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The situation in Keratea continues to be out of control, where citizens are determined to stop the construction of a landfill in the area of Ovriokastro.

The violent clashes between residents and police are continuing for more than a week now. Late last night and this morning anti-riot forces used tear gas to disperse the people who were doing their best to prevent the construction company from building the landfill.

Yesterday, the day passed relatively peaceful, but on Thursday the situation was very tense. During the late afternoon the protesting residents held a "sitting protest" on the road to Lavrio and later, armed with petrol bombs in their hands, they turned towards policemen who sprayed them with large doses of tear gas. In a matter of minutes the road became a battlefield. Fires in trash cans, stones and Molotov bombs are the three words that best described the situation in Keratea that lasted for hours.

With cranes earlier the police moved parked cars, which were barricading the road. Eyewitnesses and local authorities however, say that many of them were damaged.

The residents make direct accusations against the police forces, whose presence in the area is described as "inappropriate," citing a court decision in Lavrio, which suspended the building of the landfill. Yesterday the court in Athens had to consider the claim of the municipality against the state, but the case was postponed. The final decision is expected during the upcoming days, so the protesting residents believe that the presence of the anti-riot forces and their actions against protesters are unreasonable.

In his statements the Mayor of Keratea, Stavros Yatru accused the police forces, that despite the court’s decision, they did not withdraw from the territory of the municipality, act in the interests of entrepreneurs and urged them to leave the area before "We witness more serious events. The life, health and property of the residents are above any private interest and we hope that at least now the management of the competent ministries will comply with the law and presidential decrees”.

According to the Civil Committee tender documentation of the site near Keratea includes a described construction of sanitary place for burial of wastes, i.e. landfill and not a project for sanitary burial of residues, as claimed by the construction company.