"Sweep the Square clean" was the order from Police

"Unprecedented and much more than necessary" is the phrase than can characterize the use of tear gas in the center of Athens - raw violence against citizens and a provocative “tolerance” to hooded persons that caused damage and threw Molotov bombs.

These are the main elements that comprise the plan of Greek police, code named “Finish the Square”, and they have transformed Syntagma Square into a true battlefield, showing the worst possible face of Greece to the whole world watching.

Thirty-five days after the Indignants of Syntagma very loudly showed that they are peaceful but persistent, they made the government change its reaction to them. That is what this 180-degree change of behavior by the Greek police shows. From an observer, police turned to an aggressive beating and tear-gassing machine.

”The orders were clear, the story with the teargas and the attacks is well known” says a police officer, who is aware of the plan of the police, to protothema.gr . “Syntagma Square must empty now – by any means possible”.

There are many questions in reference to the behavior of several police officers that exceeds their call of duty by miles when they throw stones at the protesters, they tear gas citizens in the street and in the metro station of Syntagma without any reason or provocation and are seen to hit women randomly.

The orders that MAT forces and police received were that there won't be any tolerance and that there will be immediate use of tear gas and beatings so that they can break the rallies of people at Syntagma.

Since 1.30 in the afternoon and for three hours – whilst inside Parliament they were voting on the Mid-Term plan- citizens could not approach the square since there was street fighting between hooded individuals and the police.

In images that reminded us a thriller or an action film, the police seemed to just be toying with the hooded individuals who provoked them, when they could easily arrest them. At around 4.30 pm they received the order to evacuate the Square and break up the rally.  MAT squads pushed people away, circled the square and started to throw tear gas and flash-bang grenades so that noone could reach the Square.

Since 6.30 things have slightly calmed down but there are still riots. Information from police mentions that more than 3,000 officers were part of the operation “Sweep the Square”.