Far-right Greek MP in TV assault

8 Jun 2012, 7:14 am   -   Source: AAP
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A Greek TV political debate has turned ugly with a right-wing politician throwing water at one left-wing female opponent and hitting another in the face.

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Greece's election campaign has turned ugly on live TV: The spokesman of the extreme-right Golden Dawn party, after trading insults of "commie" and "fascist", lunged at two female left-wing politicians, throwing water at one and smacking the other three times across the face.

The violent display a week-and-a-half before crucial elections, has stunned Greeks as they seek to avoid a catastrophic exit from Europe's common euro currency.

A prosecutor issued an arrest warrant for Ilias Kasidiaris, whose party alarmed Europe by gaining 21 of parliament's 300 seats in Greece's inconclusive May 6 elections.

Golden Dawn, which vehemently denies the neo-Nazi label, has been accused of violent attacks against immigrants in Athens.

The party denies involvement in the attacks, insisting it is a nationalist patriotic group.

It campaigned on a platform of ridding the country of illegal immigrants and cleaning up crime-ridden neighbourhoods, and advocates planting anti-personnel mines along Greece's borders to stop migrants from sneaking across.

The attack "put on public display what was widely known", said the radical left-wing Syriza party, whose member Rena Dourou was splashed with water on the show. "The true face of this criminal organisation."

Tempers frayed on the daily morning political show on the private Antenna station during a political debate, to which representatives of all seven parties that won parliamentary seats on May 6 had been invited.

Discussion went off on a tangent about political history in Greece, which suffered a vicious civil war between Communists and the right-wing after World War II, and a seven-year military dictatorship that ended in 1974.

Kasidiaris shot an insult of "you old Commie" at 58-year-old prominent Communist Party member Liana Kanelli, after she called him a "fascist".

Kasidiaris, 31, also took offence at a reference by Dourou to a court case pending against him.

It all careened into violence when Dourou said there was a "crisis of democracy when people who will take the country back 500 years have got into the Greek parliament".

Kasidiaris bounded out of his seat and hurled a glass of water at her, shouting an insult: "You circus act."

Talk show host Giorgos Papadakis ran over to Kasidiaris, attempting to calm him down. But he turned on Kanelli, who appeared to throw a newspaper at him.

Kasidiaris hit Kanelli three times - with hard right-left-right slaps to the sides of her head.

Papadakis tried and failed to restrain him.

The channel cut to a commercial break, and returned five minutes later without Kasidiaris.

Papadakis and Kanelli later said attempts had been made to restrain Kasidiaris after the scuffle by shutting him in a room in the TV channel's building, but he broke through the door and left.

Police were searching for him to serve the arrest warrant, which under Greek law must be carried out within 48 hours.

If he is not arrested within the time limit, the case is dealt with under ordinary court procedures, with a court case being scheduled.

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Your Comments

Shocking Greek democracy

Greeks at their best!! - from Sydney, 12 months ago

All ths from the 'birthplace' of democracy. Hard to believe it all started in Greece!!

pensioner

george pappas - from australia, 12 months ago

if this would have happen in australiathis man would be locked in and get rid of him from politics once and forever. how discusting for our nation. but i still love the greeks.

Serious Anger Management Issues

Melinda Kopelakis - from Asheville, North Carolina, 12 months ago

Kasidiaris has publicly displayed his true colors through his action of rage and abuse. He showed no regard for the fact he was on TV--and that alone should have everyone a bit concerned and worried! One's true character is shown through their actions, and his character is absolutely disturbing! Nothing is ever solved through violence because violence constantly creates more problems. I don't believe his rage stops with hitting women, he probably beats up on small children and animals, too!

Pity

Paul - from Darwin, 12 months ago

Pity she wasn't some former martial arts champion or something along those lines. I wonder how big and tough he would have felt if she'd snapped his arm for him live on TV. Not only would he have lost votes from people disgusted by hims behaviour she would have gained a stack. Then again look at the right wing nastiness of our own politices - and that in a time of plenty. How mean spirited are we going to be if our economy slows up?

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