Varoufakis assaulted in Exarchia

According to reports, a group of 10 people verbally abused him and his wife as they were dining in Exarchia.

According to the report, the youth demanded that he leaves the area, a bastion of radical and anti-establishment groups.

Varoufakis, stayed calm and succeeded in engaging the group into a discussion, which according to the report, lasted for over 30 minutes.

The finance minister and his wife left unharmed with their motorcycle.

The police wer not informed about the incident.

The answer of Yanis Varoufakis

Last night (Tuesday, April 28), at Exarhia, my wife Danae Stratou and I were attacked by a group of anti-state activists at the restaurant where we were dining. Contrary to speculation, it was not an organized episode, nor an effort to seriously injure us, provocation nor part of a wider policy concerning my ‘degradation’ over recent days.

The incident took place as follows:

At around ten at night, I met Danae and one of her friends at the outdoor garden of the restaurant Giantes at Valtetsiou Street, where we dined. Around two hours later, after we had finished our dinner, a group of anti-state activists barged into the garden. With a desire to threaten, covered faces, threats and by throwing glass objects twoards us (that didn’t hit us) they moved slowly towards us demanding that I leave ‘their turf’.

Their goal, in my view, was not to injure us as they had the opportunity and the ‘numbers’ to achieve this. I believe that their goal was to cause me to leave with light, humiliating strikes. This, however, cannot be proven as Danae, even before they anti-state activists approach us (and before I could stop her), got up and hugged me with force, turning her back to them so that they would have to strike her before hitting me.

The move, by Danae appears to have forced two people at the front lines to try to strike without hurting her for a few seconds. Very quickly they retreated, continuing their abuse and threats, leaving the garden and waiting outside the restaurant. A quarter of an hour later, after a number of guests of the restaurant retreated without being obstructed, Danae and I left, heading to our motorcycle that was parked just outside the restaurant on Valtetsiou Street. The remaining anti-state activists, threatening but a few meters away, told us to leave their ‘turf’.

We got on the bicycle but also opened dialogue with them, stating that I want to hear them out even if that meant that they should hit me. (I turned off the engine, got down and talked to a group of 5-6 of the most angry of the lot.) After about 15 minutes of tense but non-violent discussion the spirits calmed down and we left (with our motorbike) without any threats.

The incident in question confirms some thoughts and feelings that I had at the time when I lived at Exarhia (2000-2006) as well as during the intrusion of people at the amphitheater on Sina Street where I taught. Now is not the time to develop these thoughts.

It is enough to state, for another time, the position that, no matter how much fear and dislike that we feel for the exercise of violence, the response to the anger of these people and their violent outbursts cannot and should not be the untidy retreat nor violent oppression.