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Exarcheia ( ) is a neighbourhood in central Athens, Greece close to the historical building of the National Technical University of Athens. Exarcheia took its name from a 19th-century businessman named Exarchos () who opened a large general store there. Exarcheia is bordered on the east by Kolonaki and is framed by Patission Avenue, Panepistimiou Street and Alexandras Avenue.
Exarcheia is a place where many intellectuals and artists live and an area where many socialist, anarchist, and anti-fascist groups are accommodated. Exarcheia is also an art hub where theatrical shows and concerts are held around the central square. The headquarters of PASOK, 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. Police stations and other symbols of authority (and capitalism) such as banks are often targets of far-leftist groups." Greek anarchist youths throw petrol bombs at cars outside central Athens police station ", Pravda, April 26, 2007. Accessed August 23, 2007. "Greek police shooting sparks riot" , BBC, December 7, 2008, Retrieved December 7, 2008. One can find numerous anti-capitalist graffiti in Exarcheia. A self-organized health structure providing medical services functions in Exarcheia.
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.
The European 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.
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.
However, far-right, neo-fascist, and nationalistic organizations have been connected to multiple attacks and burnings of refugee squats. In addition, the government of Alexis Tsipras evicted multiple squats in Athens during Syriza's time in power. In addition, Exarcheia and bordering Omonoia Square have been the focus of specialized policing tactics in Greece. These include MAT, (Public Order Restoration Units) a riot 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; and Operation Xenios Zeus, which implemented stop-and-search and document checks for foreigners in 2012.Dalakoglou, Dimitris (2013). "The Crisis before 'The Crisis'": Violence and Urban Neoliberalization in Athens". Social Justice. 39: 24–42 – via ResearchGate.
In 2019, a change in political governance affected Exarcheia. The New Democracy party was elected to power nationally in July and the new prime minister Kyriakos 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. The City 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.
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