Vandalism Attack on Shops and ATM in Koukaki

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The news in Greek

1. περιοχή  (f.)
   κομμάτι γης ή πόλης που έχει ορισμένα όρια ↩︎
2. ζημιά  (f.)
   κακό ή φθορά που παθαίνει κάτι και δεν είναι όπως πριν ↩︎
3. φυλλάδιο  (n.)
   μικρό χαρτί με λίγες πληροφορίες ή μήνυμα, που μοιράζεται στον κόσμο ↩︎
4. εκκένωση  (f.)
   όταν άνθρωποι αναγκάζονται να φύγουν από έναν χώρο για λόγους ασφαλείας ή με απόφαση αρχών ↩︎
5. κατάληψη  (f.)
   όταν άνθρωποι μπαίνουν και μένουν σε κτίριο χωρίς άδεια, συνήθως για διαμαρτυρία ↩︎
6. τραυματίζομαι
   παθαίνω πληγή ή χτύπημα στο σώμα ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What did the group of 40–50 people damage in Koukaki at night?

Question 2: What did the police find at the scene after the vandalism?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
περιοχή  (f.)	area / region
ζημιά  (f.)	damage
φυλλάδιο  (n.)	leaflet / flyer
εκκένωση  (f.)	evacuation / clearing
κατάληψη  (f.)	squatting / occupation (of a building)
τραυματίζομαι	to get injured / to be hurt

Read the full story

In the central Athens neighbourhood of Koukaki, a group of around 40–50 people carried out a coordinated act of vandalism late on Tuesday night and in the early hours of Wednesday, according to Greek media reports. The attackers targeted several shops and an ATM (cash machine) on Veikou Street, leaving broken glass and damaged equipment behind.

Police and local media describe the incident as a “raid-style” attack. Witness accounts and reports from state and private broadcasters say that the group moved from the centre of Athens towards Koukaki after a demonstration by anti-authoritarian or anarchist groups. The protest was reportedly linked to recent evictions of squats – buildings occupied without permission – in the city.

Once in Koukaki, the group is said to have smashed the front windows of at least three businesses. Different reports mention a mobile phone shop, real estate offices and a diagnostic medical centre among the damaged premises. An ATM located a short distance away was also heavily damaged. No injuries have been reported so far.

At the scene, police officers found small flyers (“trikakia”) with slogans referring to the evictions of occupied buildings. These printed messages suggest that the attack was intended as a form of political protest, although no group had publicly claimed responsibility at the time of the reports.

Police say they arrived quickly in the area, but the group had already dispersed into nearby streets. Officers carried out three detentions (“prosgagoges”), a standard procedure in Greece where individuals are taken to a police station for identification and questioning. All three people were later released, and no arrests were announced in connection with the damage.

Greek news outlets generally agree on the basic facts – the number of participants, the type of damage and the political background related to squat evictions – but differ slightly on the exact time and the list of affected businesses. Some place the incident around 22:30 on Tuesday night, while others refer to the early hours of Wednesday. Despite these small variations, the event is widely reported as a targeted act of vandalism linked to tensions over policing and occupied buildings in Athens.

Info: ‘Greek Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Greek’, a language school dedicated to teaching Greek through various types of online courses, designed to support anyone interested in understanding how to learn Greek in a structured and practical way.