Dendias Promises Punishment of Brutal and Racist Cops

Public Order minister Nikos Dendias categorically underscored that Greece is not a xenophobic country and that all the incidents of racist violence by police personnel will be severely punished, in an interview with Belgrade daily Danas.

Dendias lauded the work of the police and noted that it can not be judged by the 15 incidents of police brutality noted by human rights NGOs. The minister also stated that the characterization of Greek society by the actions of Golden Dawn (Chrysi Avgi) was unfair, and that despite its rise in the polls it remained a marginal phenomenon. The minister condemned any police officer that would attempt to apply Golden Dawn's neo-nazi, as he called it, ideology he would face harsh retribution, even though political beliefs, no matter how personally repugnant were respected.

On the issue of illegal immigration Dendias noted that Greece faced a much more severe problem than other countries, but underscored the success of border policing efforts that have resulted in a decrease of 22.63% in the number of illegal immigrants in 2012, vis-a-vis 2011.