Democracy and lawlessness

After the end of the 1967-1974 military dictatorship, we, as a society, decided that authoritarianism and the unchecked actions of the state's repressive mechanisms had to be brought to an end - and rightly so. The gendarme had to be removed from the life of the Greek citizen, both literally and figuratively. We also accepted that democracy would not be cost-free.

Then came the compromises and a flexible interpretation of when and how the law should be enforced.

Whenever a fare inspector caught someone without a ticket on public transport, other passengers would rush to their defense, saying, "Leave the kid alone, he didn't do anything." When people vandalized public property - tarnishing university halls or the historic Trilogy buildings in central Athens - the chorus of the defenders of lawlessness would chant the familiar refrain about protecting freedom of...