Greek police attack media during austerity protest
ATHENS, April 6, 2012 (AFP) -A Greek photographer suffered a serious head injury from a police truncheon during an anti-austerity protest in another case of police brutality against media this week, a police source said Friday.
Marios Lolos, a 46-year-old photographer working for the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, is to undergo surgery later in the day, according to the police source and the association of Greek journalist unions Poesy.
Lolos, who also chairs the Greek photojournalists' union, “sustained a cranial injury from a truncheon blow” to the back of the head, Poesy said.
Other journalists present said police had cornered a group of media covering the protest on Thursday night and a riot policeman had struck Lolos with the handle of his truncheon which is made of tougher plastic and deals more damage.
It is a forbidden move that is nevertheless often used by Greek police.
A riot policeman had struck Lolos with the handle of his truncheon which is made of tougher plastic and deals more damage
Citizen's Protection Minister Michalis Chryssohoidis condemned the incident and said a judicial and internal police investigation had been launched.
The incident occurred as several hundred people gathered in Athens to protest against government austerity measures in the name of a 77-year-old pensioner who committed suicide on Wednesday apparently over debt despair.