No excuse for violence

No citizen has the right to storm into public buildings and use physical violence as a form of protest – no matter what the reason. The rule of law and democratic principles must be observed and respected by everyone, and there can be no exceptions to this fundamental rule under any circumstance.

The same applies to miners from northern Greece who, on Wednesday and again yesterday, broke through a police cordon and entered the Development Ministry in Athens after their Canada-based mining company threatened to suspend investments in the country. Police were forced to fire rounds of tear gas to disperse the enraged protesters who fear they will lose their jobs.

There can be no excuse for the unlawful behavior of gold miners, and their union should do its utmost to ensure that such incidents are not repeated.