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The minister of Justice, Haris Kastanidis, announced yesterday during the council of ministers that the legislative regulation, according to which wearing a hood can worsen punishment for those engaging in violent acts during public gatherings, physical violence, robbery and occasionally destroying personal property, will be removed. The fact that the perpetrators were with their hoods on will not be aggravating, said Kastanidis.

“What has to be clear, however, is that the government will show zero tolerance towards “vandals” or “Rambo”-policemen,” stated Mihalis Chrisohoidis, the Minister of Public Order, adding that there will be police presence everywhere.

In an interview for the Mega TV channel, Chrisohoidis announced the forthcoming establishment of a new office at which citizens’ complains about policeman acting on their own responsibility will be accepted.

In regard to the police presence at Athens downtown, the minister emphasized that the “police will be everywhere,” including Exzarchia. He defined the neighborhood as being the starting point of vandalistic acts. “Every vandal that dares to damage personal property and destroy the public peace will be arrested,” said also Chrisohoidis.

The Minister of Public Order noted that he has taken over “a police that is falling apart, where the active law is the one of doing nothing and where everyone’s major concern is for the day to pass by quicker.” Chrisohoidis elaborated on the issue of policemen behavior, promising to strengthen the procedures for applying disciplinary legislature in cases of illegal behavior. Soon, an office for complains against policemen will start functioning, working in cooperation with the NGO “Civil Protection.”

Finally, regarding the murder of Alexis Grigoropoulos in December last year, the minister said that citizens will be able to organize a protest in December but acts of vandalism and destroy will not be allowed. “It does not speak well of us as a country to allow 1500 people to destroy our image and property; we will provide presence where needed in order to do what we are expected to and secure public peace,” announced the online periodical in.gr.