A court in the northern Greek city of Komotini has sentenced a 26-year-old Bulgarian man to two years in prison for desecrating the national flag, an offense that carries the maximum penalty under Greek law.
Local residents expressed outrage after the man removed the Greek flag from the facade of a government office that issues and certifies documents for Greek citizens — a service that does not cater to foreigners — and set it alight in front of the building.
Witnesses said the incident occurred in broad daylight and bystanders immediately alerted police, who detained the man on the spot. He was tried and sentenced on the same day.
Authorities did not disclose the man’s identity but said he had been living and working in a nearby village in the Komotini region for several years. The motive for the act remains unclear, though investigators have described it as an act of hooliganism.
Legal experts said the two-year sentence underscores the symbolic weight of the offense under Greek law, which treats desecration of national symbols as a serious crime.