ATHENS – The Greek Police (ELAS) ordered an internal investigation into a police response to an attack on officers by a group of self-styled anarchists outside the Athens Court of First Instance which left three policemen injured.

The officers had gone to the court to testify for the prosecution in a case involving 21 anarchist defendants regarding incidents that took place in 2012, said Kathimerini.

ELAS chief Aristeidis Andrikopoulos said he wants to know how his officers responded to the attack, how the three were injured and to get to the bottom of media reports that police on the scene guarding the court were ordered not to make any arrests.

The ruling Radical Left SYRIZA of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has been accused of going soft on anarchists in a bid to reestablish Leftist credentials after he repeatedly reneged on anti-austerityi promises in surrendering to the country’s international creditors.

The assault was witnessed by five riot police officers but the victims said no attempt was made to arrest the perpetrators and that the victims received no help from their colleagues as the union representing police denounced the attack.

Prior to the violent clash there had been a heated verbal exchange between two police officers appearing as witnesses in a case on trial.