Tuesday 9 December 2008

Anger

As most of you in Greece and around the world have already heard, there are riots in Greece right now, because a policeman shot dead a 15-year-old kid in the street on Saturday night. People are angry. I am angry. Police are supposed to be the good guys that will protect us in time of need. The kid did nothing at all to deserve this. He did not threaten the policeman, he did not attack him, he did not carry any kind of weapon. He just said some things to him. And the policeman got angry and shot him.

The riots have now reached a point where it's not about the kid anymore, it's about the greek state and its incompetence. Many cities have become battle grounds these last three days. People burn, break and destroy everything within their reach. Some even steal too. And that only makes it worst. It makes more people suffer and takes the attention away from the thing that matters:

That a kid was shot by a policeman.

It is wrong. Whose fault is it? My personal opinion:

It's the Police Academy's fault.
It's their responsibility to train policemen properly so they know when to use their guns. If they are not suited to become policemen, flunk them. They can have an office job instead. It's that simple.

It's the police psychologist's fault.
They are supposed to make sure that a person is psychologically mature enough to know when it is absolutely necessary to use a gun. And that's deffinitely NOT when a kid in the street shouts insults and makes him angry.

It's that particular policeman commander's fault.
We have seen many times before kids getting brutally beaten by riot police, even AFTER they have surrendered. That's unprofessional and totally unnecessary, not to mention illegal. If not fired and officially charged with battery - as they should be - their commander should at least let them out of the riot team immediately after they show such behaviour. They are not capable of doing their job right and thus, a public danger.


Bottom line, if they can't keep their calm, they are not suitable for the job. And the people that judge them capable of carrying guns are just as responsible as those that pull the trigger.

And for the record, an incident just like that has happened before in Greece, about 20 years ago. In the trial took place in the early 90's the policeman was acquitted because he supposedly acted under extreme mental stress.
Is that the way this story will end too?
Without anyone to blame?
Without finding out what has to change so that things like that never happen again?
I hope not.

16 comments:

DaisyChain said...

I've been following this story on the news over here,
it's made me very, very angry too.

Much love.
x

κινδυνος κεφαλαιος said...

I ve got to make a point here.
The guy was not a Policeman but a Special Guard...

Lopi said...

It's a matter of police terminology and I'm not sure the term "eidikos frouros" translates as "special guard" in english. I think there may be a special term, like Riot Police instead of "MAT".
Anyway, he was in the police force, so I think my point in this post still makes sense.

Anonymous said...

I really hope some change - for the better - comes of all this.

Elena said...

I am extremely sad, I can't even watch the news.

Killah said...

devastated...

Anonymous said...

eniwses thumo gia to thanato tou dekapentaxronou h'giati ekleisan ta magazia gia kapoies wres to teleutaio dihmero?
metafrase to.

aporw giati den kaneis thn douleia sou na sxoliaseis auto to sunolaki? http://ellada.phivos.net/katant/ellimana/index_files/mat.jpg

Lopi said...

Προς τον ανώνυμο αναγνώστη: Το μόνο που καταφέρνει το σχόλιό σου είναι να δείξει την οργή που νιώθουμε όλοι μας. Μόνο που εσύ την στρέφεις στον λάθος άνθρωπο.

Kαπα said...

eleos ilithie anwnyme...
twra na deis poso anoixta einai ta magazia ...orthanoixta 24 wres ti mera...

Anonymous said...

gia mena anoixta kleista to idio einai...esas skeftomai kai anhsuxw...pws tha sunexisete auto to megaleiwdes ergo sas!
ante twra kai 24 wres ti mera fashion!

sumvoulh:eukairia einai,twra mporeis na pareis kai apo alla magazia,to zara kahke

...niwtheis orgh ...ok...to katalavainw...
alla den katalavainw kai oute xreiazetai pote na prokupsei logos gia na katalavw giati kaneis politikh analush - h' mallon akoma xeirotera, dineis kuvernhtikes odhgies peri ekpaideushs enstolwn, enoplwn klp...to gurizeis?

kai mia mikrh apologia-giati eimai kalos anthrwpos- \\thn orgh den th strefw se lathos anthrwpo alla se lathos stash anthrwpou

Lopi said...

