Police forces charged into the university administration building (Propylea) on Panepistimiou avenue in downtown Athens on Friday morning, after 19 days of occupation by anti-state militants.

The move came after last night’s street violence near Exarcheia, the unofficial “anarchist hub” of Athens.

Fifteen officers and firefighters broke through the main gate. Other groups of police followed. Private SKAI TV said explosions and noise could be heard from the building’s courtyard. Shortly after entering the building, police officers emerged with handcuffed protestors in tow. Seven men and seven women were brought out of the building in handcuffs.

A huge black banner hung over the university’s wall was taken down. Sources stated that a first look around the grounds shows that the building was not damaged by the squatters.

A small group of anti-state protestors gathered in the area soon after the police operation started to shout anti-government slogans.

Of the people arrested, 13 were Greek nationals and one was a Cypriot woman, while “prize catch” was fugitive Polykarpos Georgiadis, a convicted accessory in a kidnap for ransom case in 2008. He was convicted in that case.