Athens - Self-proclaimed anarchists burst
into the Spanish embassy in Athens on Wednesday and threw
leaflets in favour of Catalonian independence, an embassy
official said.
The embassy staff evacuated the premises leaving only a few
diplomats inside, the official said. There were no reports of
damage or injuries.
"About 15 to 20 entered the embassy and threw leaflets. They
did not break anything. The leaflet said 'solidarity is the
weapon of the people'," the embassy official told Reuters.
The demonstrators unfurled a banner from the roof of the
building reading "No Pasaran!" (They Shall Not Pass), a leftist
slogan from the Spanish Civil War.
Greek police later detained 19 people, a police official
said. Another police official said the group, known as
Rouvikonas, had been demonstrating in favour of Catalonian
independence.
"We are now back inside, the demonstrators have left," the
embassy official said.
Small scale attacks against police, businesses, embassies
and state buildings are frequent in Greece, which has a long
history of political violence and is struggling to emerge from
crisis despite three international bailouts. Rouvikonas has
stepped up its activities in recent months.