On December 6, 2008, Alexandros Grigoropoulos was killed by a gunshot wound that pierced his heart, fired by a Cop on duty. The incident sparked riots all over the country within an hour, that lasted for several weeks. The Cop's trial started on January 20, 2010, in a small town called Amfissa, 200km (120m) from Athens. The relatives of the boy and some prosecution witnesses have complained that this makes it very hard to attend the trial, which was moved from Athens because of "secutrity" issues.
The BBC has attempted to report on the trial but the article (
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8473857.stm) is full of lies. Malcolm Brabant, who is the BBC's correspondent in Greece, is well known for fabricating stories to suit the needs of the Greek government, the EU, and Western Capitalism as a whole. He is also known for covering the Balkan conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, equally irresponsibly. It is not surprising to most of us following Greek events that his reporting would twist reality.
The article starts with the following statement:
"The mother of Alexandros Grigoropoulos - the Greek schoolboy shot dead in 2008 - has called the policeman who fired the fatal bullet a "monster"."
This is not true. During the trial, the Mother of Alexandros called the policeman who fired the bullet and his partner, who is also on trial as his accomplice, "murderers". Not "monsters". A "monster" is not a legal term and would not be useful in court. There is a difference. Calling the defendant a "monster" would imply lack of respect, which is not the case.
We then move on to this: "to deter attacks by anarchist groups which have vowed to kill the two defendants"
No anarchist group has ever vowed to kill the two defendants. I would very much like to see Malcolm Brabant's sources for this statement. The marches and riots are not only carried out by anarchists. There are several different ideologies involved, and it is not even limited to the leftists. Several people who were not previously politically active have joined the protests, without alligning themselves with any leftist or anarchist group.
"Speaking at the trial in her first public comments since the shooting, Mrs Tsalikian said both defendants were "monsters in the guise of men"."
Absolutely not. As mentioned before, she merely called them "murderers", while crying and hardly being able to speak, while describing how she was informed of her son's death.
"The key forensic evidence will be the ballistic tests on the bullet, says the BBC's Greece correspondent Malcolm Brabant."
What is not mentioned here however is that there are several forensic reports in existence. The initial report, by a highly regarder professor, who was hired by the Cop, is now "burried" as the professor found that the Cop aimed directly at the boy and no ricocheting took place.
What is also not mentioned is that in several of the disturbingly many police murders, "ricocheting bullets" are the most commonly used excuse. This has been the subject of many ironic cartoons depicting police officers and bullets ricocheting in 100 different locations before killing someone. It seems like there must be a "ricocheting bullet epidemic" in Greece at the moment..
"These should indicate whether the bullet ricocheted off a building or parking bollard in the street where Alexandros Grigoropoulos fell."
"The boy's family have been hurt by accusations made shortly after his death that Alexandros was a troublemaker."
Well, this simply fails to take into account that implying your murdered son was some kind of troublemaker who somehow "deserved" this fate, is just shockingly rude and painful to a mother who lost her son in yet another state murder.
"The restricted number of access roads into Amfissa has given the authorities a chance to prevent large numbers of potential rioters from getting through."
There was no intention or plans for violent protests in Amfissa. Anarchists had visited the town before the trial to give out leaflets informing people of their views on the trial and to reassure the locals that there is absolutely no threat against them. This was done peacefully and the locals showed interest. On the first day of the trial, 400 "visitors" arrived in Amfissa from other Greek towns, both anarchists and not, who arranged two peaceful marches around Amfissa. One was based in the center of the town, while the other headed for the local prison, where the marchers voiced their solidarity to the prisoners and the prisoners chanted solidarity slogans back. There were only very minor incidents with the police, when the march tried to go down a blocked road, but these quickly ended and the march continued peacefully.
"But shopkeepers in the town have pulled down the shutters in fear that they will bear the brunt of anti-establishment wrath."
This is an utter lie. Only two banks and a hotel had been barricaded, the hotel owner being simply paranoid and the banks probably not wanting to risk it. "Anti-establishment wrath" is NEVER against the people. Small stores, like the ones mostly found in small towns are never harmed by any "anti-establishment" actions. These are often harmed, on the other hand, by right-wing organizations and neo-nazis, who aim to create a climate of fear and blame the attacks on "anarchists". The shop owners have started realizing who their enemy is. They are no longer buying into the bullshit that "anarchists" will turn against them. They offered their solidarity to the march and all stores remained open. After the end of the marches, the people involved mixed with the locals and hung out in local cafes and bars. Some report that they were invited by several shopkeepers to drink traditional Tsipouro with them, an act of hospitality in Greece. Again, for Malcolm Brabant to note down for his next bunch of lies: The shopkeepers are NOT afraid of "anarchists" or any "anti-establishment wrath".
