A first step in crime central

The situation in Exarchia has been out of control for too long. It is totally unacceptable that a neighborhood right in the center of Athens – and its inhabitants – have for years been held ransom to the whims of criminal gangs of all sorts.

The police Tuesday finally made a first step in the right direction. However, a lot remains to be done before the area can be declared “safe.”

The question remains whether the authorities have the political will to impose law and order and to take on certain groups whose activity is affecting the daily lives of the people, as they spread terror in the name of their purportedly anarchist values.