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By Sana Elouazi
Rabat – Members of the Greek anarchist group Rouvikonas reportedly targeted the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Athens in the early hours of Thursday, to protest against Riyadh’s involvement in the Yemeni Civil War.Â
A video footage recorded by the group featured at least six assaillants wearing motorcycle helmets throwing projectiles and paint at the fences of the embassy .
“At about 0400 GMT, a few people caused damage to the outside of the embassy… They threw some paint,” a police source told AFP, adding that “an investigation was underway.”
In a statement, the group claimed responsibility for the attack and said that it was in response to Saudi Arabia’s brutal regime and its involvement in the conflict in Yemen.
“What ISIS has been doing, which rightly caused global revulsion, has been happening in Saudi Arabia for decades, in broad daylight, and it is accepted by the ‘civilized’ world,” the statement said.
“Adulteresses are beheaded in the middle of street, thieves are amputated in front of howling crowds, women are totally subjugated, dissidents and gays disappear and are executed.”
Rouvikonas also lambasted the leftist Greek government of Alexis Tsipras for its attempt to sell Greek army tank shells to Saudi Arabia earlier this week.
Since their emergence in 2015, members of Rouvikonas have claimed dozens of acts of vandalism and assaults against state offices, financial agencies, media organizations, and politicians, mainly in Athens, causing damage to property but so far without injury.
In July 2016, they threw paint at the front entrance of the Turkish Embassy in central Athens following the failed coup that resulted in a government crackdown with arrests of military personnel, members of academia, and political opponents of the Turkish government.
In October 2017, the group also broke into the Spanish embassy, distributing leaflets in which they denounced the “repression” of Catalan population.
