A group of anarchists stormed the cathedral in Thessaloniki and interrupted the mass on Sunday morning. They shouted insults, threw leaflets and quarreled with priests and members of the parish. The priest of the church came out to speak with the protesters who reportedly pushed him away with their hands. Father Methodios said that protesters pushed away also members of the parish who were attended the mass.
Riot police squads moved in, arrested more than 25 people and the mass continued.
Nineteen women and seven men were arrested and taken to prosecutor on Monday morning.
protesters outside the court on Mopnday morning
They are charged with “insulting” and “disturbing of religious gathering”. Seventeen of the arrested are Greeks, the rest comes from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK and Morocco.
The leaflets read among others: “joint struggle by locals and migrants”, “solidarity with struggling migrants”, “Everything belongs to us because it’s stolen occupy villas and abandoned buildings” – via Seleo.gr
The group was protesting the police raid and the evacuation of buildings occupied by the Solidarity Movement with refugees and migrants, last Wednesday, and demanding the release of dozens of detainees. One of the occupied buildings was a former orphanage belonging to the Metropolis of Thessaloniki. As soon as the evacuation was over, the bulldozers started to demolish the remaining building.
“Such things have never happened in Greece,” Anthimos, the powerful Metropolit of Thessaloniki commented after being briefed about the anarchists raid.
In the early morning hours of Monday, vandals smashed windows, threw paint and hurled molotov cocktails in five offices of ruling parties Syriza and Independent Greeks in several suburbs in Athens.
No arrests took place in Athens.
