Afroditi Latinopoulou, leader of the Voice of Reason party, has strongly criticised the pre-trial detention of the police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old man in Argos, describing it as “clearly unacceptable”.
Speaking on MEGA, Latinopoulou argued that the officers acted in the line of duty to protect their own lives after the driver attempted to ram them with his vehicle while trying to escape.
“A police officer who joins the security forces does so because he wants to protect citizens’ lives,” she said. “Did you hear that he tried to ram them with his vehicle? He tried to escape. If you do not want police officers to have weapons, then change the legal framework.”
She continued: “When he tried to ram them, was there no threat to life? If Mitsotakis does not want police officers to carry out their duty, to protect citizens’ lives and their own lives, if he believes that the lives of police officers have less value, then he should give them flowers and take away their weapons.”
Latinopoulou added: “It is not possible for a police officer, when carrying out his duty, to constantly be the one having to justify himself — and especially to be placed in pre-trial detention.”
On the Marfin Case and Left-Wing Violence
Regarding the ongoing Marfin bank arson case, Latinopoulou criticised the handling of left-wing violence, stating it has remained “unpunished and tolerated by governments” for years.
She called for the anarchist group Rouvikonas to be officially declared a terrorist organisation, saying it is “long overdue”.
“There are no excuses, and we are sorry — those who govern bear responsibility. Arrests should be made for the blockades that shut down roads, arrests should be made for the street gangs that come out onto the streets, arrests at every demonstration,” she added.