Racist attacks continue by fascist groups and the Greek police. The following two stories belong to the few that reach the public and to the very few that put charges on the perpetrators.
Racist attack
Mokbul Ruamanga, a 42 year old Mathematician from Bangladesh, and his wife were attacked by a group of five fascists in … With his lawyer he displaed charges against the unknown perpetrators in Athens Court.
“It was in the evening of March 24 and we went out with my wife for a walk. A group of five persons reached us. They started threatening and taunting us. They were shouting to us to leave from this country!”
Mr. Ruamanga is living since 16 years in Greece. The couple lives with its four year old daughter in Agios Panteleimonas, an area that has been the tragic scene of hundreds of racist attacks in the kast five years. Mr. Ruamanga owns a shop and sells bags in Vathis Square in the centre of Athens. They bought their flat with a credit of the bank which they still have to pay off.
“When they shout on us to ‘leave the country’ they don’t understand that this is our house, our neighbourhood and we love it as all our Greek neighbours do too. I bought our house four years ago and I will have to pay the credit for many years more. I have no option to live somewhere else.”
“Everybody (his neighbours) is very friendly and treat me respectfully. We have all the same difficulties to deal with resulting from the crisis. I have the same problems to pay my daily expenses with my meager income, although I am working from the early morning until the night in order to survive.”
“The Greeks are great people, very friendly and warm. Without exaggeration I can say that among ten million there are only some hundred racists. They are the ones creating all the trouble, they attack innocent people and spoil the image of their own country.”
Source:
To Vima (in Greek)
Racist police officers
Fromentio Gadogo Kinyua is a Greek Citizen. He is head nurse at a private hospital in Athens. He studied at the Technological Educational Institute of Athens and has served in the Greek army. One afternoon, while he went home from his job near the Tobacco Factory, Lenorman Street, two motorcyclists from the DI.AS. police force stopped next to him. The one, the machine bearing the registration number 8797, asked him to open the window. Once he did, what the police asked him to the officer began cursing with vulgar and absolutely racist vocabulary. Amongst others he said: “When you see the police nigger you will not move. You want me to pull you out and fuck you wright here? Do you want me to break your teeth asshole? Fucking black!…”
Fromentios is the twin brother of Nicodemus Kinyoua, the president of the ASSANTE – an organisation of young people with African ancestry, and member of the Immigrant Council of the Municipality of Athens. They grew up in Greece being active in the field of human rights.
Fromentios will charge the officers for their behaviour.