Work crews belonging to the Athens municipality arrived in Exarchia Square early on Thursday morning and began their work to clean up and give the central Athens square a “facelift,” which the city promises will finally make the area more attractive and less off-putting to visitors and residents.
The municipality has proceeded to add new plants, perform upkeep on the existing greenery, replace bulbs in street lights, repair electrical damage and replace broken or worn paving stones along the streets of Exarchia.
They are also painting benches and posts and have washed down the square itself with a special cleaning fluid, removing all manner of dirt and debris which had been there. The crews have also cleaned and carried out necessary maintenance work on a statue which stands in the square.
The municipality stated in an announcement that it will continue interventions of this kind in the center of Athens and in various other neighborhoods, ensuring better sanitation, more greenery, better lighting and a greater sense of security.
The statement noted that these actions will improve the daily lives of Athenians and will take on a “permanent nature.”
Exarchia has long been seen as a “city within a city” for many Athenians. Its streets have been “decorated” with politically charged murals and graffiti and lined with anarchist bookshops and stores for years.
Anarchist groups have often thrown petrol bombs at the policemen who have tried to establish order in the neighborhood, and the authorities have at times responded by using tear gas.
Since the election of Greece’s conservative government last July, Athens police have intensified their campaign against lawlessness in Exarchia by clearing out and shutting down anarchist squats and other buildings which are being occupied by illegal immigrants.
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