PM Samaras: 'In a democracy, acts are prosecuted, not beliefs'

In a democracy, "it's acts that are prosecuted, not beliefs," Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told newspaper Axia on Saturday, adding that the government planned to "crush the criminal activity of assault battalions" and said it was the first time that such an act of violence was dealt with so quickly, referring to the death of leftist rapper Pavlos Fyssas in Piraeus by a self-confessed extreme-right Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avghi) follower on Sept. 17.
Referring to removal of police officers from their posts the past two days, he said that the police's credibility had been raised in the people's eys and said that he personally was against any form of violence, and that the government "will defend democratic legality from all sides."
"All murderers deserve the same punishment," he said.
On other topics, he vehemently denied that wages and pension would be further slashed, "because the economy and the Greek people can't support that, and because the memorandum foresees that as long as targets are met, no such measures are necessary." He also pledged to "give 70% of the surplus to lightening the burden of financially weaker strata."
Samaras expressed his optimism over Greece's attracting new investments and rising in importance strategically, while he criticised main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras as "maintaing a climate of political instability," which however is constantly being contradicted every time.