Προς ανώνυμο: Συνεχίζω να μην καταλαβαίνω την ειρωνία σου. Μου αφαιρείς το δικαίωμα να έχω γνώμη για το συμβάν και να την εκφράζω ελεύθερα επειδή παράλληλα τυχαίνει να έχω ενδιαφέρον και για την μόδα?
Έκανες τον κόπο να διαβάσεις όλα αυτά που είχα να πω? Αν τα διάβασες και έχεις αντιρήσεις, παρατηρήσεις ή διαφορετικές απόψεις (που μάλλον έχεις για να λες ότι έχω λάθος στάση) θα χαρώ να ακούσω την γνώμη σου πάνω σε αυτά.
Μέχρι τότε εγώ θα συνεχίσω να γράφω για όσα με ενδιαφέρουν και είναι μέρος της ζωής μου, είτε αυτό είναι το τελευταίο φόρεμα που αγόρασα είτε το τι θα ήθελα να αλλάξει στην χώρα που ζω.

Jessie said...

I was worried about you when I heard this...

κοπρόγατα said...

βλεπω κυριε ανωνυμε παρακολουθεις και εσυ το μπολγκ αυτο, και εχει και αποψη και ξερεις και το Ζαρα...Μπραβο..
Ο καθενας σε μια ελευθερη χωρα μπορει να κανει πολιτικη αναλυση και οχι μονο. Ο καθενας μας εχει το δικαιωμα να εκφραζει την οργη και την αγανακτιση του.
Και εδω που τα λεμε γιατι καθεσαι μεσα στο σπιτι και διαβασεις μπλογκ απο το να εισαι εξω και να κανεις την "επανασταση" σου καιγοντας εμπορικα καταστηματα?
ε?

Γιατι εκεινοι που πενθουν και ειναι στους δρομους δεν φορανε κουκουλα, δεν καινε τον Ζαρα και φυσικα δεν αφηνουν ανωνυμα μυνηματα σε μπλογκ.

Anonymous said...

suggnwmh.egw ftaiw pou milhsa me epixeirhmata kai mphkate ki eseis sthn idia diadikasia.as to paroume pio apla loipon:den ensternizomai thn idea na autoprosdioristw ws
daisychain
kindynos
k.
poso mallon koprogata

tha parameinw sto aksioprepes ANONYMOUS kai gia tous filous anony an thes opwsdhpote ena glukouli kai sumpathhtikouli paratsoukli.

kai 'gw loipon san eleutheros poliths mporw kai mpainw se auto to blog, oxi gia na ekfrasw fusika th gnwmh mou peri katesthmenou, alla gia ta tooosa alla themata poy mou mou prokaloun to gelwta. eleutheros poliths eimai kai gelaw

ki eytyxws an to thetete etsi,to mono provlhma tou kratous einai oi psuxogeneis taseis ths "riot police".

antio loipon thliveres kai thumwmenes mododoules
epanastatries.

κινδυνος κεφαλαιος said...

Ανώνυμε, ενώ θέτεις το ζητημα της ανάλωσης σε λανθασμένο "τόπο" της οργής, κι ενώ μπλέκεις την προφανή απέχθειά σου για τον καταναλωτισμό με τα προσωπικά χόμπυ των υπολοίπων, κάνεις κι εσύ ΑΚΡΙΒΩΣ το ίδιο, μέσα στο δικό σου πλαίσιο λογικής. Αν με αντιλαμβάνεσαι,
δε σε κάνει ανώτερο το να δείχνεις αυτή την απέχθειά σου απευθείας, μόνο στιγμιαία σε αυτοϊκανοποιεί.
Εν τέλει, δεν προσφέρεις τίποτε παραπάνω από χάσιμο πόρων, χρόνου, χώρου και ό,τι άλλου.

Μόλις μετάνιωσα που ασχολήθηκα.

κοπρόγατα said...

"αξιοπρεπη" ανωνυμε, επειδη δεν ειναι σωστό να εχουμε αvτιδικια στο μπλογκ της lopi, αν θελεις να μιλησεις προσωπικα και να θιξεις το ηλιθιο ψευδωνυμο μου ,μπορεις να το κανεις και μεσα απ' το δικο μου μπλογκ.
θα ελεγα χοντραδες..

αλλα οπως ειπε και ο kindynos: μετάνιωσα που ασχολήθηκα.
(συγνωμη lopi)