Ilias Kasidiaris, the MP of extreme-right party who punched a Communist MP and threw water to a left-wing MP, will sue those physically and morally responsible for the incident. In a statement published at the website of Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn), Kasidiaris wrote that he regrets “for being personally and involuntarily involved in an ussue aiming to disorient the public opinion and whose main purpose was to politically undermine Chrysi Avgi.” He blames Justice authorities for biased treatment of the case, police for immediate mobilization “while Greek citizens are deprived from it”, the media and the publishers “for demanding and heralding his prosecution.”
Kasidiaris’ Statement
“The events that took place the morning of last Thursday on ANT1 were directed with the sole purpose of challenging an extreme reaction on my part. I personally regret that without my will I was involved in the case of disorientation of public opinion, whose main purpose was to politically harm Chrysi Avgi.”
I was surprised by the immediate awareness of certain judicial officers in television time, and the mass mobilization of police, the luxury of daily intervention is denied to Greek citizens.
“I am not surprised by the provocative behavior of specific big-scale journalists and publishers who did not hesitate to demand and to herald my prosecution, even before it decided by the competent bodies.
Justice must and should remain sober, away from principals and agents, from foreign interests and political considerations. I chose to remain silent for 48 hours because I did not want to give pleasure to the TV-channels to pillory again, presenting the picture of my transfer, handcuffed, to the Prosecutor.
“We go straight to the prosecution in person in order to sue those physical responsible and moral instigators, responsible for illegal acts committed against me during the last two days.
“Above all, however, I let everything up to the irrefutable crisis of the Greek people. A folk that ignoring the dirty propaganda of the entire system stands now even more heavily on the side of Greek Nationalists in the Golden Dawn. ” (source: in.gr)
Should Kasidiaris seek the prosecutor, he will not be arrested due to the expiration of the 48-hours ‘caught in offence’.
Read more on the punch-up incident Here
This is unbelievable!
The attacker is suing his victims?
It represents the sickness of his party
Smart move on his part. Crazy rule in Greek law, this 48-hour ‘caught in the act’-thing. It incites people to flee the scene.
And as much as I am disgusted about this guy hitting other people there might a case to be made that he was hit first.it is not normal or innocent to it someone with some papers. It is aggression and hitting is hitting. Now it is up to prosecutors to find out if that was enough reason for this guy to punch the woman two or three times.
My own opinion is that this is NOT enough reason to hit back. But I can understand why he lashed out. As much as most in this country think that verbally attacking someone is harmless fun in most of the world people know that it is not harmless at all. It can bring people to acts far more dramatic than what this guy did.
These idiotic (morning) news programs are out to get a shouting match and they usually get what they want. And I have seen often how these people who call themselves journalist, teased and sucked so long until the opponents went at each other verbally. This guy that now does the Sunday morning show at SKAI? I ones saw how he did that and when the pandemonium started he sat back with a mean smile. I hold guys like him as much responsible for what this ChA. guy did as the person himself. Because ultimately we are all responsible for our own actions.
hm…. if all politicians would fall into traps of TV guys, there would be a permanent punching on Greek TV and TVs of other countries as well, Antonis. It’s just shows the lack of media experience of ChrAv people, even though the man was the party spokesman. In democracies you have to control your nerves. What if I am provoked by the kioskman and another customer takes his side? I punch them?
I am not speaking about a trap at all. Just pointing out that TV-shows are managed in a matter that entices violence. Verbal yes, this was something that was just an act waiting to happen.
Any producer knows that putting together this mixture of people will lead to at least a shouting match. And they got that. Did anyone tried to shot any of them up when they were throwing insults at each other? I haven’t seen the program, so that is why I ask. But knowing these programs my educated guess is that this shouting match was going on for a while already before it all went south. THATS the responsibility of the TV-guys.
And having no experience with those thugs is no excuse either. It’s like putting a Rottweiler in a room with a Pitbull and than claiming ignorance when blood is flying around. These TV-guys know damned well what they are doing and that they are playing with fire. Hell, they would stage a mass murder if they could or colossal wildfires only for their own egos and ratings.
Did any of those programs ever tried to get some opposing opinions together to hammer out solutions? I am not aware of one such program. But I gladly let me be proven wrong.
To me, most of them are as bad as any of the politicians they are so cozy with. And to me they are as much to blame for the state Greece is in as those politicians who are now spat upon by the public. But that same public is still condoning the antics of that other class that screwed them over the years: the quasi journalists.
