Police in Thessaloniki arrested 51 far-left Antifa anarchist extremists who attacked officers following a demonstration in the city on Wednesday night.
The arrests came after the anarchist extremists held a demonstration in the city and then caused damage at the White Tower, a former Byzantine fortification along the harbourfront that has since been converted into a museum.
Police attempted to get the anarchists under control and were met with force as the group attacked the officers with bats and other weapons, Greek newspaper Proto Thema reports.
Officers arrested 45 men and six women. Police also confiscated 28 stick weapons, 15 helmets, a Swiss Army knife, and a metal baton.
The arrests come after a wave of far-left Antifa activity in Thessaloniki in recent months and after the raiding of a squat occupied by anarchist activists last month. Officers seized weapons along with explosives after clearing out the squat, known as “Terra Incognita”.
It is believed that extremists were using Terra Incognita as a base of operations to plot attacks against both police and political opponents. Investigators were also able to seize a financial ledger containing information on those who had donated to the Antifa group.
In May, far-left extremists attempted to set off a bomb at the home of former minister of state Dimitris Stamatis in the Kalamariá area of Thessaloniki. A 27-year-old man was caught with improvised explosives hidden in his backpack before he could detonate the device.
His alleged partner, a 28-year-old woman, was also arrested after allegedly taking the role of a lookout for the suspected bomber. Police managed to seize a tear gas canister, four homemade explosive devices, plastic bottles full of flammable material, and electronic devices after raiding residences connected to the pair.
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