A far-left Greek group claimed the Athens grenade attack on the French embassy

AFP

Athens (AFP) - A far-left Greek group on Monday claimed responsibility for last week's grenade attack on the French embassy in Athens which slightly wounded a police officer on duty.

Police are trying to verify the claim by the Organisation of Revolutionary Autodefence, published in the alternative website Indymedia, for Thursday's attack.

The grenade left a tennis ball-sized hole in the pavement, and shrapnel marks on the embassy gate and guard box.

Reports said the policeman, who suffered leg injuries, had barely enough time to take shelter in the bullet-proof box as the grenade exploded.

The same group had claimed responsibility for firing shots at the Mexican embassy in Athens in July 2014.

The lengthy claim said France was targeted for several reasons -- the death of green activist Remi Fraisse who was killed by a bullet fired by a French policeman in October 2014 during a protest, the clearing of the "Jungle" migrant camp in Calais housing thousands trying to cross over into Britain, and the life sentence being served by Lebanese national Georges Ibrahim Abdallah in France for terrorist acts.

Local anarchists regularly carry out acts of violence against diplomatic missions in Greece.

The group said it would carry out an "armed struggle" in an "international revolutionary movement."      

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