Anarchists Attack Yianis Varoufakis in Exarchia

Minister of Finance Yanis Varoufakis and his wife Danae Stratou were verbally assaulted by a group of anarchists while dining at a restaurant in the Exarchia district on Tuesday evening. Following the attack, Varoufakis said he believed that the attack was not part of an organized plan intended to injure and/or provoke him, and said he didn't believe that it was part “of the overall efforts towards [his] political deconstruction” either.

According to him, while he was having dinner with his wife, a group of anarchists entered the establishment and began yelling obscenities at him while simultaneously throwing glass objects in the couple’s direction so as to force them to leave the area. After the situation calmed down and the restaurant was emptied, the anarchists continued to be abusive towards the Greek Finance Minister as he and his wife began making their way out of the restaurant.

Varoufakis told reporters that it was at this point that he decided to talk to the group (about 5,6 angry ones) and following a lengthy non-violent discussion, he left without any threats. Varoufakis, who reportedly lived in this area in the early 2000s, noted that “the response to the anger and violent acts of these people cannot and must not be disorderly retreat or violent suppression”.

Varoufakis said that when some of the group moved in a threatening manner against him, his wife embraced him so that the potential attackers could not get at him without hitting her first.

Greek reports said that as many as 10 people, who had their faces covered, verbally abused him and his wife.