US Navy robbers prompt Hania protest
Protesting against an alleged assault by two US servicemen on a local woman earlier this month, a left-wing group in Hania is organizing an anti-American demonstration in the western Cretan town this afternoon. The local Communist Party office said the alleged mugging, on February 2, of Hania shopowner Mina Kallou by two teenage US sailors from the nearby Souda base «was kept quiet for 11 days, despite the fact that the culprits were caught immediately.» The two 18-year-old sailors – whose names were not made public – allegedly attacked Kallou in Hania’s Old Harbor district, stole her handbag which contained 300,000 drachmas and beat her up. A Souda base spokesman, Paul Farley, said the mugging was an «isolated incident,» adding that most base personnel have integrated well with the local community. He said the two sailors in question had only been in Souda for 11 days before the attack. Communist-led activists frequently hold anti-American protests outside the base. Article 312 bans «inciting hatred» among classes, religions or social classes when such incitement creates a dangerous situation. Article 159 bars mocking Turkish characteristics, the government, armed forces and other branches of the state.
