The arrest of a 90-year-old woman in Thessaloniki on Thursday for selling handmade knit woolen shoes without a license has generated uproar in Greek society.
The woman, who is of Pontic descent, was selling woolen shoes she was knitting herself at an open-air market. Police approached her and asked for a merchant’s license. The 90-year-old said that she was making the shoes herself and did not have a license to sell them.
Police apprehended the woman and took her to the police station where they took her fingerprints and put her in detention. She claims that they held her for 12 hours before her release and only gave her a glass of water throughout her detention after she requested it.
After the issue was made public, Hellenic Police asked the Thessaloniki General Directorate to investigate under what conditions an elderly woman was brought to court and a misdemeanor case was filed against her.
The woman spoke on Skai television saying she and her husband live without pensions in a house provided by the Thessaloniki Municipality. She said she was knitting shoes for her grandchildren and she made some more to sell.
The elderly couple is supported by their children and the woman said she only wanted to generate some income.
The event generated public uproar with Greeks flooding social media with posts deriding police and the State for exhausting their sternness on a helpless elderly woman.
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