AthensLive Wire | A bullet in the head

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This is our weekly round-up from Greece,

The Greek police shot a 16-year-old Roma teen in the head after chasing him for leaving a gas station without paying. He had filled up 20 euros. The boy is struggling for his life.

The Greek government announced a bonus for all police a day after the incident. This also happened a day before the tragic anniversary of the murder of 16-year-old Grigoropoulos by a policeman back in 2008. Mainstream media attempted cop-washing.

Main opposition SYRIZA cornered the Greek PM to answer if the National Intelligence Service EYP had wiretapped the General Staff Chief. The PM just left the Parliament without answering.

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How much does a life cost?

A 32-year-old police officer shot a 16-year-old Roma teen in the head during a chase on Monday in Thessaloniki after the boy allegedly filled his vehicle at a gas station for 20 euros and drove off without paying.

The teen, Costas Fragoulis, is reportedly in a critical situation in Ippokrateio hospital ICU in Thessaloniki after he underwent lengthy surgery to remove a bullet from his head. He has been charged with attempted manslaughter with intent.

The policeman who shot him was arrested and faced charges of attempted manslaughter with possible intention plus for illegal shooting to immobilize or neutralize.

A leaked CCTV video from the gas station revealed that the four DIAS motorcycle squad policemen who chased the boy were already inside the gas station. They appear seated there and leave when the employee informs them of what happened.

The video raised questions as the official police press release did not mention that the policemen were already inside the gas station but “close to the spot.”

Speaking to Thessaloniki radio, the gas station owner stated that the teenager had not threatened anyone and did not have any inappropriate behavior; he just did not pay. Most importantly, he said the employee on shift had taken the boy’s car plate number.

Since they had the plate number, why attempt a cowboy-style car chase ending up in the (hopefully not lethal) shot?

Moreover, since they knew they were after a person who had committed a minor offense, why did they chase him in a clear violation of the law, which provides that the police should avoid arresting someone caught in the act when it is a minor offense. The arrest may provoke public order issues leading to more unlawful severe acts. It also provides that shooting is prohibited during a car chase.

Just a month ago, on 3 November, it was reported that the police were called at a gas station when a family of four could not pay to fill up with 20 euros of gasoline - the POS would not accept their debit card. One of the police officers who came on the spot refused to arrest the family and paid himself their debt.

The timing of the incident was also grim.

The shooting of the Roma boy came almost a year after the DIAS police motorcycle squad had killed unarmed 18-year-old Roma Sampanis, father of two, firing 30+ bullets in a chase as he was driving a stolen car. A second passenger was severely injured and taken to the hospital, and the third escaped.

The shooting also occurred on the eve of annual protests in Greek cities to mark the fatal police shooting in 2008 of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in Athens. Anniversary protests since the shooting have often led to violent clashes between protesters and riot police. Grigoropoulos’ murder triggered a youth rebellion that lasted several weeks.

As to the new incident, the police attempted a cover-up.

In their initial press release, they claimed that during the chase, the driver repeatedly violated red traffic lights and even “attempted to ram the DIAS squad motorcycle ahead of him, thus endangering the policemen's lives and ignoring their order anew.” It was “in the light of the immediate danger, the policemen used their gun (shooting twice) to immobilize the vehicle. As a result, the driver lost control, crashed into a wall, and was carried seriously injured to the hospital in shift with an ambulance.”

But the young driver was not injured because of the alleged crash. He was shot in the head.

The day the boy was shot, the government announced a bonus for all the police.

“PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a 600 euros bonus to all uniformed Hellenic Police and Coast Guard. The State is grateful and rewards in practice the officers who protect its borders with the daily sacrifice,” Citizen Protection Minister Theodorikakos tweeted.

Either the government communication officers are entirely incompetent, or the government is trying to convey a message to society.

Given that after the 18-year-old Roma murder last year, Citizen Protection Minister visited the seven police officers detained for the incident to express his ‘moral support,’ which option would you consider more possible?

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Μembers of the Roma community, in outrage, started protests in Thessaloniki and Attica, which coincided with protests for the commemoration of Grigoropoulos’ murder. In effect, Grigoropoulos’ rallies turned into demonstrations against police violence.

Following the ongoing riots and an apparent effort to ‘put out the fire with gasoline,’ the police initiated large-scale operations in Roma camps in western Athens on Thursday morning. Reportedly, they were searching houses to identify and arrest rioters and those responsible for setting a (stationed) public bus on fire following the incidents on Wednesday night. Several people have been detained.

In another interesting development, the riot police appeared on a video attacking the 16-year-old’s father outside the courts on Tuesday, where people had gathered to express support.

Meanwhile, not only has there not been any press briefing from the hospital on the boy’s medical situation, but also the family’s lawyer was prohibited from attending the doctors’ briefing to the parents. When independent media outlet Press Project asked the hospital head why there was no press briefing, he just replied they don’t do that for all patients and hung up the phone.

Keep in mind that the government appoints hospital managers.

“The Thessaloniki Ippokrateio Hospital manager’s stance to not issue a press briefing for the 16-year-old victim of murderous police violence is unacceptable since he has been granted permission from the patient’s relatives,” Greek Hospital Doctors Union OENGE stated in a press release.

