![]() Unicorn Riot previous reporting from Exarcheia includes: A self-organized clinic and dentistry called ADYE The first squat for refugees and migrants Notara 26 Community defense of the district coverage of protests on 10-year anniversary of police killing of Alexis Grigoropoulos Horizontally-organized independent media collective OmniaTV and more. Inevitably this place of constant questioning, protesting and resistance has been a thorn in the side of the authority bent on its removal. That repression has been trying mightily to conform the neighborhood for four decades now as an infinite amount of groups of all interests that operate in the area have expressed they’ve felt the warm welcoming embrace of Exarcheia and constant inspiration from its character. The social centers, squats, bookstores, places for the arts (like cinemas, theaters and music venues), the cooperative ventures, printing presses and self organized publishing houses, the street culture - from its musicians to graffiti - and street parties, benches or kiosks in the square where brochures, flyers or political books were present, collective kitchens, and the countless demos and nights of fire against the political repression. The people, the structures, and the events that have happened inside and around Exarcheia Square have produced a history of multicolored or multi-leveled struggles, imaginative creations and a never-ending flux of thoughts and ideas which have shaped the radical, social, and political movements in Greece and beyond. Adversely, it raises concern, anxiety and nightmares to the authorities who tried to keep the world bound to the directions they planned. The name of Exarcheia has been known for awakening dreams, quests and wild expectations in people who questioned this world and tried to change it. Graffiti in Polytechnic University in Exarcheia reading “Defiende tu barrio (Defend the neighborhood)” This move has garnered pushback, and coupled with the district movements against Airbnb and gentrification, there could be some contentious moments coming up in the district known for its radical movements. On August 9, 2022, amid community uproar, police and municipality workers blocked off the central square in the district (Exarcheia Square) with metal panels to begin constructing a new metro station, which may take up to eight years. Since the late ’70s, Exarcheia has been the epicenter of political and cultural activities in the city, and on a symbolic level in all of Greece. One of the main targets has been the historic Exarcheia district, just a mile away from the Acropolis in downtown Athens. #MYSTIC STAMP COMPANY FULL#The views and opinions expressed don’t necessarily represent those of Unicorn Riot.Įxarcheia “Turist Guide” graffiti mural in Exarcheia depicting Airbnb as “Firebnb”Įxarcheia: Radical Athens District Pressured by GentrificationĪccelerated by the country’s far-right government, gentrification has been in full swing over recent years in Greece. This article is a commentary piece reflecting lived experience, research and local perspectives written by an Exarcheia resident. #MYSTIC STAMP COMPANY SERIES#This piece, which examines short-term rentals, ‘touristification,’ and right-wing development strategies in Exarcheia, Athens, is the first in a series on gentrification in Greece. A common global title in the table of context of these handbooks is gentrification. Through clientele relationships and fast tracked secretive procedures, austerity, inequality and social despair rise to new heights, keeping a stern hand against the denizens of this reality and using modern handbooks for the passive supporters. Media monopoly, extreme privatization, autocratic control and catering to Western wants in the international chessboard are the pillars of the New Democracy regime, which floats between numerous scandals touting the audacity to ignore extensive corruption and political crimes. Once again, members of the Mitsotakis/Bakoyannis family lead the Greek ship to unknown neoliberal waters. Even as the first starts to change due to the climate crisis, the second seems untouchable and intact. Athens, Greece – Two things have been steady and invariable in Greece the last decades, the fine weather and nepotism. ![]()
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