Several men of a squad of riot policemen a young man by the t-shirt and beat him up. The man shouts that he works at the kiosk. The policemen do not seem to care about this fact, that the man and a woman are kiosk employees and not protesters against whom the police was apparently after.
They push him around, the man manages to escape. The footage shows helmets and batons and doors of refrigerator for drinks wide open.
The man keeps shouting “I work at the kiosk! Are you insane? Wanna steal water?”
Cornered with his colleague by the head of the squad the man keeps shouting:
“Do you want to steal water using violence? What’s going on? What are you doing? Will you steal water using violence?”
As the squad withdraws, the man keeps shouting “Wanna steal the water? Hey! Wanna steal the water?”
Video:
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The incident occurred on yesterday Monday, when riot police squads raided Exarchia district of Athens, right after the rally to commemorate the Polytechnic Students’ Uprising on 17. November 1973.
The video was uploaded on internet on Tuesday afternoon and was spread like a wild fire.
KTG reported last night that “police had broke the fridge of a mini market in Exarchia”.
Reports that “two employees were beaten by police” were not confirmed at the time of writing the post.
Reactions
Men in uniform stealing water? Men in uniform grabbing bottle of waters and leave without paying? Thus beating up the kiosk employee? That’s more than plain “abuse of power” and “shame”!
Media speak of “outrage” and “Shocking!”, “Is that the true face of police?“, “The document of shame“, are just a few of the titles of mainstream websites reporting about the incident.
Police investigation
The head of Greek police ordered an “internal investigation” to find and punish – most probably with a several-days-long suspension.
According to latest information, Greek Police already identified the riot police squad and the policemen involved and called them in to testify.
“The policemen claim that they went to the kiosk, threw a 20-euro-banknote to the counter and told the employee that they were going to buy a bunch of water bottles. The employee told them, he would not sell water to cops and also most probably he did not see the euro bank note as he was working.”
(MEGA TV, Prime Time News)
UPDATE: Nov 19/2014
Police Union Spokesman: “The kiosk employee should have been arrested for refusing to sell water”
While the internal investigation is still continuing, Public Relations manager of Policemen Union, Stavros Balaskas told ANT1 TV Wednesday morning that
“According to colleagues’ testimonies, the policemen left money at the counter but the kiosk man refused to take it. When the kiosk employee refused to take it, the policemen asked the squad head to arrest him but he did not do so.”
“The arrest is been foreseen by the law,” Balaskas claimed adding that “it was a mistake that the police did not leave.”(via enikos.gr)
I don’t know which law orders the arrest of a businessman refusing to sell his goods in a free economy…. Nevertheless, a prosecutor is involved in the investigation as we will find out.
ANT1 Screenshot: Shock Video: riot policemen steal water from kiosk and beat the employee
Non-stop ‘internal investigations’ by the Greek Police
It is the number I- don’t-know-what “internal investigation” ordered by Greek police to investigate issues of police violence and harassment against reporters and journalists that occurred only on Monday night. Next to VICE and Mega TV reporters, also “the camera crew of ALPHA TV was harassed by police” I head on their prime time news program.
Not to mention, the German Erasmus exchange student in Athens who was beaten up by police. But in this case, there has been no “internal investigation” as there was no lawsuit filed.
PS I guess the beating was the police reaction to employee’s refusal to sell 40 bottles of water for 20 euro…
One bottle of water at the kiosk costs 50 cents…
maybe the kiosk owner refused to give a reciept = )
oh and according to the law, 500 ml of water should cost 0.35 cents not 50 the kiosks keep on ripping everyone off as usual.
the price is set by the Commerce ministry
It does beg the question… Riot Policeman in full garb happens to produce a €20 note to pay for water. From where? his trouser pocket with a third hand not holding a baton or a shield? … and I’ve always paid .50 for a small bottle of water. Rip you off… come on get real. None of this excuses an abuse of power from a Police Force that is supposed to offer protection…. but one wonders who or what are they are protecting.
technically is possible.