Greek right-wing extremist who slapped woman at TV show sues

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Greek extreme-right party spokesman who caused an uproar last week by slapping one female politician on live TV and throwing a glass of water on another has sued the two women as well as the television channel that hosted the news show, AP reported.

The move Monday, June 11 by Ilias Kasidiaris, the 31-year-old spokesman for the extremist Golden Dawn party, is the latest twist in a bizarre political saga. Kasidiaris himself avoided an arrest warrant for the confrontation last Thursday, resurfacing late Sunday after the warrant had expired.

Kasidiris appeared at an Athens court Monday, flanked by other party members, to submit lawsuits against Communist Party candidate Liana Kanelli and Syriza party member Rena Dourou on charges of alleged unprovoked insults and against Antenna television for alleged illegal detention.

Authorities had issued an arrest warrant for Kasidiaris after he threw water over Dourou and then slapped Kanelli hard three times across the face during a heated discussion on a morning political show Thursday. A video of that show has been widely seen on the Internet.

Under Greek law, an arrest warrant for a misdemeanor must be carried out by midnight the day after the act has occurred, in which case a trial is immediate. If the suspect is not apprehended within that time frame, the case turns into a judicial procedure in which a trial date is set, often for several months or even years later.