House plays down restroom row between speaker, police
Parliament sources on Monday sought to play down reports according to which House Speaker Zoe Constantopoulou had objected to riot policemen entering the building to use its restroom areas.
In a statement released by the House’s security department on Monday, officials noted that riot police officers had been asked to submit to the “standard checks” that other visitors are usually obliged to undergo in order for the “security protocol” to be observed. Parliamentary sources referred to undisclosed incidents involving unknown perpetrators disguised as policemen allegedly carrying out “attacks against state buildings.”
Reports of Constantopoulou barring riot officers from using toilets within the House emerged over the weekend, prompting objections from the head of the union representing Athens police officers, Grigoris Gerakaros, who, speaking on Greek television, on Monday accused the speaker of tyrannical and discriminatory behavior.
