and the mayor of the city.