What Greece needs above all is a top quality and independent group of real journalists (and those are around) to hunt down every last Euro, with no concern of who it is that stole it from Greece and the Greeks.
***
About your ‘kiosk’-question. You must have seen, like I did more than ones people going at each other throats on the street. At accidents for example. I also saw several times how police had to restrain furious mothers when something happened to their kids. Even the way in which Dourou was hitting had something familiar. I have seen this several times done by mothers to their grownup sons. Heck, I even have photos from a May 1st in Athens were pensioners were hitting each other around the head because they perceived all the others to get a bigger piece of grilled meat that was given out for free by the Dimos.
Why are so many people pretending that they do not know how violent Greek society can get now and then? Is everybody so comfortable with Molotov cocktails and alarm rockets thrown and shoot at police and opponents? And no that’s not something new in the last 2 years. Although the old guy hitting Hatzidakis was more recent. What happened to that man? Did he get punished or even arrested for hitting a guy so hard in the head that he bled? I seem to remember that a lot of people condoned that action because of Hatzidakis policies.
But to answer your question about being provoked by the kioskman and another customer takes his side. If that customer would hit at me with the newspaper he just bought, the chances are that I would hit him. Yes, I have to admit that. When someone hits me, man or woman, I will hit back. I am way to old to find it still romantic to turn the other cheek.
This is just a large pile of crap, AntonisX. I have lived in several Mediterranean countries — but specifically 15 years in Greece — and I can tell you that one of the most unusual things about Greeks is how they rarely use violence. The Mediterranean temperament is there, but usually it is old women who have to be restrained in their grief — not violent muscular men.
The fact is that Greek tv political discussions shows are stupid verbal fights. The fact is that this thug got out of control, first by flinging a glass of water at one woman, then physically attacking another. I have never seen a glass of water thrown in such a discussion.
The concluding fact is that only Xrysi Avgi has demonstrated such violence and thuggery. This is not confined to tv chat shows; over the last years they have brutally assaulted university academics, demanded that all foreigners (such as myself be removed from universities and kicked out of Greece) and burned books because they don’t agree with the content.
So, the claim that they want to take Greece back 500 years is quite correct. Maybe it should be even longer — perhaps 6,000 years before there was any developed Greek civilisation. Whatever the time period, they represent the lowest standard of behaviour of Greeks ever. Quite something!
Antonis, “hitting is hitting”? “hitting” with a piece of paper is not the same thing as hitting with a fist. No one goes to jail for hitting with a piece of paper. Not in Europe, I mean. He said that because it suits his defence. You said that because you are really convinced of that? You can’t put in the same level a women hitting a man (ex pugilist, by the way) and a man hitting a woman with is fists. That’s not normal. What is our scale of values?
About verball atack. Verbal atacks is a sign of democracy. In tv debates, even in parliaments. Tha’s a common thing. Politics should be prepared to verball tacks, ou they should not be politician.
You’ve drunken the mainstream media koolaid buddy. IF you watch the video, you see that he threw a glass of water, and then the woman with dark hair next to him SLAPPED HIM FIRST, then HE SLAPPED BACK. NOT PUNCHED; GAVE HER WHAT SHE FIRST GAVE TO HIM. I know that doesn’t suit the agenda of the parties the Banksters are supporting, but the TRUTH IS THE TRUTH. Why don’t you wake up and smell it?
thinking somebody needs eye-glasses and a calculator. a slap is a slap and a punch is a punch. 3 punches are even worst than one.
funny how this Ann doesn’t know the “woman with dark hair next to him” as she is quite infamous in Greece (LOL).
So, this could be considered a troll KTG? As if it was a Greek posting this, i’m sure he would have known the name of this “woman with dark hair next to him”
a troll without glasses and brain
Ann, it was a piece of paper…. are you joking? Monthy Python?…;)
its a political decision. it will create more polirisation and unrest which plays to the hands of groupdl like them.
A dispicable, but shrewd political move. A Self-fulfilling profecy in reality. Anybody who sees this guy lose it the way he did knows they are dealing with a dangerous psychopath. The charges he threatens to bring are that ridiculous that no judge in his/her right mind would want to entertain them, leaving these boys free to then point to the “proof” they now have of the official conspiracy to shut them up. But I do believe he has, thank god, done serious damage to the electorial prospects of his party by doing what he did. And that alone would be worht seeing him make a fool of himself in court trying to make this stick.
what is this 48 hour rule, and for example if someone murders then if not caught after 48 hours they get away free? I’m sure there is more to this story. Please fill in the holes someone.
