Reining in the zealots

The latest incident of extreme reactionism, which took place Friday in Pieria, northern Greece – when a group of anti-vax zealots calling themselves the “Guardians of the Constitution” manhandled a school principal and dragged him to the local police station in protest at Covid protection measures – may sound like the stuff of comedy but should not be treated lightly.

Anyone who shows tolerance for such incidents, who adopts any of the claims behind them or propagates the beliefs that drive them should be aware that they are fanning some very dangerous flames.

The last time the political system failed to get a grip on such extreme beliefs and behaviors, the zealots of the extreme right organized themselves into attack squads.