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After the destruction in the centre of Athens during the protests against austerity measures provided for in memorandum 2, more Greeks are starting to shake off the shock and quite naturally, to ask: Why did Athens burn down?

Once again, the Greek police was not able to provide a satisfactory answer. Authorities have only presented statistics on the participants captured in the violent protests and arson on Sunday evening. According to them, seventy-seven of those captured will be sent to justice. Of them, fifty-three are Greeks and the remaining twenty-six are foreigners. Three are minors - aged between 14-17 years, forty-seven are between 19 and 29 years old, twenty - seven are aged between 31 and 39 years and eight are over 40 years.

Interesting are the data on their occupations. Fifteen said they were unemployed, four are students, two are pupils, eleven - employees in the private sector, two - freelance professionals, one is a teacher, another one is a practicing lawyer, one is a driver, one - a director and two others are builders. Thirty-nine of those captured have not indicated any occupation.

The charges, which vary for each one of them, include attempted murder, attempted inflicting of grievous bodily harm, inflicting of bodily harm, theft, disturbing public and domestic peace, resistance, abuse as well as offences described in the law on weapons and explosives.

The police respond to allegations that they have not arrested the perpetrators of vandalism because they have captured over 3,000 participants in clashes in central Athens in the last two years. "Of them, 1,300 anarchists were arrested. But none of them were sent to detention. The days of the trials against them were set and then, they went back on the street inspired even more," senior police officials state.

In their opinion, there are around 4,500 anarchists in Greece, between 1,800 and 2,000 of whom are in Athens. They cause more than 500-600 clashes with different intensity during the year in the Greek capital. Officers say they cannot control this situation because of a delay in justice. "The cases of the arrests in 2007 and 2008 and especially the cases of the damage caused after the murder of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in the Exarcheia neighbourhood have not yet come to trial." They add that the delay is in favour of the organizers of riots. "When the cases are started after 3-4 years, not many police officers can provide evidence for the involvement of specific individuals in them. The police accuse the university administration of not responding to the establishment of an anarchist headquarters in the building. They had posted a short text, which informed about the formation of a "headquarters during the hot four-day protests in Athens" on the Indymedia website known for its connections with these circles. The police claim that the faculty administration has not provided accurate information about the events there.

According to the head of the Greek police, there were people there who had no connection with the university. The rector’s letters stated the same. In addition, dozens of Molotov petrol bombs were made in the building of the Law School. Three days before the protests, the organizers of the occupation called for mass participation and supply of medicines, food and other things because of the possibility of staying there. The rector Theodossis Pelegrinis denied the attacks and accused the media of bias. In a message issued yesterday, he said that university authorities have taken "all necessary actions to ensure the security of buildings." According to prosecutors at the Supreme Court, the rector’s letters arrived there only yesterday, a day after the riots, while the rector argues that he sent them on 9 and 10 February.

Today, Athens Regional Prosecutor Eleni Raikou has ordered four preliminary investigations. The grounds for the first one is the complaint of the Association of Physicians in Athens for the use of chemical gas by police against demonstrators. The second will have to clarify the conditions under which the Greek Resistance veteran Manolis Gletzos and the composer Mikis Theodorakis were wounded upon entering the courtyard of parliament. The order for the third preliminary investigation was issued on the base of a complaint by the owner of the "Asti" cinema that masked vandals had blackmailed him for money not to destroy his property. The fourth investigation will be held for any damage that was inflicted in the centre of Athens, whether it concerns commercial burglaries in private facilities or arson of buildings and destruction of government property. The purpose of the complex investigation by the prosecution is to identify all cases of crimes prosecuted and to make every effort to find the perpetrators.