Far-leftists in Thessaloniki have posted names and addresses of 21 Greek police officers online, calling for violence against the officers and stating that they are “at war”.
The announcement was made on the well-known far-left anarchist anti-authoritarian web platform Indymedia and claimed that the officers had engaged in suspected “torture and abuse, rape and cover-up of gender-based violence”, among other “charges”.
“The Greek Police is nothing more than a gang of pimps, rapists, torturers and murderers who are fortified behind the window of legality, order and security,” the group Organization Anarchist Action said in their statement.
“Now each of them individually can feel what it is like to be afraid to go home alone. Count the steps with your breath. Now each of them, individually, can be faced with their share of responsibility,” the group said, adding: “When we say we are at war, we mean it. We respond to violence with violence. The headhunt has begun.”
Lawyer Thodoris Karagiannis, who represents the police officers, told the newspaper Proto Thema: “The public announcement on 21 police officers in Thessaloniki, with the publication of their names and addresses on the internet by a ‘known’ group of anarchists, is a direct blow to the Greek police and an act of brute force.”
“An act of brute force, because it directly threatens and encourages many to use force against the police officers mentioned and their families,” Mr Karagiannis added.
Thessaloniki trade unionist and police officer Alexandros Kaleyras, meanwhile, criticised the city’s political class for being silent on the issue, asking if they were afraid of speaking out.
“The direct targeting of police officers increases the feeling of insecurity of citizens,” he said.
Far-left extremism remains a major issue in parts of Greece. Earlier this year, far-left anarchist extremists were behind at least 100 attacks, including the firebombing of the officers of the governing New Democracy party in an Athens suburb.
The attacks were linked to a hunger strike by far-left terrorist Dimitris Koufontinas, who is serving multiple life sentences after being convicted of murdering 11 people while a member of the Communist Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17N) terrorist group.