Criminal charges for 11 anti-vaxxers who ‘arrested’ school head

Eleven anti-vaxxers, who style themselves “Guardians of the Constitution,” are facing criminals charges of kidnapping after they assaulted a school principal on Friday.

The individuals – nine men and two women – also face charges of using violence against civil servants and judicial officials, disrupting a public service, violating measures for the prevention of disease, threatening behaviour, defamation, simply bodily harm and violating personal data.

Early on Friday, the group barged into Aiginio gymnasium, in Pieria, northern Greece, grabbed the school principal, handcuffed him and dragged him to the local police station claiming they had “arrested” him for enforcing measures against Covid-19.

As soon as they arrived at the police station, the attackers were themselves detained and sent to the police’s security division of Katerini, while the school principal was released.

The principal later received treatment at a health clinic for abrasions to his wrists. 

According to information from the Ministry for Citizen Protection, three of the 11 people arrested have children attending the school.

Those arrested range in age from 42 to over 70. They come from various areas, such as Grevena, Imathia and Athens.

Officials suspect that some of them went specifically to Aeginio to carry out the “arrest.”