some articles saying that a policeman had fired warning shots against a mob of thirty-plus attackers versus others saying that the officer had practically hunted down the student. I assumed the truth was somewhere in the middle, but that's an awfully large middle.
The thing is, there were quite a few eyewitnesses-and not just the boy's friends, but random people on the street, including a doctor who rushed to his side as soon as he heard the shot and found him already dead.
Here's a summary from interviews I've heard/articles I've read: the cops got into a verbal altercation with the group of kids. One of the kids *might* (according to some witnesses) have hurled a plastic water bottle in the cops' direction. Which was when one of them took out the gun and shot at the kid (he claimed he shot in the air, several witnesses say he clearly aimed at the kid). They then proceeded to turn their backs (although they claimed they felt 'threatened' by the kids) and calmly walk back to their patrol car, while the other kids were shouting that the boy wasn't moving.
By law, cops are required to report when they've used a weapon, yet when they radioed the station, they kept quiet, hoping they wouldn't be identified.
And this is what gets me: this wasn't some empty dark backstreet. It's one of the most lively places in Athens, with lots of bars, cafes, clubs...there were people all around.
I read something about a particular Greek official being concerned about Greece's reputation being "tarnished" in the eyes of foreign nations. But I definitely don't think worse of Greece. (Okay, I do think worse of the government, but that appears to be deserved. So.) I feel like it's been revealed to me as being a hell of a lot more than feta cheese and pretty beaches. If I am looking at the "true Greece," I like it. I admire the strength and courage of those protestors. I'm wavering among "I could never do that" and "I wish I could do that" and "I'm glad I don't have to do that" and "I wish I knew whether I would do that if I had to." But it boils down to, damn have you got some strong citizens.
Well, I'm sure it spoiled a lot of people's perception of Greece, but I find myself unable to give a fuck. ;) And we've had quite a tempestuous modern history (well, ancient too, come to think of it), so we're not exactly strangers to strife. You could say we're used to it. After the riots broke out, I got literally dozens of paniqued messages from friends (online and RL) abroad asking me if everything was alright, and I had to reassure them that really, it's not a big deal. I mean, it is, but we're not exactly running around like the sky is falling.
Hey, about that--what on earth is a "suspended sentence"? Does that even affect them in the slightest? Or is it just saying, "Here's what we'd do to you if we gave a damn, but we don't, so you can just go"?
Pretty much. Recently the 'convictions' for some riot police who beat a protesters so severely two years ago he was left with permanent damage (not to mention serious PTSD): a monetary fine. Which, over a couple of years, works out to about 5 euros a day. No discharge, or anything. To quote a comedian of ours: "Does that mean if I give 5 euros a day, I get to beat anyone I know into a bloody pulp?"
Exarchia (if I'm spelling it right? I've seen a few different spellings...) sounds remarkably like a certain section of where I live. I go there a lot because it's where you go if you don't completely fit (or want to fit) into Polite Society, or you want to have a drink, or a war protest, or perhaps all three. Maybe that's a piece of why this has clicked with me. When I read about Alexandros being shot in Exarchia, I imagined me or my friends being shot in our place. It hasn't happened, but if this can happen, maybe that could too.
That sounds about right. It's my favourite place to go because it's so chilled, inclusive and unpretentious, the complete antitheses of poseur-filled mainstream bars. And yes, a lot of people here are *painfully* aware that it could have been any one of us.
Re: 1/2
The thing is, there were quite a few eyewitnesses-and not just the boy's friends, but random people on the street, including a doctor who rushed to his side as soon as he heard the shot and found him already dead.
Here's a summary from interviews I've heard/articles I've read: the cops got into a verbal altercation with the group of kids. One of the kids *might* (according to some witnesses) have hurled a plastic water bottle in the cops' direction. Which was when one of them took out the gun and shot at the kid (he claimed he shot in the air, several witnesses say he clearly aimed at the kid). They then proceeded to turn their backs (although they claimed they felt 'threatened' by the kids) and calmly walk back to their patrol car, while the other kids were shouting that the boy wasn't moving.
By law, cops are required to report when they've used a weapon, yet when they radioed the station, they kept quiet, hoping they wouldn't be identified.
And this is what gets me: this wasn't some empty dark backstreet. It's one of the most lively places in Athens, with lots of bars, cafes, clubs...there were people all around.
I read something about a particular Greek official being concerned about Greece's reputation being "tarnished" in the eyes of foreign nations. But I definitely don't think worse of Greece. (Okay, I do think worse of the government, but that appears to be deserved. So.) I feel like it's been revealed to me as being a hell of a lot more than feta cheese and pretty beaches. If I am looking at the "true Greece," I like it. I admire the strength and courage of those protestors. I'm wavering among "I could never do that" and "I wish I could do that" and "I'm glad I don't have to do that" and "I wish I knew whether I would do that if I had to." But it boils down to, damn have you got some strong citizens.
Well, I'm sure it spoiled a lot of people's perception of Greece, but I find myself unable to give a fuck. ;) And we've had quite a tempestuous modern history (well, ancient too, come to think of it), so we're not exactly strangers to strife. You could say we're used to it. After the riots broke out, I got literally dozens of paniqued messages from friends (online and RL) abroad asking me if everything was alright, and I had to reassure them that really, it's not a big deal. I mean, it is, but we're not exactly running around like the sky is falling.
Hey, about that--what on earth is a "suspended sentence"? Does that even affect them in the slightest? Or is it just saying, "Here's what we'd do to you if we gave a damn, but we don't, so you can just go"?
Pretty much. Recently the 'convictions' for some riot police who beat a protesters so severely two years ago he was left with permanent damage (not to mention serious PTSD): a monetary fine. Which, over a couple of years, works out to about 5 euros a day. No discharge, or anything. To quote a comedian of ours: "Does that mean if I give 5 euros a day, I get to beat anyone I know into a bloody pulp?"
Exarchia (if I'm spelling it right? I've seen a few different spellings...) sounds remarkably like a certain section of where I live. I go there a lot because it's where you go if you don't completely fit (or want to fit) into Polite Society, or you want to have a drink, or a war protest, or perhaps all three. Maybe that's a piece of why this has clicked with me. When I read about Alexandros being shot in Exarchia, I imagined me or my friends being shot in our place. It hasn't happened, but if this can happen, maybe that could too.
That sounds about right. It's my favourite place to go because it's so chilled, inclusive and unpretentious, the complete antitheses of poseur-filled mainstream bars. And yes, a lot of people here are *painfully* aware that it could have been any one of us.