The city of Athens was captured in alarming videos as it was set ablaze by a mob armed with Molotov cocktails, turning it into a battleground overnight. The mob ignited cars and clashed aggressively with riot police, creating a chaotic scene.
Violent confrontations erupted shortly after midnight on Saturday when approximately 50 individuals started throwing petrol bombs, rocks, and fireworks at officers outside a police station in Exarchia. In response, the police deployed tear gas and flash grenades.
However, the situation quickly escalated, leading to widespread fires engulfing several streets, including Kallidromiou, Benaki, Charilaou Trikoupi, and Methonis. The violence spiraled out of control, escalating the chaos even further.
Dramatic footage shows cars exploding in fireballs as thick black smoke choked the sky.
Flames licked balconies of nearby apartment blocks, as stunned residents watched the chaos unfold from windows and doorways.
A total of 21 cars were torched, with five completely destroyed, and a house and a shop were damaged.
The entrance and ground floor of an apartment building on Emmanuel Benaki Street caught fire and had to be evacuated.
Fire crews scrambled to contain the inferno, with 18 firefighters and seven engines tackling the blazes.
Garbage bins were also set alight and used as makeshift barricades as the mob battled police in running street fights that lasted over an hour.
Cops detained 72 people and reported one officer injured during the mayhem.
“Incidents occurred on Saturday night in Exarchia where unknown persons attacked police forces,” Greek Police said.
“According to ELAS, the incidents began shortly before midnight when groups of unknown persons attacked police forces at the intersection of Kallidromiou and E. Benaki streets with Molotov cocktails and stones, with the police responding by using chemical weapons.”
Police are now investigating to identify the attackers, as scorched vehicles and charred debris litter the streets of Exarchia.
It comes just a day after a bomb exploded in central Athens after authorities received a tip from an anonymous caller.
The blast took place outside the Hellenic Train offices – Greece‘s main railway company that was involved in the tragic 2023 rail disaster, which killed dozens of people.
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