A few hours after riot police ex-removed employees of former public broadcaster ERT from the service’s headquarters in Athens in a pre-dawn raid, the the main opposition left wing party SYRIZA submitted a censure motion against the government.
This means that a vote will be held in Parliament by midnight on Sunday, with the New Democracy-PASOK coalition hoping that its five-seat majority will be enough to avoid its collapse. Already on Thursday, Democratic Left (DIMAR) leader Fotis Kouvelis appeared to cast doubt on whether his party, once part of the coalition, would
back SYRIZA’s motion.
Riot police raided ERT’s headquarters shortly after 4 a.m. local time on Thursday this week and forced out around 50 former employees who had been inside. Four of the employees were detained for questioning but then released, according to police who fired tear gas to disperse a crowd that had gathered outside. There were no reports of
widespread violence but two SYRIZA MPs complained of being beaten by police officers and sprayed with tear gas.
Government spokesperson Simos Kedikoglou said the ERT building had been “under illegal occupation,” noting that the aim of the raid had been to “enforce the law and restore legality.” But SYRIZA MPs were furious, condemning the evacuation as “illegal” and “a coup.”
Deputy Culture Minister Pantelis Kapsis, who is overseeing ERT’s overhaul, said that a new permanent broadcaster, Nerit, will start operating early next year.
Source: ekathimerini