In a statement, the union said officers had stopped photojournalists approaching Syntagma Square to cover the demonstrations, demanding bag searches, physical searches, and threatening arrest. According to the union, this behaviour continued even after journalists presented their professional press cards and identified themselves.
The full statement reads:
‘The Greek Photojournalists Union condemns the practice of the Greek police of requesting checks of colleagues’ bags, requesting physical searches of photojournalists, and threatening their arrest as they approach Syntagma Square in order to cover the trade union mobilisations marking three years since Tempi. This practice, according to complaints from our colleagues, continued even after their professional identity cards were shown and their status declared.
This practice aims to intimidate those who protest the chronic failings of the railways and those who challenge the policies that are bearing down on us.
We demand, here and now, that the practice of “verifying” fellow photojournalists doing their job be stopped, along with the unjustified and provocative checks on the people who are on the streets today.’
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