A group of anti-authoritarians attacked a church in downtown Athens, just hours after a court in Aigio acquitted Metropolis Amvrosios of the offense of hate speech and public incitement against gays.
A group of some fifteen people wearing hoods reportedly hurled molotov cocktail bombs, stones and paint at the walls of Agios Vassileios Church at the junction of Bouboulinas and Metsovou street in Exarchia district of the Greek capital.
Friday noon, a group calling themselves “Anti-Patriarch Anti-systemic Action Group” claimed responsibility for the attack saying they attacked “one of the pillars of the patriarchal state,” and that the reason for this was Amvrosios acquittal as well as for the recent police raids in squats in Exarchia and Koukaki.
Amvrosios’ acquittal triggered an outrage with critics to speak of “double standards” in Greece’s justice system.
“No ordinary citizen would enjoy such immunity,” ruling SYRIZA said in a statement criticizing the “policy of discrimination in the field of Justice.”
SYRIZA underlines that the court not only acquired Amvrosios who provocatively violated the anti-racism law, ” the court also allowed him to repeat the preaching of hate in which he said he would use also physical violence against homosexuals.”
In the court session of Thursday, Metropolit Amvrosios said “if I had a gun and the law allowed me I would use it against homosexuals, which he always calls as “perverts.”
