The case of police arbitrariness, the manifestation of which was the events in Nea Smyrna, stems from the Maximos Mansion and that's where the search for political accountability has to go. This is the logic of the opposition's approach to the issue of the day and this is the direction in which its political initiatives are converging.
Ο SYRIZA, did not choose the tactic of focusing his fire on the Minister of Civil Protection, Michael Chrysochoidis. Nor did he want to adapt his argument to a demand for his removal from the government. Despite the fact that his cadres, such as Dimitris Vitas, noted that this would be almost self-evident. As he said in an interview, «it would be at least out of political decency and by assuming political responsibility that Mr Chrysochoidis should have resigned».
On the contrary, SYRIZA chose to «show» as the primary source of the authoritarian attitudes that characterize the action of the Greek Police, the Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The parliamentary opposition discerned the Prime Minister's intention to stay «out of the frame» of what happened in Nea Smyrni, considering that he left the handling of the case to the Minister of Citizen Protection, who in turn is trying to defuse the case by referring to an administrative examination under oath and adopting the logic of an «isolated incident».
The Tsipras question
The intention of SYRIZA to take the case to the Maximos building is signalled before the submission of a topical question by Alexis Tsipras to Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Although Koumoundourou believes that the Prime Minister will avoid this parliamentary battle.
In the text of the question, Alexis Tsipras criticises the violations of the Covid 19 legislation by the Prime Minister himself. Obviously referring to the Parnitha bike ride and the feast of Ikaria. He notes that «after a year in confinement, citizens can no longer bear to see the Prime Minister and government officials systematically violating the measures and at the same time a pogrom of violence and authoritarianism being unleashed on families and young people for a Sunday stroll in the neighbourhood square». He even asks directly:«How much longer will you allow this crescendo of police violence and arbitrariness under the pretext of complying with the health measures that you and your government officials constantly violate?»
The President of SYRIZA considers that the action of the EL.AS is under the tacit approval of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. For this reason, he notes that «the recent phenomena of violence and arbitrariness of the police in Nea Smyrni are beyond all limits. Unfortunately, however, they are not an isolated incident, but systematic phenomenon. According to Amnesty International, allegations of an escalating increase in police arbitrariness and violence in recent months have intensified to an unprecedented degree, and according to the latest report of the Ombudsman, complaints of police violence rarely result in sanctions being imposed by the competent disciplinary bodies».
The secretary of SYRIZA followed the same logic, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos. He said that «Mr. Chrysochoidis has loosened the leash and Mr. Mitsotakis can no longer control the situation except by beating and violence». Chris Spirtzis, the responsible head of the SYRIZA department, also considers the Prime Minister and the Minister of Citizen Protection as a twin. He noted that «Mr Mitsotakis and Mr Chrysochoidis are playing their own violin. Fatalistic and incapable of dealing with the serious problems of Greek society, they are terrorizing.
Theme of Democracy
But beyond the tactical handling of the case, the official opposition raises the overall question of democratic functioning. The party's press spokesman gave a clear indication of this, Nassos Iliopoulos. He pointed out that «the incident of brutal police violence was part of a whole government campaign aimed at intimidating citizens». He added that «with every passing day they show that not only can they fail to protect public health, but they even put democracy itself to the test».
Similar criticism from the Justice Department of SYRIZA. It points out that «we denounce without asterisks the action of these police officers and the unacceptable statements of ministers and MPs of the Southwest, which on the one hand reverse the constitutionally enshrined presumption of innocence of the accused and on the other legitimize the excessive use of police violence against citizens.Let us not allow the Greek Republic, this year, which marks 200 years since the Greek Revolution of 1821, to turn into a police state of violence and lack of democracy».
Seeking reactions within the New Democracy
However, the initiative taken by the SYRIZA MPs elected in the South Sector of Athens, Yannis Mouzalas, Yannis Balafas, Nikos Pappas, Theano Fotiou and Ralia Christidou, did not go unnoticed.
In a statement they called «the MPs of all parties of the South Sector and especially of the Southwest, to condemn the unprovoked and unprecedented police violence against citizens of Nea Smyrna that unfolded on Sunday during the control of compliance with the sanitary protocol for dealing with the pandemic». They added that «we still call on all MPs to distance themselves from Mr. Konstantinos Kyranakis, a Member of Parliament for the South, who did not respect the strict data protection restrictions and shared the details of a citizen in a TV programme».
It is worth noting that Konstantinos Kyranakis was elected 2nd in the South Sector of Athens. First in crosses, however, was elected with a difference Nikos Dendias while in the same constituency the centrist Harris Theocharis.
