New law gets tough on foreclosure auction protesters

An amendment introduced on Wednesday to a Justice Ministry draft bill says that anyone trying to prevent foreclosure auctions with violence or the threat of violence will be instantly prosecuted.

The new law is aimed at cracking down on the vociferous and sometimes violent protests witnessed across the country against the sale of properties seized by banks from debtors.

According to the law, anyone caught trying to prevent such proceedings will face a minimum of three months in jail.

Notaries have been calling on the government for months to pass legislation that will protect them and other court workers from protesters when carrying out auctions.

Notaries in Athens, Piraeus and the Dodecanese islands are currently on strike in demand of such legislation, but it was not immediately clear whether the introduction of the new amendment would prompt them to call...