Minister Panousis doesn't back down from 'Left of Nothing' statement

Public Order Minister Yiannis Panousis not only hasn't back down from his high-profile "open letter" last week, where he decried what he called a "Left of Nothing", but on Monday asked "what do you call a Left that takes up firebombs and heads for war?"

Panousis' article, published in the mass daily "Ta Nea" on Friday, generated a cascade of reaction, both positive and negative, with most of the latter coming from his own party, the ruling Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA).

He made the statement on Monday on the sidelines of an event to sign an agreement on civil defence with Attica prefecture regional governor Rena Dourou, herself a high-profile SYRIZA cadre.

On the non-political front, Panousis, a professor of criminology, said citizens will be given the opportunity to meet with police precinct commanders during specific hours, while also unveiled a measure to dispatch special anti-crime vans to areas of high crime activity, without going into further details.