Greek police disappointed over government’s tolerance towards leftist-anarchist groups

As the most recent incidents illustrated, anarchist groups operate in an environment of complete impunity. Although members of the anti-establishment group “Rouvikonas”, which invaded the courtyard of the Greek parliament were initially detained, not one singe arrest was made.

The same group was responsible for smashing ticket machines in the Athens metro with exactly the same outcome, as no charges were pressed against anyone. Police say they are growing weary of the fact that government officials are constantly offering political cover to similar groups and actions like government spokesperson Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, who commented on the recent invasion of parliament by Rouvikonas saying they were activists.

Police say that such statements and the governmemt’s overall stance only creates further confusion among law enforcement officers, as it caused them to think twice before acting in more heated situations involving riots or protests while it shows a lack of confidence in the police as a whole.