Villa Amalia (Athens)
Villa Amalia is the common name of the building that hosted the former 2nd High School of Athens in Greece. It is located in the corner of Acharnon and Heiden streets, near Victoria metro station. It was an anarchist squat, active since 1990.[1] In its lifetime, the commune was a house for cultural events such as political debates and film screenings. Authorities said that violent protesters were protected within the villa after anti-austerity demonstrations. When confronted by police activity, protesters gathered with banners pledging solidarity and occupied offices of Greek leftist party DIMAR. [2] Villa Amalia was a target in a police campaign to evict up to 40 known squats throughout Greece.[3] Following a raid in December 2012, the police have evicted about 150 squatters, and 92 anarchists were detained during the last raid on January 9th, 2013.[2] [4] The Mayor of the City of Athens Giorgos Kaminis has since announced that the building will be transformed into a school or cultural center.[5]
References
- ↑ Article about the squat in Athens Indymedia (in Greek)
- 1 2 Dabilis, Andy. "Greek Police Arrest 100 Squatter Protesters". Greek Reporter. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ↑ "Σχέδιο εκκένωσης των καταλήψεων θα εφαρμόσει η ΕΛ.ΑΣ.". in.gr. Retrieved 19 April 2014. (in Greek)
- ↑ Police raid Villa Amalia squat
- ↑ Villa Amalia to be revamped with EU funds, mayor says
External links
- Blog of the former squat (in Greek)
Coordinates: 37°59′36.77″N 23°43′37.51″E / 37.9935472°N 23.7270861°E