At least seven people, including the elderly, were injured during the dispersal of a protest against the installation of wind turbines on the island of Tinos.
Hundreds of locals gathered at the island’s port early Wednesday morning, waiting for trailers to transport wind turbine components and cranes to install them, arriving by ferry from the mainland.
When the vehicles began to leave the port, the local residents lined up in a human chain, blocking the road for the vehicles. Suddenly, riot police began to beat the protesters.
In the video, a woman can be heard screaming, “Stop it! Stop it! ”As police beat local protesters.
“They beat old people, girls and farmers, people who were not used to violence and who were holding a peaceful demonstration. They [полиция] behaved as if we were the gangs of New York, ”a local resident told the newspaper Efsyn…
Protesters say the police took out metal truncheons (not officially approved for use by the Greek police) and began hitting people on the heads, arms and other parts of the body.
Among the injured was the 72-year-old former mayor of Tinos, who suffered a head injury from a blow with a police baton while trying to help an injured young woman. “His head was covered with blood when he tried to persuade the policeman not to beat the young girl,” eyewitnesses say.
The police arrived on the island with the sole purpose of helping to keep the project going as planned, as the local population showed violent reactions.
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Local residents consider the installation of wind turbines an “environmental crime”.
“The atmosphere in the local community is heavy and tense, as this terrible scene and the injuries inflicted on our fellow citizens by the police are unprecedented for the inhabitants of our island, which has a deeply peaceful culture,” Tinos Mayor Yiannis Ciotos wrote in an open letter to The Ministry of Citizens’ Protection, the Greek police and the local police authorities, demanding that such incidents not be repeated.
On September 11, at the request of 16 residents, a local court issued a temporary ruling according to which the transit permit for vehicles carrying wind turbine components was temporarily suspended until at least September 27. However, the owner companies refused to accept the court’s decision and demanded that the higher authorities cancel it. efsyn …
Since Monday, by order of the police on the neighboring island of Syros, access to the road leading to the mountain has been blocked “for security reasons” for the transport of wind turbine components.
A ferry carrying equipment for transporting and installing wind turbines arrived on Tuesday evening, and hundreds of protesters gathered at the port saw it cordoned off with ropes, police and coast guard vehicles and dozens of uniformed people obstructing the passage of the island’s residents.
It should be noted that this is not the first time that such inappropriate behavior of the Greek police towards local residents occurs.
In February 2020, a police force that landed on Lesvos along with construction equipment to build a prison-type camp was also met with a peaceful demonstration by local residents.
Mαρτυρίες πολιτών για το όργιο αστυνομικής βίας στην Παγανή
Συγκλονιστική η μαρτυρία του Στρατιωτικού Ιερέα πατρός Κομνηνού Βράνη για το όργιο απρόκλητης αστυνομικής βίας από άνδρες των ΜΑΤ στην Παγανή.Αναλυτικό ρεπορτάζ: https: //www.stonisi.gr/post/7181/espasan-aytokinhta-kai-xtyphsan-polites-oi -andres-twn-mat-sthn-paganh-video
Posted by Στο Νησί on Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Nevertheless, the police officers behaved unreasonably cruel. According to local residents, they behaved like pirates who took over the island.
Τα κακόμοιρα τα παιδιά των ΜΑΤ … ξεκάθαρα απειλούνται από το κόκκινο αγροτικό και αμύνονται …
Η μεγαλύτερη εγκληματική συμμορία είναι η ΕΛ.ΑΣ
Video Γιώργος Μουτάφης pic.twitter.com/DlMCICjr9x
– Δρομογράφος (@dromografos) February 27, 2020
The most revealing episodes were the moments when the police, leaving the island and moving along the road, smashed windows on cars standing by the side of the road, and then, from the ferry, fired at the inhabitants of the island with a grenade launcher and tear gas grenades.
It is noted that none of the policemen were punished in any of the episodes.
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