Plan to revitalize ODOS unit amidst data showing lackluster enforcement of public protest laws
Οut of the 315 rallies held in Athens since the beginning of the year, only 140 were officially notified to the authorities as required by law, according to data from the Greek Police (ELAS).
Legislation enacted by the conservative government in 2020 mandates that demonstrations must be reported to the authorities, who can impose restrictions or even ban them if they are deemed to pose a threat to public safety.
The law also mandated the creation of a new police unit tasked with managing and ring-fencing low and medium-risk protest rallies.
However, this unit, known by the acronym ODOS (Greek for “streets”), seems to have been depleted over the past two years, as many of the 46 officers initially assigned to the unit have been reassigned to other divisions within the police force.
Sources informed Kathimerini that the Citizens Protection Ministry intends to revitalize and reinforce the ODOS unit by increasing its personnel to 80 officers. Additionally, there are plans to establish a similar force in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city in the north.
