Two incidents of fan-motivated violence, three injuries and thirteen arrests are accounts of what happened in Thessaloniki over the weekend.
In terms of time, the first incident in Thessaloniki occurred in the early hours of Sunday with a 35-year-old man being injured by unknown assailants who, according to his lawyer, beat him with "axes, sickles and tasers."
A few hours later, at noon on Sunday, fans of PAOK and Aris clashed in the area of Voulgari, resulting in two of them being injured and 13 being arrested.
Watch the video of the incidents between the fans of PAOK and Aris at noon on Sunday
Βίντεο ντοκουμέντο από τη συμπλοκή στη Βούλγαρη pic.twitter.com/924BtTmBVA
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Thirteen arrests
The thirteen arrested for the clash between the fans of PAOK and Aris are people aged between 16 and 37 years old, against whom a case file was filed, on a case-by-case basis, for violating the legislation regarding violent offences on the occasion of sports events, fighting, grievous bodily harm, dangerous bodily harm in common, attempted physical damage in common, disturbing the peace in common, violence against officials and judicial persons and for violation of the legislation concerning the regulation of matters regarding weapons, ammunition, explosives, explosives mechanisms and other provisions, as stated in a relevant announcement issued at midnight on Monday, by the General Police Directorate of Thessaloniki.
The police confiscated twelve motorcycle helmets, five iron bars, eight wooden poles, a fire extinguisher, an iron chain and a metal object.
Police officers of the Directorate took over the case for Combating Violence in Sports Venues of the Security Directorate of Thessaloniki, who continued the investigations to identify and arrest the rest of those involved.
According to GR Times, PAOK fans rode on motorbikes and brought with them bats and other objects. According to the same information, the PAOK fans were coming from the closed gym of Mikras, while the Aris fans were coming from the team's liaison offices.
The attack on the 35-year-old
At the time of the fan-motivated attack, one of the two that took place in the previous day in Thessaloniki, targeting a 35-year-old outside a nightclub, an eyewitness recorded on video.
In the video, people with their features covered are seen shouting; at the same time, sounds of breaking are heard, and at one point, a flare is lit.
Watch the video
According to the 35-year-old's lawyer, Thodoris Karagiannis, who spoke to Proto Thema, the perpetrators of the savage attack even used axes.
According to the 35-year-old's lawyer, the man was in the bar drinking with his friends when, at some point, he came out of the bar and people shouted at him.
"Then a group of 30 people attacked him fiercely, while about 10-12 of the participants in the attack were holding irons, tasers, scythes, even axes. They started beating him and cursing the team he supported. He put his arms and legs forward to protect himself, practically curled up and took several blows. Those who didn't knock him were holding torches and flares," said Karagiannis.
The victim seems to have escaped the worst because the police were notified. However, the incident did not end there; when the man entered the bar to seek help from his friends, the individuals returned and rushed him again.
"They cornered him at the entrance of the bar and attacked him again, while they moved away when people came between them," said the lawyer representing the victim.
The 35-year-old had to be taken to the hospital, and a few hours later, he was discharged. From the savage blows he received, he has many wounds on his arms and legs, which he used as a "shield" to protect himself.
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