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Anti-state activists briefly occupy EL-AL counter at Athens airport

Ten activists from a self-styled anti-state group on Wednesday briefly occupied the counter of Israeli carrier EL-AL at the Athens International Airport, where they raised a banner of protest before being detained by airport security.

Members of the group “Rouvikonas”, Greek for “Rubicon”, have in the past staged similar high-profile protests, which at times have also been punctuated by the destruction of property — often filmed for posting on various affiliated websites.

However, as opposed to other self-styled anarchist and anti-state groups, members of this group make their identity known and more-or-less remain on the scene when authorities arrive, as was the case on Wednesday.

The group protested what they claimed was a heavy-handed response by the carrier’s security detail in late June 2016 at EL-AL’s Athens airport counter. A Colombian national claims he was roughed up when deemed a security risk at the time.

All 10 individuals were detained by police.