On 18 May 2025, audiovisual material was released showing police officers violently entering a venue in Exarchia, assaulting patrons, and causing damage to private property. According to the complaints, police forces raided three bars on Mesolongiou Street, detaining citizens, and using chemical agents.
ELAS did not issue any statement to explain the conduct of its personnel, nor to clarify how such actions align with the legal framework intended to prevent excessive and arbitrary violence against citizens.
In a state governed by the rule of law, the actions and functioning of police authorities must be guided by certain principles, including legality, proportionality, the prohibition of abusive exercise of police power, and respect for human rights. The duties and conduct of police authorities are regulated, among other legislation, by Presidential Decrees 538/1989, 141/1991, and 254/2004.
While the police are empowered to use force in order to enforce the law and protect human rights, this does not mean that any preventive or repressive use of force is lawful. On the contrary, arbitrary or excessive use of force beyond legal limits constitutes a dangerous phenomenon for democracy.
Given the above, this case raises serious concerns about compliance with the legal framework governing the lawful operation of ELAS, with the aim of preventing excessive and arbitrary violence against citizens—an issue that must be investigated by state authorities and the judiciary.
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