REPORTS
Complaints of an unprovoked attack by the police against Greek Communist Party members in Thessaloniki
According to reports (see 1, 2, 3), police officers, without provocation, attacked Greek Communist party members during a rally in Thessaloniki with chemicals and batons, injuring some protesters.
The incident was reported in a 5-3-2023 press release by the Party’s Press Office, which reported: “We denounce the unprovoked attack by the police on the members of the KKE, who this morning were at the White Tower of Thessaloniki and proceeded to symbolically hang a banner with a slogan.” As a result, two of them were injured. Some of the participants were also locked inside the tower and not allowed to leave, including a party MP.
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 any 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.
The reported incident seems to be inconsistent with the requirements of a rule of law.
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