On Friday, the 32-year-old policeman charged with shooting the boy was transferred in secrecy to the Thessaloniki Judicial Hall. “It wasn’t for the gasoline, it wasn’t for the money, he was a Roma, that’s why the policeman shot him,” was the main slogan demonstrators who had gathered outside chanted while burning 20 euro notes in protest.

Judicial authorities decided not to put the policeman in jail, but instead at home detention until further notice.

Since the day of the incident, cop-washing has continued unabated by mainstream media and the police.

The charged officer claimed in his statement that the boy tried to ram them. He also claimed that the bullet found the youngster in the head because “at that spot, the road is slightly steep downwards and it is a bit rough...”

Police unionist Balaskas claimed the policeman first shot in the air to scare the driver, and then he shot the tires, “but due to the chase and the condition, it found the unlucky young man in the head.”

However, a bullet was later found stuck in a building entrance appearing to have followed the course of the other one. If it confirmed this was the bullet from the policeman’s gun, it would be proved he did not shoot in the air. In addition, nothing in a video from the chase surfaced showing the boy trying to ram the police motorcycles.

As to the media stance, indicatively well-known government-affiliated commentator Aris Portosalte appeared on SKAI TV saying that there is an unlawful behavior, which is not to be priced. He added: “Do we want the DIAS motorcycle squad to drink coffee? What do we want them for?

In the same line, government-affiliated ‘journalist’ Lina Klitou said on live TV: “The moral lesson of this story is that if someone is a small-scale thief at 16, he could become a murderer in his 20s for less”! She added that the state bears responsibility “as it deals mildly with this kind of lawlessness because it has not been able to impose integration rules.”

Fascism. The new normal in Greece.

The PM just walked out of… the Parliament

In another revealing follow-up on the Greek spyware scandal, Documento newspaper published a new list of wiretapped persons last Sunday.

This list included top military generals: Chief of Land Forces Charalambos Lalousis, General Director of Defense Investments and Armaments Thodoris Lagios, and even Chief of Greek General Staff Konstantinos Floros.

Floros is also a member of the Foreign Relations and Defence Governmental Council KYSEA. He is regularly engaged in talks with NATO officials.

This list concerned people wiretapped by EYP -not necessarily with Predator spyware- under the Prime Minister’s control since Mitsotakis was elected in power.

Shortly after the publication of the new list, a very dodgy article appeared on the In.gr news website - owned by shipping and media mogul and football club owner Marinakis. Let us remind you that Marinakis was allegedly spied upon through the wiretapping of two of his close associates. After this revelation, his media staged an attack against the government.

The article in question, under the title “There is something wrong with Floros,” gives a hint that Marinakis reconciled with the government: The article was a full-scale smear attack against General Floros in an apparent attempt to deconstruct him after it was revealed he had been a wiretapping victim.

After a couple of days, the article ‘disappeared’ from the site. It can only be found on sites that copy-pasted and reproduced it.

Speaking in Parliament in the session preceding the voting of the new EYP bill, main opposition SYRIZA head Alexis Tsipras called on the PM to commit he would resign should it be proved that EYP was spying upon ministers and the Armed Forces' top officials. “You cannot stay a day more,” he emphasized.

In his two speeches, Tsipras insisted on one question, ιf EYP was spying on General Floros, with the PM replying, “I don’t know.” This enraged Tsipras. He insisted that if Mitsotakis denied the accusation, and then evidence proved him wrong, the PM should resign.

SYRIZA leader then interrupted his speech and stepped down from the podium to give way to the PM -EYP’s political head- to answer the question.

Then something unprecedented happened.

The PM said things that didn’t make much sense, like “how do you know that the General Staff Chief is wiretapped,” insisted that Justice would investigate the matter and that Tsipras has no evidence and asked Mitsotakis for the evidence.

“Whatever you had to say, Mr. Tsipras, you said it. The discussion ends here,” the PM concluded. And he left the Parliament. Just like that.

After the incident, Tsipras stated he was deeply concerned. “The moments are critical. National security is not a toy to play with.”

This happened amidst new major revelations from The New York Times on How the Global Spyware Industry Spiralled out of Control, including further details on the ‘Greek Watergate.’ In the report, Greek authorities go on the record about licensing Intellexa to export it. A breakthrough.

“A key problem I had reporting this from Greece was that no new Predator victims wanted to talk,” reporter Matina Stevis-Gridneff wrote on Twitter, “I spoke to 7 people who confirmed they were hacked. We did not include them because they refused to have their phones forensically checked. We had to have proof. They preferred not to. A Greek Predator victim, a person, invested in the New Democracy (ruling conservative party) govt said to me. I know they hacked me. I understand what embarrassing things are on my phone. How can I speak out?

I'm also worried if I speak out, the opposition will get an advantage,” she added.

New revelations regarding the wiretapping are expected this weekend from the Greek press.

For the record, the draft law on surveillance discussed in the Parliament when the wiretapping Tsipras-Mitsotakis debate took place was expected to be approved on Friday night. Organizations like Reporters Without Borders and Human Rights Watch have strongly warned against this bill.

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