The scenes of violence unfolding in European capitals and the prospect of similar incidents erupting in Greece have brought the issue of public order back into focus, as political tensions over parties’ stance towards extremism intensify.The interventions of New Democracy Political Committee secretary Konstantinos Kyranakis and government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis highlight the two strands of the government’s argument: preventing violent incidents in Greece and assigning political responsibility for past handling, with particular reference to the Golden Dawn case.
Speaking to ERTnews, Mr Kyranakis described the scenes of violence in France and other European cities as “a black day for Europe”, while expressing concern about efforts, as he put it, to recruit young people into destructive thinking. “We will not let our country become like the streets of Paris” was his characteristic message, alongside references to periods of tension and destruction Greece experienced in the past.
The New Democracy secretary warned that, in his view, efforts were being made to influence young people and lead them towards practices similar to those seen in other European countries. He placed particular emphasis on the impact such incidents could have on social calm and on the daily lives of citizens, businesses and property owners.
His remarks reflect the government’s intention to present itself as prepared for the possibility of similar incidents in Greece. Mr Kyranakis backed dialogue with school pupils and university students, stressing that the state must listen to young people’s demands on education and their future, without conflating protests with violence and destruction.
Criminal organisation
On the second front, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis chose to shift the dispute to the question of political responsibility for handling Golden Dawn. In a post, he addressed Theoni Koufonikolakou, spokesperson for Alexis Tsipras, responding to a post of her own and raising questions about the legislative choices of the 2019 government, as well as the stance of the party then in power towards provisions concerning criminal organisations and the exclusion of parties from elections under certain conditions.
In particular, Mr Marinakis argued that the 2019 changes to the Criminal Code, which reduced the sentencing range for the offence of leading a criminal organisation, could have had favourable consequences for Golden Dawn convicts as well.
He also called for an explanation of why Mr Tsipras’s party did not vote in favour of the relevant provisions, which allow parties to be barred from elections under certain conditions when their actual leader has been convicted of leading a criminal organisation.
The government spokesman also revived the issue of the difficulties encountered in finding a courtroom to complete the Golden Dawn trial, calling on the former prime minister’s side to account for its handling of the matter during its time in government.
The government aims to highlight, to its own advantage, the political differences over how extreme and criminal behaviour was dealt with in the past.