Fresh incidents occurred last night between police and residents of Keratea, south-east of Athens. This location has been chosen over the past few years alongside Grammatico (north of the capital) as the site for two new large rubbish tips for the Attica region. Keratea inhabitants are against the construction of the dump, saying that regular administrative procedures were not complied with and that the dump would be next to an archaeological site.
The incidents led to the arrest of five people. This follows arrests in January and December, when tension continued for eight consecutive days with violent clashes breaking out between inhabitants and police.
According to media, last night’s incidents were more serious than the ones of the last few months. ”Nothing was left standing” reported the daily paper Eleftherotypia. The conflict shifted to inside the city itself, in the streets and squares, and lasted until late in the night. Police used tear gas on attacks by protestors, who used incendiary bombs and stones.
The government is instead pushing for the projects to be carried out rapidly, especially in order to avoid losing EU funds. A judge had temporarily suspended the works while awaiting on a ruling on the matter. The Greek State Council, the supreme administrative court, gave the go-ahead on January 10th for the construction of the rubbish tip in Keratea.
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