The incident took place during the regular evening sit-in at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, part of the daily protest actions calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza. Demonstrators, including Palestinians and solidarity groups, report repeated instances of police harassment, arbitrary checks, arrests, and violent escalation by Greek police forces.
Δείτε αυτή τη δημοσίευση στο Instagram.
Despite the existence of clear video evidence and eyewitness accounts showing the protester being assaulted without provocation, the Hellenic Police issued a statement reversing the facts. It claimed that a group of demonstrators “suddenly and aggressively” approached a police bus as officers were boarding, and that one protester struck the vehicle with a flagpole. The police allege that the man “resisted strongly” and attacked officers with kicks and punches, damaging state equipment.
However, in a striking admission, the same statement confirms that the protester filed a legal complaint against three police officers. Following an order from the prosecutor, one officer was arrested for grievous bodily harm and dereliction of duty. The protester, contrary to the police narrative, was not the accused in the assault case — but the victim.
The police headquarters has ordered a Sworn Administrative Examination, and proceedings are underway to suspend the officer involved.
The official statement concludes with a familiar formula, claiming that instructions for “restraint, composure and professionalism” are in full effect, and that any deviation is treated with “institutional rigour”. Yet this formula is increasingly difficult to reconcile with the ongoing reality on the ground — one of brutal, unaccountable repression against peaceful protest.
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