Ian Tomlinson - Alexis Grigoropoulos: two sides of the same coin

The similarities between the death of Ian Tomlinson who died during the G20 summit protests and Alexis Grigoropoulos, whose shooting last December in Athens sparked off weeks of rioting across Greece seem to be growing ever stronger. In both cases the unlawful death at the hands of the police was initially met with silence and/or lies.

In the case of Alexis the original official account said that the 15 year old had been part of a group of anarchist who had attacked a patrol car with stones, bottles and Molotov cocktails. The officers involved had, according to the police been forced to fire into the air and that one such shot had accidentally killed the teenager. In the case of Tomlinson, the London Metropolitan police said that he had been walking home when he had suffered a heart attack and that attempts to aid him had been met by a barrage of bricks and bottles.

As we know now both accounts turned out to have only the slightest connection with what really happened. In the case of Alexis eye witnesses and later video evidence quickly came out that showed that he had died after having an argument with a policeman who aimed and fired his weapon at him. Likewise in the Tomlinson case eyewitness accounts told of an unprovoked police attack backed up by video footage.

In both Athens and London the vast majority of the mainstream media were quite happy, at first to accept the authorities version of what happened and even embellish their accounts with, as it turned out, literary flourishes that undermined their credibility. Luckily, The Observer and the Guardian kept on hammering away at the story despite official harassment from the IPCC.

Now it seems that both cases are continuing to follow the same pattern of developments. Once the authorities in Athens realised that their original cover story had been blown they decided on another approach in the media battle for the hearts and minds of Joe Public; namely, they thought that they could save the day by mounting a campaign of smear and innuendo that would tar the reputation of the victim and so justify the actions of the officers involved.

Within days much of the Greek press corp published stories from police sources that painted Alexis as a delinquent malcontent who loved nothing more than make trouble in the Exarchia neighbourhood where he died. Indeed the newspapers even went as far as to publish a report by the police officer's lawyer that highlighted his allegedly chequered school record and grades as supposed evidence of the teen's delinquency and so "guilt".

Now we see the same thing with Ian Tomlinson. The police have seen their attempt at a cover up blown so wide that even their supporters in the media cannot help anymore. Faced with media scrutiny of their actions stories are now appearing in the right wing press that have tried to smear Tomlinson, attack his character and so justify the officer who killed him.

It is claimed that he had been drinking heavily and had gone out of his way to provoke officers who were operating under very difficult circumstances. What such reports fail to mention was the widespread use of indiscriminate violence (including attacks on a Channel 4 camera crew) by the police to control the situation and the use of "kettling" which allowed tensions to rise that would have been dissipated had protesters been allowed to leave.



Again the hope is that such accusations will make us forget the video footage which showed Tomlinson attacked as he was walking away from the police. Even if what the newspapers say is true then do the police have the right to treat people with such contempt during what had been , despite intense provocation, a mainly peaceful demo?


My only hope is that the tactic backfires as badly in London as it did in Athens. Then the claims by the police not only managed to add to the feeling of anger felt by many taking part in the protests but also disgusted many who had up to that time remained undecided as to whether the police had done something wrong.

For more information check out the Ian Tomlinson Wiki page here and the Alexis Grigoropoulos page here.

Ian Tomlinson - There are lies, damned lies and official accounts

Cornered Police-G20 demonstration-Financial Fools Day, originally uploaded by Daniel_C_C.

Thankfully we live in a world were not just the authorities but also you and I can record what goes on around us. I think that the London Metropolitan Police have yet to grasp that our love of high tech Orwellian style surveillance equipment cuts both ways and they too are constantly in the eye of a media storm.

Of course, I was sure that the death of Ian Tomlinson who died minutes after an unprovoked attack by officers during the G20 summit demonstrations had also been recorded on one of the innumerable cameras that cover central London but now it turns out that a number of participants in the protests also recorded the attack and were able to get the message out unfiltered. Today's Guardian has footage taken of riot police hitting Tomlinson as he was quietly walking away from them, his hands in his pockets. Just minutes later he was dead, the victim of a heart attack according to official version of events.

The police announcement released soon after his death mentioned nothing of the attack and and indeed sought to blame protesters for supposedly impeding attempts by ambulance crews and officers to provide first aid. It seems there are lies, damned lies and official accounts.

