Re-visiting Exarheia

I have written before about Exarheia, here and in other various posts, about how it's seen as a hotbed of radicalism, the source of trouble and riots, the place where resistance starts and spreads. I have also written about how it has a very real sense of community, and about how the majority of the shops in the area are bookshops, printers or bookbinders. 

One of the first things we noticed during our last visit was the police stationed in a corner, a very common sight in the area. In this instance they were wearing army gear rather than the usual blue uniforms, I am not sure what that means.

We were looking for a gallery that exhibits ceramics, but it was closed when we eventually found it - apparently it only opens in the evenings.

But, we enjoyed our walk. As always, the streets were full of graffiti and street art

and posters, most of it having a political content.

In our search for the gallery we came across this pedestrianised street, and I have to say, even for Exarheia, it is extraordinary.

Every wall, every window, every doorway is covered with graffiti or posters

there is an abandoned, neglected feel to the whole area

We were lured to a side street by this banner hanging from a window

It says: Ebru Timtik, Eternal. The people's lawyer fell martyr after 238 days of hunger strike, until death. Even if Death collects all the flowers, their seeds will remain... Popular Front.'

Back to our pedestrianised street.

This poster says: 'The State and Capital give rise to Fascism'.

'Anti-fascist September, 2020', and a picture of Pavlos Fyssas

and then suddenly, it all changed: no more wasteland, but a nice looking cafe, with lots of people

and another one.

Contradiction? Nor really, not in the context of Exarheia where opposites happily co-exit and this is what makes the area so interesting.

We came to the end of the pedestrianised street, found this iNO mural - you can see more of his work here  and here

graffiti taking up the whole side of a building

Stopped to have a look at this bookshop

amazing variety of book titles

and ended up at Rosalia for our lunch.