New measures to combat fan violence – Wide meeting at the Maximos Palace

By Dimitris Gatsios

At the gates are the government’s initiatives to combat fan violence. The brutal murder of 19-year-old Alki Kampanou in Thessaloniki, which has shocked the nation, mobilizes Megaro Maximou, co-competent ministries and authorities, with the aim of drastically dealing with the phenomenon and eradicating the abusive elements from the stadiums and sports. “Our effort to tackle violence in sport continues and will continue even more intensively, both at the institutional level and at the level of the work of law enforcement authorities,” is the message conveyed by government officials. And the State interventions for fan violence do not seem to be late.

This morning, at the Maximos Palace, the prime minister has convened a special meeting. In it, in addition to the close associates of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, they will give the “present”, with the sole topic of discussion the confrontation of hooligans inside and outside the stadiums. This is reportedly the first of a series of internal government meetings to be held within the next 24 hours to gather proposals to create the most effective and appropriate framework for combating fan violence. “It is our decision not to tolerate any organized gangs operating under the banner of various groups. Already, after the searches of fan associations in Thessaloniki, searches followed in associations of sports clubs in Athens, Peristeri, Agios Anargyros and in Ilion “, note factors. “The issue of hooliganism, of fan violence, of violence in sport, is a very serious situation that we have faced and continue to face. We need to eradicate our society as a whole and the younger generation in particular. We are investing in all areas: Both in Justice and in education, “There are arsenals. But it is not the only one. It is a problem that we also encounter in neighborhoods of big cities”, noted (Antenna) the government spokesman, Giannis Oikonomou.

According to information, among the scenarios under consideration are:

– The intensification of checks on fan associations.

– The closure of illegal links.

– The tightening of penalties.

In this context, owners of groups and clubs are expected to be invited, in order to submit their own proposals for the improvement of the space. According to executives, the “arsenal” from which the deputy prosecutor of the Supreme Court draws his instructions, who sent a relevant circular to prosecutors across the country, regarding crimes with a sports background, includes the revised Penal Code and the two laws on the fight against sectarian violence that has been voted on for the last two years. In particular, Law 4855/2021, which concerned the amendment of the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, tightened the penalties provided for offenses with elements of violence:

– The only punishment for the crime of intentional homicide is life imprisonment. Under the Penal Code of July 2019, he was punished in isolation with the sentence of either life or temporary imprisonment of at least ten years.

– The offense of robbery that resulted in the death of a person or his grievous bodily harm or if the act was executed with particular cruelty against a person is punished from 12-11-2021 with the sentence of life imprisonment, as the only sentence provided.

– The punishment for dangerous bodily harm has been tightened.

– The offense of grievous bodily harm was reshaped in two directions. First, the punishment was toughened both in the case in which the perpetrator inflicted grievous bodily harm on the victim, and in the case in which the perpetrator sought to cause grievous bodily harm. In other words, there was a gradation of the perpetrator’s deceit in correspondence with the punishment imposed on him.

– The formal and substantive conditions for the conditional release of those convicted of crimes, including homicide, fatal robbery and extortion, have been tightened.

In parallel, with Law 4639/2019:

– The Police were given the opportunity to carry out sampling checks on ticket holders upon their arrival at the sports facilities.

– The possibility of collecting, processing and utilizing, in the context of criminal proceedings, the material and data recorded by any technical means handled by a police officer has been established.

– The local and time limits for the application of the criminal provisions for acts of sports violence that are purely fan motivated and take place in a time and place not related to a sporting event have been extended.

By Law 4809/2021:

– The “nickname” is back. That is, the ban on the suspension and commutation of custodial sentences imposed by criminal courts for crimes involving sporting violence.

– The organized movements of the fans have been regulated. The teams have the supervision and control of the movements of their Fan Clubs, so that there is security and a clear system of accountability in case of incidents.