Police clear three squats in Koukaki

Police officers are seen entering an occupied building in the Athens neighborhood of Koukaki, one of three squats cleared early on Sunday. Nine people - seven Greeks and two foreign nationals - were arrested. Among those detained were two men and their father who were in a building that the police entered to gain access to one of the squats and who allegedly attempted to stop the officers. Citizens' Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis denied claims of police violence. Three officers were injured by pieces of furniture, rocks and a fire extinguisher hurled out of windows by squatters. According to police, a staircase in one of the squats had been booby-trapped with nails. [Citizens' Protection Ministry/ANA-MPA]