Μake us preferred on Google Three people were injured when a group of about 50 masked individuals wearing helmets stormed the Mathematics Department at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) on Wednesday, attacking students with an ax and Molotov cocktails.
The violence erupted around midday at the university’s Zografou campus, amid clashes involving members of EAAK, a network of left-wing student groups, and Panspoudastiki, a student faction associated with the Communist Party of Greece.
One person suffered a leg injury from an ax, while two others sustained burns from Molotov cocktails.
The attack took place as students from various political groups were holding a meeting in the Mathematics Department building ahead of events marking the anniversary of the 1973 Athens Polytechnic uprising, commemorated annually on Nov. 17.
A student from the university’s Physics Department who witnessed the attack said the assailants threw Molotov cocktails, striking a first-year student in the face, and attacked another student with an ax, injuring his leg.
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Another witness described attackers chasing a first-year student and throwing a Molotov cocktail at him. Other students reportedly used a fire extinguisher to prevent him from catching fire.
All three injured people were taken to Gennimatas Hospital in Athens. Their conditions were not considered life-threatening, according to initial reports. Two ambulances from the National Emergency Aid Center (EKAB) were dispatched to the scene.
A large police contingent, including riot police (MAT) and officers from the Crime Prevention and Suppression Unit (OPKE), was deployed to the campus. Police conducted checks in the area, although those involved in the violence appeared to have left by the time officers arrived.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the attack and taking witness statements in an effort to identify those responsible. University administrators are also in contact with police as the investigation continues.
