{"id":1652,"date":"2026-04-20T23:14:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/?p=1652"},"modified":"2026-04-20T23:14:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:14:00","slug":"chaos-in-the-municipal-council-of-the-municipality-of-athens-invasion-of-demonstrators-for-the-refugee-issue-meeting-adjourned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/?p=1652","title":{"rendered":"Chaos in the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Athens: invasion of demonstrators for the Refugee issue – Meeting adjourned"},"content":{"rendered":"

Severe tension erupted today at the Municipality of Athens City Council<\/b>, when a group of demonstrators<\/b> stormed into the chamber during the meeting<\/b>, causing chaos and ultimately leading to the suspension of the proceedings<\/b>.<\/p>\n

In a climate of intense confrontation and political charge<\/b>, today’s meeting of the City Council of the Municipality of Athens<\/b> unfolded, when the discussion on the future of the Refugee Alexandra Avenue<\/b> was derailed in a serious incident with the sudden entry of a group of protesters into the hall,<\/b> causing disruption, interruption of the proceedings<\/b> and strong reactions<\/b> from all sides, in an incident that highlights the deep social and political tension<\/b>around the issue of the redevelopment<\/b> of one of the most symbolic and historically charged areas of Athens<\/b>, the Refugee Alexandra Avenue<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Below is the picture of events based on what is known<\/b>.<\/p>\n

How the tension began
<\/h3>\n

The City Council meeting had on its agenda the issue of the Alexandra Avenue Refugees and the redevelopment plans for the area. <\/p>\n

The issue has long sparked opposition from residents’ groups and collectives, who argue that the redevelopment could lead to:<\/p>\n

– the removal of around 400 residents, the end of social solidarity structures, and a change in the character of the area. <\/p>\n

In fact, a protest had earlier taken place outside the City Hall.<\/p>\n

The invasion inside the hall
<\/h3>\n

During the debate, a group of people opposing the redevelopment:<\/p>\n

– stormed the City Council chamber, holding flags, shouting pro-Refugee and anti-regeneration slogans. <\/p>\n

The protesters attempted to disrupt the meeting and created a great deal of confusion in the room.<\/p>\n

Session adjourned
<\/h3>\n

The tension created was such that:<\/p>\n

– the meeting was temporarily halted, there was confusion in the room, and eventually the council proceedings were adjourned. <\/p>\n

The interruption was made in order to restore order and remove the demonstrators.<\/p>\n

The political background of the conflict
<\/h3>\n

The discussion in the council was about a resolution proposed by Mayor Harris Dukas regarding the protection and future of the Alexandra Refugees. <\/p>\n

The meeting was addressed by:<\/p>\n

– representatives of residents, solidarity collectives, and individuals who oppose the redevelopment plans. <\/p>\n

The refugee issue has become one of the most charged political issues in Athens, as it involves:<\/p>\n

– the Region of Attica, the Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Athens, and collectives active in the area.<\/p>\n

The Athens City Council meeting today turned into an incidental process, as a group of protesters stormed the hall with flags and slogans about refugees on Alexandra Avenue, causing tension and eventually leading to the adjournment of the meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Severe tension occurred today at the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Athens, when a group of protesters invaded the hall during the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1653,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-greece"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}