A group of anarchists stormed the Greek state-run Athens-Macedonian News Agency in support of an imprisoned far-left terrorist currently on a hunger strike.
The extremists stormed the building housing the news agency in Athens on Tuesday while carrying a flare. They threw flyers around the offices and hung a banner from the balcony, then fleeing before Greek police arrived.
Theodoros Livanios, Greece’s Minister of State, criticised the extremists’ actions and urged his political opponents to do so, as well, Ekathimerini reports.
According to the newspaper, the action was in support of convicted terrorist Dimitris Koufodinas, who has been on hunger strike in prison since January.
The former hitman for the notorious far-left Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17N) was previously convicted and sentenced to multiple life sentences for murders spanning from 1975 to 2000.
He has been undertaking a hunger strike after demanding to be transferred away from a maximum-security prison where he is currently being held.
The storming of the news agency comes just days after far-left anarchists set fire to the office of the ruling New Democracy Party in the Athens suburb of Nea Filadelfeia.
Greek Minister of Development and Investment Adonis Georgiadis condemned the attack, saying: “The miserable thugs of the Far Left burned the offices of our [local branch] with Molotov cocktails in Nea Filadelfeia.”
Greek talk show programme Zougla published on its website a statement of responsibility from the group, which declared that the attack was in support of Koufontinas and his hunger strike.
“For our part, we have a duty to support our partner by all means. If the demands are not met immediately, the attacks will be intensified both [in intensity and in frequency]. The pillars and crutches of urban democracy have material substance,” the group said.