Haritsis for changes in the criminal code – “Backward at full speed, with more prison”

“The only title that would fit this bill is ‘reverse at full speed’, subtitled ‘with more prison,'” noted the chairman of the New Lefts, Alexis Haritsis during the discussion of the s/n of the Ministry of Justice concerning criminal codes and is voted today by the Plenary of the Parliament.

“You do not intend to speed up, nor to upgrade the criminal trial, nor to modernize the framework for preventing and combating domestic violence,” he added.

The New Left KO president then said that crime is not being dealt with by such regulations because “the conditions that give rise to crime will continue to exist”, because juvenile delinquency is not being dealt with by “regressive tightening” of juvenile law, why domestic violence is not dealt with by “foot-and-mouth” regulations, why femicides are not dealt with by “communication fiestas for police domestic violence units”, but by legalizing the term “femicide”.

As he pointed out, the New Left is voting against the bill because it is the exact opposite of an essential anti-crime policy that would hinder the feeling of justice and security.

Mr. Haritsis mentioned at another point that the minister Giorgos Floridis and the government perceive modernization by “filling the already overcrowded prisons even more”, criminalizing any social claim and responding with “criminal populism” to society’s reasonable request for security.

“I imagine that they will be very happy at the Council of Europe to learn that the Minister of Justice in Greece is presenting a bill saying ‘no more to the rightists’,” he said characteristically.

He then emphasized that the government is not interested in anti-crime policy and that the only response it has to an increase in crime, or when a crime particularly affects society, is changes to the criminal code.

He raised the question whether, after so many amendments and toughening of sentences, crime has been reduced. He also pointed out that the representatives of all the agencies that were called to the hearing said that the tightening of penalties not only does not contribute to dealing with crime but has the exact opposite results, that there is no point in amending the criminal codes without a law-making committee.

Mr. Floridis, continued Alexis Haritsis, insulted academics and the Bar by talking about “lawyers who legislate for their clients” and “professors”.

Alexis Haritsis accused the Minister of Justice of acting provocatively and divisively, “having already created a monstrous narrative: either with the bill or with criminality”.

Mr. Haritsis said that the anti-crime policy is multi-level, with the first level being that of social prevention, i.e. measures “that concern all citizens and aim to satisfy all the basic needs of decent living: food, shelter, education, medical care, security, work etc”.

On the contrary, he accused the government of precision, greed inflation, profiteering off the backs of consumers, a housing crisis, “farmers in despair due to prohibitive production costs”, a public health system “broken and the answer is paid afternoon surgeries” and finally , intent on “completely discrediting public education with private universities.”

He further accused her of preparing the completion of “counter-reform” for mental health aimed at privatisation.

The president of the KO of the New Left emphasized that “in a serious and comprehensive anti-crime policy design, the application of the criminal law, the penalties and finally repression is the last level” and that the government is permanently dealing with this level.

“Just last week, a lot of effort was put into crafting a supposedly progressive profile for the prime minister and the government, with the votes of the progressive opposition, of course,” noted Mr. Haritsis, and “today you are returning to the ‘factory settings’ of the Right and may finally let the Deputy Minister of Justice, who was absent last week, also vote.”

He also argued that “the tightening of criminal legislation, which you have resorted to for five years, constitutes criminal populism, it is an extreme right-wing policy”.

“How else can a policy be characterized,” he said, “when you do absolutely nothing to improve social conditions and thus reduce the causes that give rise to crime, quite the contrary, but to the reasonable cry of distress of society for safety or after a heinous crime that strongly concerns public opinion, the answer is more sentences, more prisons”.

Mr. Haritsis went on to say that the Minister of Justice tried unsuccessfully to downgrade the European Parliament’s condemnation of the rule of law in our country and that “the entire government and the ND party and Mr. Mitsotakis are trying to convince us that they are some ‘bad guys’ there in the European Parliament who were jealous of the glory of the government and Mr. Mitsotakis and are attacking, in view of the European elections”.

“This resolution, which is unprecedented in the European course of the country, is a black mark that will be recorded and historically charged in the years of the Mitsotakis administration,” he pointed out.

“The rule of law is directly violated in the wiretapping case. The predator and the EYP controlled by the Prime Minister” he added.

“The rule of law is violated when the government targets the Independent Authorities, which are guaranteed by the Constitution itself and makes personal attacks on their leaders, as you shamelessly did with ADAE and Mr. Rammos” he added and continued saying:

“The rule of law is sinking off the coast of Pylos. The rule of law is endangered and violated when, at the fault of your own majority, we see the unacceptable happenings at the Tempe Crime Commission. The New Left withdrew from ‘a mock commission of inquiry’, because we refuse to be complicit in the cover-up of the crime.”

“You set up a commission to throw ashes in the eyes, having planned from the beginning not to accept any other witnesses to be examined except those you considered safe for you” he underlined.

And he concluded: “It is not only some ‘bad guys’ in the European Parliament who worry about the rule of law for allegedly selfish purposes. It is mainly the citizens of this country themselves who are worried about the rule of law and the quality of democracy in our country.”