Mitsotakis blames government for rise in violent crime

Main opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis blamed the government for what he described as a rise in violent crime on Monday, referring to a house robbery in which burglars shot a businessman as "the last straw".

"The latest crimes in which fellow citizens are fighting for their lives and homes are being looted confirm what New Democracy has been saying for a long time. That the situation is worsening every day," he said in a recorded video message.

"There's always been crime. But [violent incidents] lately were the last straw. The government bears huge responsibility."

Mitsotakis said a law by former justice minister and SYRIZA MP Nikos Paraskevopoulos aimed at easing prison overcrowding had "released hundreds of criminals" and accused the government of "tolerating" anarchists groups and violence in university campuses.