Greek Lawmaker Charged with Assault After Punching Colleague in Parliament

A far-right Greek lawmaker, Constantinos Floros, has been charged with criminal assault for allegedly punching a colleague during a parliamentary debate in Athens on Wednesday. The alleged victim, a lawmaker from the small nationalist Hellenic Solution party, required hospital treatment for a broken nose.

The incident occurred during a heated debate on whether to lift the immunity from prosecution of the Hellenic Solution party leader, Kyriakos Velopoulos. Floros, an independent member of parliament who was previously elected with the small Spartans party, allegedly assaulted the other lawmaker on the sidelines of the debate.

Parliament speaker Konstantinos Tassoulas denounced the "brutal behavior" and suspended Floros for 15 days over the incident, which was unparalleled in modern Greek parliamentary history. Tassoulas stated that parliamentary immunity does not apply to felonies and instructed the parliament's police department to escort Floros to prosecuting authorities.

Why this matters: The assault underscores the escalating tensions and polarization in Greek politics, particularly with the emergence of far-right parties in parliament. It also raises concerns about the erosion of democratic norms and the need for greater civility in political discourse.

All political parties across the spectrum swiftly condemned the alleged assault. "Violence has no place in parliament. We unequivocally condemn the attack and call for a thorough investigation," said a spokesperson for the ruling New Democracy party.

Separately, in a related development, Greece's Supreme Court excluded Floros' former party, the Spartans, from the list of political parties eligible to field candidates in the upcoming European Parliament election in June. The decision followed a petition by three other parties to bar the Spartans for alleged ties to the extreme-right Golden Dawn party, whose leading members were jailed in 2020 after being convicted of running a criminal organization.

If convicted of the assault charge, Floros faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence. The Hellenic Solution party said it would provide an update on the condition of its injured lawmaker once he is released from the hospital. The incident has sent shockwaves through the Greek political establishment and sparked a wider debate about the need for greater restraint and respect in parliament.

Key Takeaways

• Greek lawmaker Constantinos Floros charged with criminal assault for punching colleague.
• Incident occurred during debate on lifting immunity of nationalist party leader.
• Parliament speaker condemned "brutal behavior," suspended Floros for 15 days.
• Assault underscores tensions and polarization in Greek politics, erosion of norms.
• Floros' former party barred from EU election over alleged ties to far-right group.