Do not trust state controlled media. Keep informed. The trial continues...
Truth
The BBC has attempted to report on the trial but the article (
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8473857.stm) is full of lies. Malcolm Brabant, who is the BBC's correspondent in Greece, is well known for fabricating stories to suit the needs of the Greek government, the EU, and Western Capitalism as a whole. He is also known for covering the Balkan conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, equally irresponsibly. It is not surprising to most of us following Greek events that his reporting would twist reality.The article starts with the following statement:
"The mother of Alexandros Grigoropoulos - the Greek schoolboy shot dead in 2008 - has called the policeman who fired the fatal bullet a "monster"."
This is not true. During the trial, the Mother of Alexandros called the policeman who fired the bullet and his partner, who is also on trial as his accomplice, "murderers". Not "monsters". A "monster" is not a legal term and would not be useful in court. There is a difference. Calling the defendant a "monster" would imply lack of respect, which is not the case.
We then move on to this: "to deter attacks by anarchist groups which have vowed to kill the two defendants"
No anarchist group has ever vowed to kill the two defendants. I would very much like to see Malcolm Brabant's sources for this statement. The marches and riots are not only carried out by anarchists. There are several different ideologies involved, and it is not even limited to the leftists. Several people who were not previously politically active have joined the protests, without alligning themselves with any leftist or anarchist group.
"Speaking at the trial in her first public comments since the shooting, Mrs Tsalikian said both defendants were "monsters in the guise of men"."
Absolutely not. As mentioned before, she merely called them "murderers", while crying and hardly being able to speak, while describing how she was informed of her son's death.
"The key forensic evidence will be the ballistic tests on the bullet, says the BBC's Greece correspondent Malcolm Brabant."
What is not mentioned here however is that there are several forensic reports in existence. The initial report, by a highly regarder professor, who was hired by the Cop, is now "burried" as the professor found that the Cop aimed directly at the boy and no ricocheting took place.
What is also not mentioned is that in several of the disturbingly many police murders, "ricocheting bullets" are the most commonly used excuse. This has been the subject of many ironic cartoons depicting police officers and bullets ricocheting in 100 different locations before killing someone. It seems like there must be a "ricocheting bullet epidemic" in Greece at the moment..
"These should indicate whether the bullet ricocheted off a building or parking bollard in the street where Alexandros Grigoropoulos fell."
"The boy's family have been hurt by accusations made shortly after his death that Alexandros was a troublemaker."
Well, this simply fails to take into account that implying your murdered son was some kind of troublemaker who somehow "deserved" this fate, is just shockingly rude and painful to a mother who lost her son in yet another state murder.
"The restricted number of access roads into Amfissa has given the authorities a chance to prevent large numbers of potential rioters from getting through."
There was no intention or plans for violent protests in Amfissa. Anarchists had visited the town before the trial to give out leaflets informing people of their views on the trial and to reassure the locals that there is absolutely no threat against them. This was done peacefully and the locals showed interest. On the first day of the trial, 400 "visitors" arrived in Amfissa from other Greek towns, both anarchists and not, who arranged two peaceful marches around Amfissa. One was based in the center of the town, while the other headed for the local prison, where the marchers voiced their solidarity to the prisoners and the prisoners chanted solidarity slogans back. There were only very minor incidents with the police, when the march tried to go down a blocked road, but these quickly ended and the march continued peacefully.
"But shopkeepers in the town have pulled down the shutters in fear that they will bear the brunt of anti-establishment wrath."
This is an utter lie. Only two banks and a hotel had been barricaded, the hotel owner being simply paranoid and the banks probably not wanting to risk it. "Anti-establishment wrath" is NEVER against the people. Small stores, like the ones mostly found in small towns are never harmed by any "anti-establishment" actions. These are often harmed, on the other hand, by right-wing organizations and neo-nazis, who aim to create a climate of fear and blame the attacks on "anarchists". The shop owners have started realizing who their enemy is. They are no longer buying into the bullshit that "anarchists" will turn against them. They offered their solidarity to the march and all stores remained open. After the end of the marches, the people involved mixed with the locals and hung out in local cafes and bars. Some report that they were invited by several shopkeepers to drink traditional Tsipouro with them, an act of hospitality in Greece. Again, for Malcolm Brabant to note down for his next bunch of lies: The shopkeepers are NOT afraid of "anarchists" or any "anti-establishment wrath".
Do not trust state controlled media. Keep informed. The trial continues...
About 30 anarchists with helmets and hoods went into the supermarketnear the university of Saloniki and destroyed the security system! They took the foodstuff from the shelves and also took the moneyfrom the cash desk and burnt it outside the supermarket!nobody arrested!!
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