According to reports and complaints, football fans of Iraklis F.C. were attacked by riot police after a game. Because of this event and the panic created, a 60-year-old man fainted. Shortly afterwards, outside the stadium, police officers reportedly again attacked fans without any provocation, which was caught on video (see more about the incident in 1, 2, 3). The football club has filed a complaint alleging unprovoked police violence against the team’s fans (see 1, 2, 3).
In a state governed by the rule of law, the police authorities must be governed by certain principles, including the principle of legality, the principle of proportionality, the prohibition of the abuse of police power and the respect for and protection of human rights.
The powers of the police authorities and the conduct to be displayed by them in the performance of their duties are regulated, inter alia, by Decree 141/1991 and Decree 254/2004.
Although the police may use force to enforce the law, this does not mean that all use of preventive or repressive force by the police is lawful. On the contrary, the arbitrary use of the power to use force and police action in excess of legal limits is a dangerous phenomenon for a democracy.
However, the reported unprovoked attack by police forces on football fans appears to be outside the legal limits of the use of force.
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