It is interesting to note just how similar was the official reaction to Tomlinson's death to that of 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos, shot by police in Athens last December. In both cases the police gave out reports that was almost entirely at odds with eye witness accounts and later evidence. Yet much of the mainstream media choose to accept the official interpretation at face value even though those present told a different story. Also in both cases video footage came out that quickly disproved the version given by officers involved.

Unfortunately, I believe that we are likely to see a similar outcome in both cases and those responsible for both deaths are unlikely to get the punishment they so richly deserve. They'll find ways to worm their way of the fact that they are reason two people died without cause.

We will hear the same tired cliches such as "exemplary police behaviour", "professionalism" and that "they did an excellent job under very trying conditions". Words like "restraint" and "regrettable mistake" will be thrown around all the while the real villians of the piece will quietly merge into the background.

Just remember that your mobile/cell phone with its ability to take photos and video just may be your best weapon when the authorities next try to cover up incidences of their bad behaviour. It might not help in court but it will where it matters in people's hearts and minds.

Call on the Greek government to set up an independent commission of inquiry

Riot police break up protest march in Thessaloniki, Greece, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Greek police shot and killed 15-year-old Alexandros-Andreas (Alexis) Gregoropoulos in Athens on 6 December 2008. A longstanding history of human rights violations committed by police in Greece was highlighted by the shooting and by the conduct of officers policing subsequent demonstrations in December 2008 and January 2009.

Following these events, Amnesty International has received numerous reports of such violations by police in the context of policing the protests, including excessive use of force and firearms, torture and other ill-treatment, arbitrary detention and denial of prompt access to legal assistance. Complaints of such violations have also been received from children.

Amnesty International believes that the authorities' response to the killing of Alexis Gregoropoulos and the protests which erupted in the aftermath of his death should not end with the ongoing police and judicial investigations.

In this context, a strong message must be sent to the Greek government that no one can be above the law - especially those charged with enforcing it.

Take Action. Join Amnesty International in urging the Greek government to set up an independent commission of inquiry, mandated to investigate the full circumstances surrounding the death of Alexis Gregoropoulos and the police response to the demonstrations and the riots that began on 6 December.

Amnesty International

Έκθεση "καταπέλτης" κατά της ΕΛΑΣ

Για "σοβαρές παραβιάσεις ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων" επικρίνει την ελληνική αστυνομία η Διεθνής Αμνηστία και καλεί την κυβέρνηση να κάνει έρευνα.

Σε έκθεση της που δημοσιοποιήθηκε τη Δευτέρα, η Διεθνής Αμνηστία αναφέρει ότι η αντίδραση της αστυνομίας στις ταραχές του Δεκεμβρίου στην Αθήνα υπήρξε "το αποκορύφωμα της συνταγματικής παραβίασης στην προστασία των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων".

Υποστηρίζει επίσης ότι μετά τον τερματισμό των ταραχών τον Ιανουάριο έλαβε πολλές καταγγελίες (για την παραβίαση ανθρώπινων δικαιωμάτων από την αστυνομία) τις οποίες έθεσε υπόψη του υπουργού εσωτερικών Προκόπη Παυλόπουλου.

Η ελληνική κυβέρνηση δε έχει απαντήσει στην έκθεση της Διεθνούς Αμνηστείας.

Ωστόσο, διπλωματικές πηγές υποστηρίζουν ότι η αστυνομία επέδειξε εξαιρετική αυτοσυγκράτηση, αν λάβει κανείς υπόψη τις περιστάσεις.

Skai.gr

Days of Rage

Day of Rage - Greek riots: Day 2, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Day of Rage - Greek riots: Day 2

Day of Rage - Greek riots: Day 2, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

I was just going through pictures I have taken over the last two weeks. It seems like all this started two years ago so intense has the experience been.

One day 'll get round to putting all this down on paper.

Events in Greece -Time for reflection

On the left the Greek minister for culture, Mixalis Liapis and on the right Prokopis Pavopoulos, the law and order minister.

Many people across the world will have been shocked by the scale of violence witnessed over the last 13 days in Greece. Scenes of intense confrontations with the police and a level of destruction that you normally wouldn't associate with a country famed for its natural beauty and long history.

