site.btaCourt, Social Security Staff in Greece Protest, Demand Stronger Security Measures

Employees in courts and social security services in Greece launched strike action demanding enhanced security measures after five people were injured in an armed attack in central Athens on Tuesday, Kathimerini’s online edition reported.

Court employees stopped work for two hours in the morning, while staff of Greece’s National Social Security Entity (EFKA) declared a 24-hour strike and staged a protest outside the Labour Ministry. Trade unions said many court buildings across the country lack adequate security and that employees work under constant risk, the report further said.

On Tuesday, an 89-year-old man opened fire with a shotgun at two public locations in Athens, at EFKA building and at a courthouse of a first-instance court in the city centre. Five people were injured. After a six-hour manhunt, the suspect was arrested at a hotel in Patras. Police said he had intended to leave the country by ferry.

According to Kathimerini, the attacker has been brought before a prosecutor to face charges including attempted murder, illegal possession of weapons, and issuing threats.

Police said the man claimed he had not intended to harm anyone and had fired at the floor. In a document left at the scene, he linked his actions to repeated refusals to grant him a state pension, the report added. Local media cited his lawyer as describing the act as “a protest and an act of desperation”.

Greek Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis described the incident as “dangerous and alarming,” acknowledging security shortcomings, including insufficient controls and equipment in court buildings. At the same time, he stressed that such incidents are exceptions and do not reflect the overall level of security in the country.

The case has sparked broad public debate about security in public institutions, with trade unions and professional organizations calling for urgent measures to protect staff.