With Greek flags, religious symbols and chanting “Orthodoxy or Death” thousands of anti-vaxxers gathered at outside the Greek Parliament at Syntagma square on Sunday evening, in the first gathering of this kind after the summer vacations.
The crowd, some 7,500 people, was a heterogeneous crowd of religious fanatics, extreme far-rights, conspiracy theorists and even fascist junta-nostalgics.
A crowd that has fallen victim to claims the vaccines will “alternate the famous “Greek DNA” and “make it disappear”, those who believe that the vaccines and the masks are tools of the Antichrist, those who are afraid that they get microchipped together with populist far-right wingers who grabbed the opportunity of the pandemic crisis to gain supporters.
Among them, also isolated sociopaths we meet at the neighborhood supermarket, bank and cafe and wonder why they are not in psychological consultation but walk around free.
One protester was holding a book by the initiator of the 1967 junta coup.
Some were holding a flag with the symbol of neo-nazi Golden Dawn whose leadership is serving sentences in prison.
At some point, when the speeches had finished, a part of the crowd, mostly youth, attacked police with water bottles, stones, fire bombs, sound flares and other items and attempted to climb the stairs to the Parliament.
Police responded with teargas and flash grenades, and operated a water cannon to disperse the angry crowd.
One protester was pictured protecting himself form riot police behind a big icon of Virgin Mary.At the end of the clashes some 47 protesters found themselves in police detention.
A similar protest rally was held also in Thessaloniki, northern Greece. Τhe rally was addressed by pharmacology professor at the Medical School of Thessaloniki, Dimitris Kouvelas, a symbol figure of the anti-vaxx movement in the country.
Interesting to note, that the man who claims to consider vaccinations as “harmful” to those not belonging to vulnerable groups and speak of ” exposure to vaccines” told Mega TV on Saturday that he has received both shot of Pfizer vaccine.
PS
The organized anti-vaxxers movement in Greece seems to turn more and more political and has little or nothing to do with the fear or insecurity of the vaccine reluctant citizens.
And this is the crowd of anti-vaxxers the government will never persuade to get shots against Covid-19 and this is the crowd that will keep holding hostages the vaccinated citizens.