Hundreds of police officers will participate daily in security measures at the Unknown Soldier Monument, following the Ministry of Citizen Protection’s assumption of responsibility for guarding the site. The measures began implementation from the early morning hours today, as officials from the “Apogevmatini” Ministry of Citizen Protection reported.
The Unknown Soldier transforms into a fortress: 200 police officers will guard the area daily
According to the plan, nearly 200 police officers per day will be deployed in four shifts to guard the area (50 officers per shift). A unit from the Order Measures Subdivision (Y.MET) will be stationed on the steps leading from the monument to Parliament, while six members of the Crime Prevention and Suppression Groups (OPKE) will patrol around the Unknown Soldier Monument. DI.AS. team motorcycles will patrol Syntagma Square, a unit from the Order Restoration Subdivision (YAT) will be on standby at the “Jenny Karezi” theater, ready to intervene if needed, while DRASI team members will also be on standby from the lower side of Syntagma Square.
The orders they have received are specific: They will not allow anyone to proceed with protests, they will not permit the placement of flower pots or other objects, without however disturbing candles or names, and if someone attempts to protest they will use all methods with absolute courtesy for their removal. In case of mobilizations, marches, etc., police will create a barrier along the monument on the Amalias Avenue side.
The issue that arises, however, which the Ministry of Citizen Protection insists is the political responsibility of centers that with their potential mobilizations simply want to provoke a climate of tension, is that as police officers will be consumed in guarding the Unknown Soldier Monument, the number of police officers available for everyday security will be reduced
