In Greece, a young Roma has been shot dead by the police – again. The young man had tanked and then bolted. The case is symbolic of the racist behavior of the Greek police.
Protest against police violence in front of a courthouse in Thessaloniki on December 9th, 2022 – at that time 16-year-old Kostas Fragoulis was not yet dead
Burning 20-euro bills, a photo of a young man and desperate faces: Dozens of Roma are demonstrating in front of a courthouse in the northern Greek metropolis of Thessaloniki. It's just before Christmas. But nobody feels like celebrating here. Because again a Rom died in a police operation. And again, this seems to have hardly any political consequences.
Kostas Fragoulis was only 16 years old when he was seriously injured by a police officer's gun at the beginning of December 2022 and succumbed to his injuries a few days later in hospital. Kostas had bought petrol for 20 euros at a gas station in western Thessaloniki and left without paying. The police officers happened to be on site and had taken up the pursuit with the motorcycle. One of the officers shot him in the head.
After the death of Kostas Fragoulis, violent protests broke out in several cities in Greece, such as here in Thessaloniki on December 5th, 2022< /p>
Since Kostas' death, Roma have been demonstrating against police violence in many Greek cities. Some left-wing groups support the members of the minority in this. But just a few weeks earlier, on December 6, 2022, many more people took to the streets in Greece. They commemorated 15-year-old Alexandros Grigopoulos, who was killed by a police bullet during a demonstration in Athens in 2008. His death has become an unofficial day of remembrance against police violence in the country. Societal outrage at the death of a Greek who is not part of the Roma community seems far more widespread.
“Couldn't they shoot the tires?”
“Did you really have to kill Kostas for a mere 20 euros?” asks Angeliki, shaking her head. “Other people who are not Roma also steal and are not killed directly.” The woman in her mid-fifties sits with her adult son in front of their small stove in a dwelling made of wood and plastic sheeting near Athens. Here, an hour's drive west of the Greek capital, hundreds of Roma have been living in an improvised camp for years. The people here make a living by collecting scrap and rubbish or hired out as day labourers. There is no electricity or running water.
Angeliki in her dwelling in an improvised camp west of Athens< /p>
The cold sea wind beats hard against the thin walls of Angeliki's dwelling. Still, it's reasonably warm inside. “A year ago they shot Nikos. Did they really have to point the gun at him? Couldn't they just shoot his tires?” asks Angeliki.
More than 30 shots in the chase
Nikos Sabani lived just a few huts from here until October 2021. He would be 19 now. But he died in a wild chase with the police. The seven officers who were chasing him fired more than 30 shots. Their guess: Nikos and the underage driver stole the car they were in.
Jannis Sabani, father of youth Nikos Sabani, who was shot dead in October 2021
Nikos' father Jannis is now looking after his son's wife and children. “Recently, a police officer stopped me and my wife when we were looking for rubbish on the side of the road. He asked my name and then he understood who my son was from the name. He said to me that Nikos was not only 38, but 108 shots,” he says angrily.
“We want justice”
Jannis Mantzas is sitting in a café in Evosmos, a district of Thessaloniki. The 45-year-old looks tired. Since the shots at Kostas, Mantzas, who works as a research assistant at the Panhellenic Confederation of Greek Roma, has been constantly on the job: demonstrations, talks, interviews, the funeral, the first hearing in court. “The policeman who shot Kostas is at large,” says Mantzas in disbelief. Until the main proceedings, he is allowed to move within limits: “He must not leave the country. That's all!” The indignation is written all over his face.
Jannis Mantzas, employee of the Panhellenic Confederation of Greek Roma
The court's decision not to keep the police officer in custody further increased Roma outrage. But above all, you stand together in moments like this, explains Mantzas. Across Greece, support is being given to the victim's family and raising money to cover legal fees. The people aren't interested in revenge or violence: “We want justice,” says Mantzas. Above all, one hopes that there will be no further victims of disproportionate police violence.
Structural racism in the Greek police
Mantzas complains that the operation, in which Kostas was fatally injured, was not only disproportionate but completely unnecessary: ”The gas station attendant knew Kostas, his father and the car. So he would have gotten his money.” The boy didn't climb up because he wanted to cheat, but because he didn't have a driver's license.” A knee-jerk reaction from a 16-year-old from socially difficult backgrounds. Mantzas is certain: The police would have reacted differently if Kostas was a “white Greek.” “It was a racist crime,” he says, adding: “The police really need to be better trained.”
Roma camp near Athens: More than 10,000 Roma in Greece live in such conditions
After the murder of Nikos Sabani, the Roma Confederation sent a letter to the government in which they made suggestions as to how the tense relationship between the minority and the police could be improved: “We were told that the suggestions would be examined and then make a decision. A year has passed and nothing has happened. Now we are mourning another death.”
Antigypsyism in society
The 53-year-old Giorgia Fassou from Kalamata in southern Greece sees all of this above all as a social problem. The retired journalist has been campaigning for the rights of the Roma in Greece and an end to their stigmatization for years. She points out that more than 10,000 Roma live in camps in the country without running water or electricity – they are also Greek citizens. “A majority of Greeks don't know about it. For them, the Roma are second-class citizens,” said Fassou.
Politicians are more likely to promote this attitude than to do anything about it. When Nikos Sabani was shot dead last year, Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis congratulated the police officers via Twitter. “It is evident that the police officers did their job well. They protected their own lives and the community. Bravo,” wrote the minister.