In a few days we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the fall of the dictatorship and the restoration of parliamentary regime. The anniversary coincides with the depressing events where the “heirs” of the dictatorship were the stars.
Those of us who experienced the coup in 21st April 1967 remember with disgust how the entrance of Parliament was locked down with heavy chains.
After the restoration of Democracy the chains were removed, but only for a while. Up until the past few years Parliament was open to everyone. The police would block it off whenever demonstrators approached it.
The Parliament of Greeks has only bee attacked twice in the past 50 years: In 1964 when right and far-right demonstrators invaded the building. They had begun their demonstration at the election campaign rally of G. Plytas, a candidate with the right-wing ERE, which had just passed power over to the Centrist Union. The invaders were arrested and condemned.
The case is the well-known clash of leftist extremists – according to the police – with the riot police in front of Parliament. The clash was limited and ended with few injuries on each side.
These events seem insignificant compared to what were witnessing going on in Parliament lately.
If they are not the twisted historic figments of imagination, they are a short-fused time bomb for Democracy.
Ideas cannot be persecuted, but criminal activities can be punished. And when we mean punishment, we mean life imprisonment the old fashioned way!
Stavros P. Psycharis
Originally published in the Saturday print edition of To Vima.
