Ilias Kasidiaris, 32, spokesman of extreme-right Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn) and member of the Greek Parliament for a couple of days is still on the run, more than 24 hours after he punched a female Communist KKE MP and threw water at another one from left-wing SYRIZA. Criticism is high against the police for not having managed to locate and arrest the fugitive, against who the prosecutor issued an arrest warrant one hour after the punch-up on Thursday morning.
“We check all the known spots where he could possibly be” the spokesman of Greek Police Thanassis Kokkalakis told state broadcaster NET TV on Friday when he was asked to reply why Ilias Kasidiaris remains inconceivable.
“He is subject to exactly the same standard procedures falling within any man in the Greek territory,” said Kokkalakis, dismissing claims that the police shows lenient treatment towards members of the Golden Dawn.
“The police is acting according to the prosecutors’ arrest warrant [issued ex officio = by reason of official position] the police-spokesman added, noting that at present there has been no complaint against Kasiadiaris.
According to Article 242 (in flagrante delicto, in blazing offence, caught in the act) of the Code of Criminal Procedure the deadline for the arrest and chargers against Kasidiaris expires at 12 midnight Friday.
Greek media estimate that Kasidiaris would most probably voluntarily appear before the authorities, after the deadline expires. According to Criminal Code, the offence against Kasidiaris is not a felony therefore the police is not allowed to locate him through his mobile phone.
Chrysi Avgi fully supported Kasidiaris saying that Kanelli hit him first with a newspaper.
Liana Kanelli (KKE) hit Kasidiaris with the official newspaper of the Greek Communist Party “Rizospastis”, after he threw a glass of water at Rena Dourou (SYRIZA).
Many Greeks wonder how comes that a politician caught in action by television cameras shows such a blatant defy of the laws, instead of giving himself to the police, defend himself and let the Justice investigate the issue.
But these are the small letters in Greek politics…
Police and GD relations
Thanassis Kokkalakis speaking about the relations of policemen to Golden Dawn, Kokkalakis said that “for the last 17-18 years, the Greek police recruits staff through a system of national exams. It essentially absorbs the product of society. This should be understood by everyone. The fact that someone may prefer, for whatever reason, a particular party from the Center, the Left or the Right, concerns our organization to the extent that this person does not do his job properly.”
PS One more reason to watch TV series Law&Order: one gets an idea how criminal codes and justice procedures work and that the majority of the bad people lands into jail…
Apologies for my inability to correctly translate the Greek Criminal Code terminology.
Thanks KTG. If I don’t say it enough I truly enjoy your site and may not always agree with you, and my humor at times may be a bit unique, but I must say your dedication to keeping us foreigners informed is honorable….
As a foreigner who has lived in Greece for many years with an extended Greek family, you are my only source of accurate news between a few light translations from my Yia-Yia (LOL), and Kathy Mary Knee.
Thank you again and keep it up!
Thank you for reporting this. As a foreign women living in Greece, I find this type of behavior immoral and unacceptable! I have no idea what was being discussed to anger Mr Kasidiaris, and one cannot claim that being brushed by a newspaper a reason to attack a person let alone a man against a woman. If this is what he is prepared to do on screen in front of people what is he prepared to do off screen? Consider this: A man who hits a woman on live television gives himself a bad image. A man who hits a woman on live television and goes unpunished gives the society a bad image. The justice for Mrs Kanelli for this incident will define the condition of what it is to be a woman living in Greece in 2012. Please keep us up to date on this matter.
kokkalakis was lying: it was known kasidiaris was hiding in the golden dawn HQ in athens, being kept from the judicial system by cops. but thats what you get when you allow the protector to be a fascist. all i can say is its shameful. their grandparents fought and suffered under the nazis, and now their kids follow the nazis. so sad.
that was just an (internet) rumor, prezzy.