Easter celebrations in Greece this year turned into scenes of chaos and violence, with reports of Molotov cocktails, AK-47 gunfire, injuries, and explosions transforming parts of Crete and beyond into what many described as “war zones.”
In Heraklion’s Kaminias district, the traditional burning of Judas escalated dangerously as wooden pallets were set ablaze with towering flames, while young men were seen carrying Molotov cocktails and gasoline canisters. The fire grew so intense that residents living just 20 meters from the church locked themselves inside their homes, terrified. Meanwhile, in Zoniana, Mylopotamos, Easter night resembled a battlefield, where the chant “Christ is Risen” was drowned out by bursts of Kalashnikov gunfire and dynamite explosions.
Viral videos show a priest attempting to lead the liturgy amid relentless gunshots, with the sound of firearms dominating the village square. In the Pateles area of Heraklion, powerful dynamite blasts rocked the neighborhood, dangerously close to homes and cars, while videos showed children standing near improvised explosive devices. In Fthiotida, tragedy struck when a 14-year-old boy was seriously injured after picking up a firework that initially failed to explode it detonated in his hand. He was rushed from a local health center to Lamia Hospital and later transferred to the Children’s Hospital in Athens, where he is receiving treatment for major injuries.
Similarly, a 28-year-old man in Mataraga, Aetolia-Acarnania, was gravely injured after a firework exploded in his hand on Easter Sunday. Initially treated in Agrinio, he now awaits transfer to a specialized unit in Patras or KAT hospital, with doctors fearing possible finger amputation. “Only by a miracle did this not end in tragedy,” said a local resident who witnessed the events from his balcony.
