A massive rally in Athens, Greece, which included thousands of attendees, denounced the future implementation of biometric ID cards.

According to reports, chants at the rally included “no to electronic slavery” and “democracy has referendums, fascism decrees.”

“The Greek government recently announced that the process of obtaining new ID cards would commence on September 25, citing the country’s obligation to comply with European regulations aimed at enhancing ID document security,” Greek City Times reports.

One of the protesting priests reportedly said: “You’re bringing out an ID for eternal hell. This satanic ID card is biometric, electronic, engraved on the forehead and hand. There is the darkroom in Satan’s police station who will do the endoscopy, iris engraving, forehead engraving and scanner engraving, palm, finger and hand.”

Per Greek City Times:

Despite Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ reassurances that the new cards would not include a chip or camera, over 2,000 people gathered in Thessaloniki for a similar protest last week. Archbishop Ieronymos, the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church, also called for caution and wisdom regarding the issue, stating that the church’s highest ecclesiastical body, the holy synod, would provide their stance on the matter.

“We don’t want our personal data to be used,” said attendee Dionysis Alexopoulos, according to TRT World.

“Perhaps with this new card they’ll be able to control our access to hospitals or other public places if for example we aren’t vaccinated,” he noted.

TRT World added:

All members of the bloc must issue new biometric cards by 2026 in line with a 2019 treaty.

Last Sunday, more than 2,000 people rallied in Thessaloniki, despite assurances from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that the new cards had “neither a chip nor a camera”.

The head of the Orthodox Church of Greece, Archbishop Ieronymos, last week urged “prudence and wisdom”, and said the holy synod, the church’s supreme ecclesiastical body, would be pronouncing on this subject.

In 2000, the removal of the mention of religion on Greek identity cards sparked huge in a country whose Orthodox Church is not separated from the state.

“This serious subject should be put to a referendum and not decided anti-democratically by the government,” another attendee reportedly said.

Residence-Greece noted in the biometric data section of obtaining a Greek National ID Card:

Traditionally, a Greek national ID showed a lot of information that is now considered insignificant for identification purposes and, therefore, removed. Which is a good thing as it has made the card a lot smaller and easier to keep in a pocket.

Other important differences between the old and new cards that are worth mentioning here are:

  • The fields are now printed in Greek and English.
  • The new cards contain microchips as an additional security measure, as well as a convenient way to store additional biometric data (see below).

The front side of the card shows the bearer’s:

  • ID card number,
  • Photograph,
  • Name and surname,
  • Gender,
  • Nationality,
  • Date of birth,
  • Signature.

The back side shows the card’s date of issue as well as some of the bearer’s biometric data considered significant for various administrative and practical purposes, such as:

  • Mother’s name and surname (both maiden and current ones),
  • Father’s name and surname,
  • Place of birth,
  • Height,
  • Blood type (optional),
  • Rhesus factor (optional),
  • Digital fingerprints,
  • AMKA, which is a Greek social security ID number.

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