China News Service, July 11 (Xinhua) According to a report by the Greek European Union News Agency, on the evening of July 9, local time, the Greek parliament voted on the controversial "Restricted Assembly Bill", which resulted in 187 votes in favor, 101 votes against, and 12 votes. An overwhelming majority vote on abstention was passed. On the eve of the vote, about 10,000 demonstrators rallyed outside the parliament building and opposed the inclusion of a number of measures to strictly control the rally in the code. In the meantime, the demonstrators clashed with the riot police, and the police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
According to reports, the Greek police had closed subway stations such as Syntagma Square in advance in the afternoon on the 9th, but a large number of demonstrators still responded to the call of the Greek Communist Party and trade unions to rally in front of the parliament building to protest the authorities’ restrictions on public assembly.
In the meantime, demonstrators threw at least three petrol bombs at the riot police, and the riot police fired tear gas to fight back. The smoke from the Syntagma Square area was filled.
The bill submitted by the Greek Ministry of Citizenship stipulates that the organizer of the assembly must inform the police or the port authority of the assembly plan in advance. Although an assembly that is not reported in advance may not necessarily be considered an illegal assembly, if the assembly is collected by the police or the coast guard If the team is prohibited, it is an illegal assembly. Participants will be sentenced to 1 year’s imprisonment; those who have committed violence will be sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment; in addition to the penalty of 1 year’s imprisonment, the organizer must also bear compensation for material losses.
In addition, the bill stipulates that the assembly must have a person in charge, and the person who organizes the assembly must take necessary measures to protect public safety, such as preventing participants from using dangerous goods and preventing outside forces from manipulating the assembly. If the assembly activities endanger public safety or affect regional economic development, the authorities have the right to restrict assembly.
The bill also stipulates that smaller demonstrations should not close the main roads of the city, but should only use sidewalks or occupy only part of the lanes on the main streets to avoid traffic interruption.
After the disclosure of the bill, it immediately aroused strong criticism from the main opposition parties. Over the past few days, several left-wing parties and groups have gathered in Constitution Square to protest, demanding that the Greek authorities withdraw the bill.
During the debate in the Greek parliament on the bill, the leader of the New Democratic Party and the Greek Prime Minister Mizotakis said that the right of public assembly was fully protected. This bill only formulated rules for assembly and demonstrations so as not to hinder The normal actions and work of the people and the guarantee of normal urban order.
The Greek Minister of Citizen Protection Christophesdis said that the right of demonstration and assembly is often abused, including violent attacks on police and destruction of public and private property. At the same time, the frequent street demonstrations in the center of Athens and other cities disrupted social and economic activities and also caused traffic chaos. He pointed out that there is no unlimited right to assemble anywhere in the world.
The leader of the radical opposition left-wing alliance, Tsipras, slammed the bill saying that the government passed the legislation now because of fear of demonstrations in the fall, when the public will feel the pain of the economic recession caused by the epidemic.
Critics of the bill also include the Athens Bar Association and the Legislative Review Committee of the Parliament. They all believe that prosecuting people who participated in unauthorized assemblies and demanding that the organizers of the demonstrations be held responsible for possible losses caused by the assembly is legally "troublesome".
After the severe debt crisis broke out in Greece in 2009, the Greek people often held large-scale anti-austerity rallies, and some of the protests ended in violence. During the economic recovery, although the number, scale and intensity of demonstrations have declined, violent clashes between demonstrators and the police still occur occasionally. (Liang Manyu)