Spanish Embassy in Athens

A day after 18 members of the Rouvikonas (Rubicon) anarchist group entered the Spanish Embassy in Athens to protest the use of police violence in Catalonia, a court Thursday imposed suspended six-month prison sentences on them for disturbing the peace.

Self-proclaimed anarchists burst into the Spanish embassy in Athens on Wednesday and threw leaflets in favor of Catalonian independence, an embassy official said.

The embassy staff evacuated the premises leaving only a few diplomats inside, the official said. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

Police detained 19 suspects on Wednesday after members of the anti-establishment group Rouvikonas (Greek for Rubicon) barged into the Spanish Embassy in Athens.

In a message posted on the Athens Indymedia website, the group said the raid, which took place shortly after 10 a.m., was in solidarity with "the oppressed people of Catalonia."

Members of anarchist group Rouvikonas invaded the Spanish Embassy in Athens on Wednesday morning and briefly occupied the premises from 10.10am. The building is located on Dionysiou Aeropageitou street under the Acropolis. They caused some damage to the building and threw leaflets. The group uploaded a post on their site explaining the reasons that led them to act.