Police compiling case file against organizers of student protest
The Athens Police Directorate is compiling a case file against the organizers of Thursday’s protest of students and educators opposing education reforms.
Apart from accusing organizers of Thursday’s protest of holding the rally in defiance of a ban introduced at the start of the week on all gatherings of more than 100 people, police are also reportedly looking to slap them with charges of the more serious crime of endangering public health.
Some 4,000 protesters gathered in downtown Athens on Thursday to protest education reforms and government plans to create a campus police force, in defiance of a ban announced by the Hellenic Police (ELAS) earlier in the week on the grounds of health concerns.
According to sources, the directorate is putting together a file of preliminary investigative material that will be sent to the Athens first instance prosecutor, who is expected to order a preliminary investigation that would return the case file to ELAS so it could start gathering evidence to identify the leaders and participants of the rally.
The ban on large public gatherings has caused significant tension between the government and the leftist opposition, which sees it as an attempt to stifle reactions to the planned reforms.
