Racist graffiti

"Albanians out"

Golden Dawn - Hellas

I was surfing over at Devious Diva's blog and came across a post she had written recntly on hate graffiti in Athens. Here in Thessaloniki we have equally virulent examples of such racism. The one that particularly appalled me was one that said;

"Αλβανος καλος μονο νεκρος"

"The only good Albanian is a dead one"

or a favourite in my neighbourhood;

"ΕΞΟ ΟΙ ΞΕΝΟΙ"

"FOREIGNERS OUT"

This crap often stays on the walls for months, if not years and sends the message to the world that if you're not Greek you don't belong here. Even "respectable" politicians such as Psomiadis blithely state that you can only be born Greek.

Am I angry?

You bet! Already my daughter, born in Greece is learning an object lesson in the demonisation of the "other". She is being teased and made fun of relentlessly in school because her surname is obviously not Greek. This is just the mildest form such prejudice takes. Yet she in her own way is bearing the brunt of the kind of chauvinism that has become taken for granted here in Thessaloniki, fed by hate graffiti or the endless hours of hate TV that pollute the airwaves everyday.

Despite all this there is a state of denial about the situation. Even on the state - run channels such as ET3 I have seen Greek TV presenters belittle and demean immigrants on live TV for daring to suggest that racism maybe a problem in the city.

Now, you might say why stay in such a place? Why not go back home and forget all about it?

First, I decided to make this place my home and so I'm not going to let these bas####s tell where I can or cannot live and secondly, my daughter was born here. This is the only home she knows.

ΦΤΑΝΕΙ ΠΙΑ!

Just because you don't dress up in a bed sheet and go racing acoss the countryside lynching folk and burning churches, doesn't mean you're not a racist.