A group of around twenty members of right-wing extremist Golden Dawn led by MP Yiannis Lagos raided an elementary school in Perama on Tuesday morning and bullied teachers and parents in an attempt to stop refugee children attending classes.
The mob forced its way to 1. Elementary School Neo Iconio in Perama, a suburb of western Piraeus, when the teachers and the parents association were about to convey to a meeting.
Teachers told media that they were not only verbally but also physically attacked with at least two people saying they got punched.
In another video, two people are heard saying that they were punched by the GDs.
A student’s mother told a TV channel that the group tried to enter the room “we refused but Lagos entered with violence.”
According to daily Efimerida Ton Syntakton, witnesses said that teachers and parents got punched inside the school while the police outside did not get involved.
“Reason” for the violence was the decision to have 25 refugee children from Schisto accommodation center attend classes in the afternoon.
GD said that they were called in “by concerned parents, Greek parents.” In the video above, several parents support the GDs as they try to enter the meeting room.
Speaking to Skai TV, Stavros Kalonis, a member of the national teachers’ federation, said he had not witnessed such an incident in 27 years as a teacher.
“The assault was launched by Mr Lagos, who verbally abused a policeman who had been outside the school,” Kalonis said of the neonazi MP for Piraeus.
“Afterward a group of Golden Dawners barged in and started beating us,” he added.
Note that MP Lagos has been indicted and the raid takes place at a time when the trial against Golden Dawn is ongoing, while the Court of Appeals examines the case of GD attack against members of communist union PAME in Perama in September 2013.
The Ministry of Education strongly condemned the attack and said in a statement that the GD members, incl Yiannis Lagos, invaded the school, they had no authorization to enter and attempted to turn the school into an “arena of political confrontation.”
There is no place for racism and violence in schools, the statement stressed.
According to latest information Greek Police investigates in two directions. First whether police officers present at the incident “did not properly exercise their duties,” as teachers complained that they did not intervene to stop the GD members. And second whether criminal offenses were committed as witnesses alleged that there were assault and threats against the teachers by the GDs.
The lack of proper training and guidelines for the Greek police is a disgrace. I suppose they would stand by idly if people arrived with guns and murdered all the children and teachers.
I dont understand why you are surprised. Golden Dawn has strong support amongst the police and the army and many in the police probably fully agree with GD’s views towards immigrants and refugees.
Army? You mean the army of conscripts that refuses order and tanks against the 2008 uprising and against refugees in Evros as refugees are no real enemy?
Sounds like a grown-up democratic army and I doubt hailing German Fuhrer is any patriotic
I mean the professional army and in particular the officer corps.
What about charging this terror as child abuse? All kids got scarred and shocked.
I never saw gd attack anyone on video clip. I saw Lagos holding standing at door holding back angry parents. 86 parents to 0 voted for no immigrant children to protect there own. What about democracy or does democracy only count when it’s in your favour. Gd was acquited of all fake charges against them also after 18 months in jail whilst other politicians have immunity from prosecution.
Go back to your Golden Toilet masters, and spare us the propaganda.
no need to be hostile and rude. if after you have reviewed video evidence, and not hearsay, and have a different conclusion let us know. i reviewed video, can be viewed all over you tube, and cant see any of the above. if a crime has been committed then they shall face the consequences however i cant see anything from GD. so perhaps you need to get your head out of the toilet and spare us your own brand of propaganda.
There is plenty of need to be hostile to Golden Toilet and its filthy supporters. Go and live in Germany where Nazis belong: Greece is for civilised people.