The demonstrations in Crete on Friday, with the violence and vulgarity that went over the democratic limits leave no room for complacency…. When voters clash with their representatives in Parliament, there is no more room for indifference. The threat of blood being shed in one of these demonstrations is the same if not greater than what Greek society faced in the spring of 1963.
The legend says that when “indignant citizens” act with “political cover” are usually transformed into parastatal groups with criminal actions.
The far-right citizens who formed the parastatal groups in Thessalonki and other areas in the country in 1963 were “indignant citizens”. They organized the so-called counter-demonstrations, where Grigoris Lambrakis was murdered, having been clubbed by a far-right extremist.
Those responsible for the murder claimed that the strike was a mistake and the view point of the defendants was that they “did not want to kill him, just mess him up”…
Of course there are not many similarities of what happened then and what is going on today. But it is an indication of where things are headed when political intentions lead democratically elected governments to associate what is seemingly legitimate with a parallel “state” – the parastate.
The violence incidents of “indignant citizens” against the MP they elected may ruin the country.
The political leadership must take its measures, because as we all know, blood is notoriously slippery.
Stavros P. Psycharis
Originally published in the Sunday print edition
