Following the incidence in Rafina at the weekend, where members of Golden Dawn destroyed several illegal vending stalls from merchants who did not have any permits, and the applause they received for doing so from the Pan-Hellenic Merchants Association, riot police on Monday morning appeared in front of the party's headquarters on Diligiannis Road and encircled the building following an order by Minister of Public Order (or of the Protection of the Citizen) Nikos Dendias. The riot police, complete with armoured vehicles, were given strict instructions to fully to monitor and prosecute whoever enters, or leaves from the premises.
Read the relevant story and watch the video on the incidents by clicking here
Meanwhile, Chief of the Greek Police Force Lieutenant Nicholas Papagiannopoulos relieved the head of the police department in Rafina from his duties for reasons related to the operational management of the relevant incident. Parallel to this the Ministry launched an all out inquiry into the incident.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Public Order also withdrew police guards who have been protecting Golden Dawn MPs after the party vowed to continue with the intimidation against illegal immigrant street vendors. A statement from the ministry stressed that it wanted to prevent the guards from facing a conflict of duty between protecting government officials from the far-right party and from stopping them from breaking the law.
Following this and in reply to Dendias, the Golden Dawn party characterized the moves as being part of "the democracy of the Stalinist regime of the memorandum." At the same time an announcement from the party noted that they are now proceeding with lawsuits.
Sources in Greek - newsbomb, newsnow,, protothema
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