Armed Rebellious Anarchist Militants (Anarchist Entity, Greece)

• Local Name: Επαναστατημένοι Αναρχικοί Ένοπλοι Αγωνιστές
• Transliteration: Epanastatiménoi Anarchikoí Énoploi Agonistés
• Alternatives: N/a
• Status: 2019 – 2019 (Disbanded)
• Conflicts: Greek Anarchist Militancy

The Armed Rebellious Anarchist Militants [GANA; Epanastatiménoi Anarchikoí Énoploi Agonistés] was a mysterious presumably anarchist outfit that first appeared on Sep. 28, 2019 when the group published a statement on the internet in which it claimed to have fired several shots at a police squad in Athens’ Exarchia neighborhood. Police were unaware of the incident and subsequent investigations did not reveal evidence that the attack even took place.¹

On Oct. 03, 2019, the GANA again issued a statement. This time, the outfit asserted responsibility for a bomb attack on a strip club in Piraeus that caused considerable damage.² The militants claimed to have targeted the club to protest the trafficking of Balkan sex workers to Greece.³ The GANA also warned tourists against using AirBNB and advised them to return home.⁴ On Oct. 07, the group released a final message in which it denounced the visit of American secretary of state Mike Pompeo to the country.⁵

The GANA might have served as a front for criminal elements as the targeting of a strip club fits the modus operandi of local extortionist gangs but is uncharacteristic for Greek anarchist militants. The incident was therefore assumed to have been the work of criminals before the group’s claim surfaced.⁶ There were also considerable gaps and inconsistencies in the GANA’s claims.⁷