A few weeks ago I talked about a story that had shocked Greece (see here). A Cypriot student, arrested for supposedly taking part in a violent November 17th demonstration in Thessaloniki was publicly beaten to a bloody pulp by plain clothes police officers in full view of their uniformed superiors and the nations' cameras (see here for the video).
It now seems that the officers involved will not face any serious charges and in all probability will not even lose their jobs. Now, these events may sound unimportant, the actions of a few misguided individuals, however, you have to see these actions in the light of modern Greek history. State sanctioned torture, "disappearances" and the like are not things you read about in the history books here, they're things you uncle tells you about, stories that are passed on by your parents. When the police are able to act with impunity, even in the full light of publicity then you can understand the worries many people have.
"What they really mean is that it will only be over till the next time."
Imagining Argentina
No comments:
Post a Comment