ATHENS - Three French nationals will go on trial in Greece on Monday after being arrested in a police raid on Athens squats over the weekend, officials said.

The new conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is enforcing a tough policy on squats, claiming that they are being used to spring attacks on police and smuggle drugs.

The French nationals, two men and a woman, are among 20 people arrested on Saturday during a police raid on two squats in the Athens district of Koukaki.

In footage posted online by the police department, hooded and masked anarchists inside the two squats are shown throwing paint and projectiles at police trying to break in.

Those arrested face a variety of misdemeanor charges on Monday that usually result in suspended sentences.

The new conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is enforcing a tough policy on squats, claiming that they are being used to spring attacks on police and smuggle drugs.

Rights groups counter that many abandoned buildings in Athens are often used to shelter homeless refugees.

Saturday's operation in the district of Koukaki followed a December 18 raid by police that sparked a political row after an award-winning director living next door to one of the squats claimed he and his sons were illegally arrested and beaten.

The main opposition leftist Syriza party has accused the government of authoritarian behavior. -AFP