New spate of anarchist vandalism fuels concern

A new wave of vandalism on Thursday, carried out by self-styled anarchists, fueled concerns that acts of lawlessness that have unsettled Athens and other cities in recent weeks are becoming increasingly commonplace.

In one such incident, unidentified assailants hurled red paint at a lecturer inside a University of Piraeus auditorium and scattered fliers, later claiming in a post on an anti-establishment website that the action was in protest at the "persecution of anarchists as individual terrorists."

In comments to Kathimerini, the professor who was assaulted, Mary Bossi, described the attack as a "social intervention," adding that it should not be blown out of proportion and granted more significance than it merits.

"Such phenomena have no place either in society or on university grounds," the Education Ministry said. Leftist SYRIZA meanwhile issued a statement,...