Highlights
– Greek arsonists plague country
– Foreign embassy vehicles targeted in latest attacks
– Politicians debate use of surveillance cameras
– Anarchists show no signs of abandoning practices
As we previously reported, in striking similarity to neighboring European Union (EU) member states, ideological extremists enjoy a comfortable home in Greece (Previous Report). Although they are few in number, ultra-leftist and anarchist militant groups maintain a widespread and increasingly active presence in Greece. Among their list of targets is an emphasis on high-profile Greek government installations, police facilities, and so-called “capitalist symbols,” such as ATMs and banks.
Utilizing a variety of attack methods such as gas canister bombs, mail bombs, arson, pointed assassinations, and less frequently, rockets, Greek anarchists demonstrate fierce opposition to foreign government sources as well. Most recently, in December 2007, suspected anarchists burnt four diplomatic vehicles belonging to Turkey, Italy, and the Philippines.
Despite employing a number of prevention methods, Greek authorities remain so far unsuccessful in their efforts to end arson attacks in the country. Coupled with an exceedingly low success rate, internal disputes concerning the use of closed-circuit cameras to monitor would-be arsonists has led to the resignation of a prominent privacy watchdog, Dimitris Gourgourakis.
As we previously reported, the rise of anarchist groups in Greece shows no sign of slowing. To this end, we believe anarchist attacks will continue to plague the country in the mid to long-term.
Anarchists Target Diplomatic Cars
On December 10, 2007, suspected Greek arsonists burned four diplomatic vehicles belonging to Turkey, Italy, and the Philippines in attacks across Athens . Immediately following the attacks, Turkish officials condemned the violence and called for the protection of diplomatic personnel and property stating, “Our expectation from the Greek authorities is for the culprits to be swiftly caught, for the vehicles to be compensated and for the life and property of all personnel on duty in Greece to be protected.”
Anarchists carried out the pre-dawn attacks within a 35-minute time period, employing small cooking canisters – a preferred method of attack. All four vehicles were adorned with diplomatic license plates but were not distinguishable by country of origin. Two vehicles belonged to Turkish diplomats while the others belonged to Italy and the Philippines. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident, however a fifth car was damaged as a result of spreading fire.
Closed-Circuit Camera Debate
In November 2007, Dimitris Gourgourakis, head of Greece’s privacy watchdog organization, submitted his formal resignation. Citing staunch opposition to the government’s plans to utilize traffic cameras to monitor demonstrations and suspected anarchist activity, Gourgourakis asserted, the Greek police, “directly breached” the Data Protection Authority (DPA’s) regulations by using closed-circuit surveillance equipment to observe a central Athens protest.
Opposition parties accuse the conservative government of actively attempting to weaken the DPA. Gourgourakis’s resignation follows a continual dispute between the ruling government and the DPA over police use of surveillance cameras. Originally installed for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, constitutional use of the surveillance equipment has sparked a broad debate centering on privacy rights within the country. Currently used for monitoring traffic, the approximately 350 cameras are positioned on congested thoroughfares and public squares.
In October 2007, a senior prosecutor ruled police could position cameras to capture footage of public gatherings and subsequently use any incriminating evidence found there to identify and prosecute individuals caught on film engaging in criminal activity, i.e. arson attacks. Privacy and human rights groups tout such camera use encourages unconstitutional “snooping” and further curtails civil liberties normally afforded to Greek citizens.
Future Outlook
As we previously reported, Greek youth-oriented anarchist organizations show no signs of abandoning attacks against government targets, police installations and personnel, foreign diplomatic missions, and so-called “capitalist” symbols (Previous Report). Additionally, heated internal political debates concerning the appropriate or constitutional use of surveillance equipment to curb anarchist activities continue. Until concrete surveillance, interrogation, and arrest practices are implemented, we believe anarchist attacks will continue to plague the country in the mid to long-term.
