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Πέμπτη, 15 Απριλίου 2021 23:40

HS pupil's mother arrested for spreading fake news after posting material against Covid-19 self-tests; preventing school's opening

The mother of a high school pupil in Thessaloniki was arrested on Thursday afternoon, on a prosecutor's bench warrant, hours after she initially filed a lawsuit against the principal of her son's school because the latter wouldn't allow him to enter without presenting a negative Covid-19 self-test.

The mother of a high school pupil in Thessaloniki was arrested on Thursday afternoon, on a prosecutor's bench warrant, hours after she initially filed a lawsuit against the principal of her son's school because the latter wouldn't allow him to enter without presenting a negative Covid-19 self-test.

According to reports, the arrest was on a count of intentionally spreading fake news (Article 191 of the penal code) , in this case on the woman's Facebook page.

Among others, the suspect claimed that a second Covid-19 positive result reported from a self-test by a high school pupil means the teenagers would be quarantined in a supervised facility - something that is not true.

High school pupils in Greece must report a negative result from a self-test - distributed for free via neighborhood pharmacies - in order to attend reopened schools.

A handful of parents and their children, pupils at the Evosmos high school in the northern Greece city, on Thursday morning blocked teachers and other pupils from entering the school, essentially declaring an "occupation" of the facility - an ubiquitous tactic often employed by protesters in Greece.

The arrested woman was one of the protesters, and later made statements to awaiting cameras.

The relevant prosecutor also ordered an investigation regarding similar social media posts calling on parents and pupils not to conduct self-tests and attend classes, along with citizens who file nuisance lawsuits against public school administrators for the same reason.