Since Greece elected a new government, led by the New Democracy party, in June 2019, instances of police violence have come to dominate public debate. One of the latest incidents involves a December 18 police raid on squats in Athens, during which a renowned film director was beaten, injured and arrested for refusing to comply with police orders.
In November, Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis, who is in charge of law enforcement forces, issued an ultimatum: squats occupying public and private buildings should be evacuated within two weeks. Squatting, a phenomenon mainly affecting Greece's largest cities, is presented by the current government as a manifestation of the anarchist ideology that supposedly supports terrorists and migrants.
Following the minister's announcement, several police operations took place, mostly in the capital, to evacuate buildings. On December 18 at 7 a.m., the target was three occupied buildings in Koukaki, a prestigious district in central Athens, where police arrested nine people. A resident of a nearby house said she'd been subjected to violence and threats as police officers broke into her home, beating and arresting her husband and son:
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