Greek police detained 313 people in Thessaloniki after a confrontation on the campus of Aristotle University, then released all of them without charge, according to a report from The Associated Press. The operation followed a predawn attack on riot police by groups emerging from the university grounds.
Police said roving groups wearing hoods came out of the campus early Saturday and hurled more than 100 Molotov cocktails at a squad of riot police stationed nearby. The unit is normally positioned some distance from the university to respond to disturbances tied to all-night parties on campus grounds. Police used tear gas and stun grenades to push the attackers back.
The scale of the detentions made the case notable even in a city where clashes around the university have been a recurring problem. Police said it was the first time so many people had been detained after a clash involving such a high number of firebombs. The response also reflected the sensitivity of university-linked unrest in Greece, where campus spaces have long carried political and public-order significance.
The raid and detentions did not end with criminal charges, at least not immediately. All 313 people were released, which means the police action was aimed at identity checks and investigation rather than an instant prosecution outcome. The AP report did not say how many of those detained were ultimately suspected of participating directly in the attack.
One officer was taken to a military hospital after suffering burns to his face and leg. A 21-year-old civilian was also treated for respiratory problems, likely linked to the gas and smoke generated during the confrontation. Those injuries were the only specific harm described in the report.
Aristotle University said in a statement that off-campus extremists, working together with some people from inside university grounds, carried out the attacks. The university also said investigators were trying to determine whether any students had taken part. It added that no permission had been granted for any party to take place on university grounds.
That detail matters because the police account described the attack as part of a wider pattern of campus-linked disorder rather than an isolated security incident. The university’s statement pointed to a mix of outside agitators and possible internal involvement, while police focused on the violence directed at their unit.
The evidence supplied for this report does not establish a motive, a political affiliation or the identity of the people who threw the firebombs. It does show a sharp, short-lived escalation from a campus disturbance into a large-scale police operation, one that ended with no charges at the time of the report but with investigators still trying to determine who was responsible and whether students were among them.