Well, as someone who has to know about law across the EU, I am flabbergasted at this nonsense. It just shows how completely fucking stupid the Greek legal system is, and why nobody respects it. If you hide for 48 hours after a violent assault broadcast live on tv, you cannot then be arrested? Only Greece could dream up a piece of bureaucratic shit that allows criminals to manipulate the system. This is one of the first things that a new Syriza government should look at. Let’s hope they manage a better job of such things than the mafia of Pasok and ND have done.
I think Liana Kanelli acted in defense of Mrs. Dourou. A very angry and completely out of control Kasidiaris attacked a female MP with a glass of water. Who knew what would be his next move? Punching her may be? Mrs. Kanelli rose in protest and to protect Mrs. Dourou from the attacker. Touching him lightly with the papers what not assault, it was a warming that hia actions were not tolerated. Kasidiaris was very agitated by the fact that his trial for another assault was mentioned in the discussion in which trial a member of SYRIZA is a witness. This probably provoked the attack against Mrs. Dourou who is also a SYRIZA member.
thnx rum. exactly how i saw it too. hopefully greece saw it like that as well.
I wonder if he thought about the fact that a good defense will dig in his past to uncover if there is a record of previous aggreesions and violence? A hot tempered guy like Kasidiaris sure has some corpses in the cellar, and by creating a public stage on which such old stories can be presented he may wreck whatever is left of his reputation. No matter from which angle you look at this, for him to sue “those physical responsible and moral instigators” is a bad idea.
I am not Greek and am not familiar with the TV programme. However, I am confident that the Greek TV is little different from all other TV around the world.
I suggest that the programme sets up these ‘extreme’ politicians to argue and make fools of themselves. This is because the TV stations are owned by the same people who are imposing austerity on Greece. They do not want the facists to gain power. They do not want the left to gain power. They want the same old corrupt politicians who allowed this mess to continue in power.
All TV is propaganda.
According to Radio&Television Law Media are obliged to invite representatives from all political parties, especially those that managed to enter the Parliament.
Well, of course TV channels love controversy. The more exciting programs they offer, the more viewers will watch. But that’s well known and a politician has to be able to deal with it. A guy who loses his temper and goes violent while millions of people are watching certainly won’t be able to control himself in other stressful situations, neither. He simply doesn’t have the cool head that is a requirement for a successful manager in the stressful times of crisis. Good for the voters that this event showed that Kasidiaris doesn’t have the responsibility and the nerves for the duties as a representative. This well help them to avoid making a big mistake in the election.
And good that discussions like these show who defends aggressive behaviour and downplays the NeoNazi’s shocking flaws of character, too.
One thing also Gray that caught my attention is why the company that he works for has not fired or suspended (Kaseriadis) him (or maybe they have?). I know in the UK, most reputable companies would not want to have a member of a hate group working for them and they would probably discretely fire him or at a minimum suspend him until the outcome of the trial.
It probably ain’t so easy. In continental Europe, there are stronger laws that safeguard workers and employees from being fired for reasons like the company not liking their “attitude”. Generally, I think such legal protection is reasonable, nobody should be the slave of an employer who wants to regulate the private life of the staff. But there are some excesses. For instance, in Germany, a very renomated, large corporation just had to fight in court for years to prevent an employee who had been convicted as an active Al Quaeda supporter from returning to its old job. No joke! That extremist declared that he would abstain from terrorism from now on that that the company had no reason to fire him. It took years to get to a final judicial judgment on this that put a higher value on the reputation of the company, and the concerns of the other employees, than on the individual rights of the worker.
I guess the labor laws are even stronger in Greece. So, getting rid of Kasidiaris for a criminal offence he committed in his privatew life sure won’t be easy.
Greece has the extreme misfortune, since 1832, of following Germanic legal code. A stupider idea it is difficult to think of — maybe adopting Japanese law and ethics would have been worse. So the bureaucratic shit called employment law in Greece is directly attributable to Germans. It is completely inappropriate for a Mediterranean or Balkan-Mediterranean society, and its main result is to leave useless people with jobs for life, while younger more creative and talented people are left with nothing or shit.
Besides, the pharmaceutical company that employs this thug can sack him and just pay the penalty for unlawful dismissal — assuming that a court would reach such a conclusion. The cost would be trivial in comparison with their turnover, so someone there is protecting him. Probably there is a little cabal of neo-Nazis in the the drug company: after all, who would employ this criminal anyway?