Exarcheia Εξάρχεια | |
|---|---|
Neighbourhood | |
 The central square in 2007 | |
 Interactive map of Exarcheia | |
| Coordinates:37°59′10″N23°44′5″E / 37.98611°N 23.73472°E /37.98611; 23.73472 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Region | Attica |
| City | Athens |
| Postal code | 106 80, 106 81, 106 82, 106 83 |
| Area code | 210 |
| Website | www.cityofathens.gr |
Exarcheia (Greek:Εξάρχεια,pronounced[eˈksarçi.a]) is a neighbourhood in centralAthens,Greece close to the historical building of theNational Technical University of Athens.[1][2] Exarcheia took its name from a 19th-century businessman named Exarchos (Greek:Έξαρχος) who opened a largegeneral store there. Exarcheia is bordered on the east byKolonaki and is framed byPatission Street,Panepistimiou Street andAlexandras Avenue.
TheNational Archaeological Museum of Athens, theNational Technical University of Athens andStrefi Hill are all located in Exarcheia. Thecentral square features many cafés and bars with numerous retail computer shops located mainly on Stournari street, also called the Greek Silicon Valley. Located on Exarcheia square is one of the oldest summer cinemas of Athens, called "Vox", as well as theAntonopoulos apartment building, known as the "Blue Building", because of its original colour, which is a typical example ofmodern architecture in Athens during the inter-war period. Due to the political and intellectual character of Exarcheia, many bookstores, fair trade shops and organic food stores are also located in Exarcheia.[3]Exarcheia is also known for its comic book shops, and its night clubs, cafés, and bars.[4]
Exarcheia was created between 1870 and 1880 at the confines of the city and has played a significant role in the social and political life of Greece. It is there that theAthens Polytechnic uprising of November 1973 took place. In December 2008, the murder of 15-year-oldAlexandros Grigoropoulos by a policeman in Exarcheia causedrioting throughout Greece.
Exarcheia is a place where many intellectuals and artists live and an area where manysocialist,anarchist, andanti-fascist groups are accommodated. Exarcheia is also an art hub where theatrical shows and concerts are held around the central square. The headquarters ofPASOK, a Greek political party that supported austerity measures dictated by the European Union in 2009, are also located in Exarcheia and has been a target of attacks by anarchists.[5] Police stations and other symbols of authority (andcapitalism) such as banks are often targets of far-leftist groups.[6][7] One can find numerousanti-capitalist graffiti in Exarcheia.[8] Aself-organized health structure providing medical services functions in Exarcheia.[9]
Protests that begin in Exarcheia evidence diverse political formations and coalitions, including dispossessed young people, migrants, anti-authoritarians, anarchists, and Greek citizens from the moderate to extreme on both ends of the political spectrum.[10][11]
TheEuropean refugee crisis resulted in an enormous migration to Greece – in 2017, 55,000 people throughout Greece were registered as permanent residents. When borders between Greece and the European Union were closed, many migrants were forced to stay in camps that lacked housing or hygiene infrastructure. As a result, refugees and migrants sought alternative options within Athens, including squats in Exarcheia.[12]
On 17 November 1973, the Greek military raided the student occupation of the Athens Polytechnic University, killing 40 civilians. The events resulted in public outrage and the passing of the Academic Asylum Law, which designates university campuses as off-limits to police and military personnel.[13] This law has contributed to the prevalence of protests within Exarcheia, as the Polytechnic functions as a site of insurgent coordination as well as a safe haven from police violence.[14]
On 6 December 2008, a Greek police special guard shot and killed 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos within blocks of the Athens Polytechnic University, leading to the largestprotests in Greece since the end of thedictatorship in 1974. Protests originated in Exarcheia and it continued to be the epicentre of demonstrations as they spread across Athens.[15]
In the aftermath of the riots, collectives and movements in Exarcheia expanded initiatives experimenting with new political formations, especially to provide public spaces organized around an anti-hierarchical and anti-commercial ethos. For example, activists turned a parking lot into the guerrilla Park Navarinou, which hosted events such as ticket-free movie screenings and anti-consumerist fairs. The Sporos collective developed solidarity economies through trade and sale of Zapatista-produced goods, and the Skoros collective promoted re-use, recycling, and sharing practices. Other new and renewed political formations in Exarcheia included producer or consumer cooperatives and collective kitchens.[16]
Exarcheia is the site of a large migrant andrefugee community. The overcrowding and abuse within Greek refugee camps has propelled a movement ofsquatting within Athens and across Greece. There are more than a dozensquats in Athens, primarily centred in Exarcheia, serving as housing, healthcare, and social centres for refugees, migrants, or anarchists. These squats provide space for highly diverse communities and coalitions. For example, theCity Plaza squat houses Afghanis, Iraqis, Iranians, Syrians, Kurds, Palestinians, and Pakistanis within a single occupied hotel. Many of these spaces aim to recreate the feeling of home for displaced migrants and refugees.[17][18]
However, far-right, neo-fascist, and nationalistic organizations have been connected to multiple attacks and burnings of refugee squats. In addition, thegovernment of Alexis Tsipras evicted multiple squats in Athens duringSyriza's time in power.[19][20] In addition, Exarcheia and borderingOmonoia have been the focus of specialized policing tactics in Greece. These include MAT, (Public Order Restoration Units) ariot police unit implemented after the dictatorship;Operation Virtue, which used blockaded areas and rapid raids of public spaces to capture undocumented migrants in the 1970s and 1980s; andOperation Xenios Zeus, which implemented stop-and-search and document checks for foreigners in 2012.[21]
In 2019, a change in political governance affected Exarcheia. TheNew Democracy party was elected to power nationally in July and the new prime ministerKyriakos Mitsotakis pledged to impose order and to 'clean up' Exarcheia. Subsequently, a new mayor of Athens was elected in August. Immediately, evictions of migrant squats began.[22] TheCity Plaza squat at 78 Acharnon decided to close itself down on its own terms rather than be evicted. By the end of September 2019, there had been seven evictions, including the 5th School squat.[23]
TheMinistry of Citizen's Protection broadened the crackdown on squats in Greece by releasing a statement on 20 November 2019 which demanded all squats were to be evacuated in 15 days' time.[24] Commentators quickly noticed that the end of the deadline was 5 December, the day upon which Alexandros Grigoropoulos had been killed in 2008.[25] More evictions followed and by mid December the state was attempting to evict anarchist social centres as well as migrant squats.[26] The New Democracy party installed a Christmas tree on the central square in December. It was quickly burnt down and when a second tree was put up in its place, it was destroyed several hours later.[27]
Line 4 of theAthens Metro is expected to havea station at Exarcheia Square, and there has been significant opposition against the construction of the station, mostly by anarchist and anti-state groups.[28]
Often referred to as the anarchist neighborhood of Athens [...]
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