Tensions erupted on Sunday night in the Roma settlement of Kipaki in Trikala, central Greece.
According to trikalavoice.gr, police initially proceeded to end a party held by the Roma. One of the Roma reacted, according to information, and attacked the police by hitting a patrol car. He was arrested.
Greece is currently in lockdown as it battles to end the coronavirus pandemic. Although restrictions will begin to be lifted in Greece throughout May and June, the partygoers could not be patient enough until then to have their celebrations.
The presence of the police in the camp, after a complaint about a disturbance and aimless shootings on the night of the Resurrection (Easter), provoked the reaction by the Roma, as they wanted to continue undisturbed the… “Easter celebration” in the middle of coronavirus lockdown.
Not only were they extremely vulgar in their verbal abuse, but they were bold enough to even record their abuse and attacks against the police and upload it on social media.
A total of six arrests for disturbing and violating the restrictive measures due to coronavirus, and three additional arrests on charges of disobedience, resistance and insult against the police, were made. Although searches were made by the police on the Roma, no weapons were found and most of the violence was done with stones found on the ground.
As a result of the clash, three police officers were taken to hospital. The perpetrators will face court for attacking police and defying coronavirus restrictions.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-xB5nyBPv0&feature=emb_title” width=”300″ height=”200″ theme=”light” title=”Roma partygoers attack Greek police during coronavirus lockdown”]Meanwhile, Health Ministry spokesperson Professor Sotiris Tsiodras on Wednesday announced that there were zero deaths from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, as reported by Greek City Times.
During his daily televised briefing, Greece’s most popular public figure said it is “a great relief for us to not be talking about deaths, but about lives being saved instead,” adding that the government’s timely preventive and restrictive measures reduced the spread of the virus in the community by a projected 80%.
