According to numerous press reports and complaints (indicatively: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), on 20 February 2023, riot police forces used violence and chemicals against teachers and students during their protest in Eleftherias Park, in which they wanted to express their opposition to the government’s policy in the field of education, on the occasion of an event of the Ministry of Education at the Megaron Music Hall.
Apart from the use of violence and chemicals, the police authorities, according to a report by Efsyn, also arrested a participant in the protests. Following this action, the assembled people moved en masse towards the police headquarters to protest against the arrest; shortly afterwards the person was released.
The Federation of Private Educators of Greece (OIELE) issued a statement on the incident, condemning ‘increasing governmental authoritarianism’ and the use of brute force by the police forces against teachers.
In a state governed by the rule of law, the action and functioning of the police authorities must be governed by certain principles, including the principle of legality, the principle of proportionality, the prohibition of 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 exercise of their duties are regulated, inter alia, by Presidential Decrees 538/1989, 141/1991 and 254/2004.
Although the Police may use force in order to enforce the law and protect human rights, this does not mean that all use of preventive or repressive force by police officers is lawful.
On the contrary, the arbitrary use of the power to use force and police action in excess of the legal limits is a dangerous phenomenon for a democracy. In view of the above, it should be pointed out that in the case in question the conduct of the police authorities (unprovoked use of force, use of chemicals, bringing a demonstrator to the police station) appears, according to the reports and allegations, to be outside the legal limits of police action.
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