However, away from the beaches and the museums there are has been a growing sense of despair amongst people, especially those under 25 that the country they live in has no place for them. A feeling that those in charge politically and economically lead lives cocooned by wealth and family connections which leave them indifferent to the problems faced by the rest of the population.

Cronyism, corruption and lack of accountability have eaten away at people's respect for institutions at the heart of Greek life. A fact that was vividly illustrated this week by two decisions which added to the impression that those in authority are above the law.

The first concerned the parliamentary report on the Vatopedi corruption scandal. The case which involved the dubious acquisition of state owned property by the Vatopedi Orthodox monastery involved several senior government officials and cost hundreds of millions of tax payer's money. However, despite a deluge of evidence indicating the misuse of office by high ranking government members the report concluded that there were no grounds for criminal charges.

This is simply the latest in a series of 45 scandals that have come to light since the New Democracy party came to power in 2004 on a platform of clean government.

The other case which has helped undermine faith in the Greek justice system and especially ELAS (the national police force) was the verdict in the Augustinos Dimtrios case which came out last week. Dimitrios, a university student from Cyprus was savagely beaten by eight police officers in an incident which was captured on live TV. Although the officers involved were found guilty none was sentenced to a jail term, instead they received a suspended sentence.

This has added to the sense, amply supported by numerous cases of police violence that law enforcement officials in Greece operate above the law, accountable to no one. One of the reasons why the clashes between protesters and riot police over the last week have been so fierce is the anger provoked by the possibility that the officer charged with killing 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos will walk free.

A toxic mix, of unemployment, disillusionment and frustration has driven young people onto the streets time and time again, it has led them to occupy 600 schools nationwide and hundreds of university departments. As of yet there has been no concerted demands for a program of political change, however, this simply reflects the fact that there are so many disparate participants involved in the protests. The speed and scale of the reaction has been such that there is no one group of people or organisation that can truthfully say that represent the demonstrator's will at the present time.

Protest concert - Thessaloniki, Greece

Protest concert - Thessaloniki, Greece, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Tonight there was a concert in the centre of Thessaloniki in memory of Alexis Grigoropoulos . Despite the freezing cold thousands gathered to Sokratis Malamas and others in the central Hanth square. For more pictures check out Oneiros's photos on Flickr.

Second Greek high school student shot.

According to reports on the Greek Skai channel a second high school student, Kostas Paplomatas has been shot in the Peristeri district of Athens. The teen was hit in the wrist at 11pm Thursday while outside his school according to his father. For more details in Greek click here, and for a Google translation click here.

According to the official police report the attack was probably carried out using an air pistol, however, the student's father said in an interview on Skai Radio that other students had heard two gun shots. Papamatas is currently recovering after being operated on earler today. Doctors have removed a 20mm shell which was given to the police for investigation

Nationwide demonstrations are planned for today in order to protest the death of 15 year old Alexandros Grigropoulos by a police officer in the Exarchia district of central Athens

Time to make ourselves heard

Photo by Murplej@ne-under deconstruction


The batteries are charging, the bag packed, my pencils are sharpened and my notebooks blank. Tomorrow I am heading for the nationwide series of protests over the killing of Alexis Grigoropoluos. Hope to see you there.

News from ten minutes ago

I was just about to sit down 10 minutes ago and start preparing my lessons when I heard the familiar sound of protesters chanting anti - cop slogans. I grabbed my camera and followed the noise until I caught up with a small group of marchers heading towards the centre.

I think that this indicative of what has happened over the last few days in Greece. The protests over the death of Alexis Grigoropoulos have mutated and fragmented. There are now thousands of smaller demos which have moved out of the centres of the big cities and migrated to the suburbs in the form of occupations of schools and local council offices. Less dramatic than previous outbursts but new for the country.

There also seems to be a glaring disconnect between the version of events being offered on much of national TV and that being seen in the rest of the world. For much of the foreign press the events in Greece are being seen as a form of rebellion against the present political establishment and the deep rooted ills in Greek society whereas the local media is offering their own interpretations based on pre-existing ideological formulas.

For the supporters of the conservative New Democracy party the violence and protests are simply the actions of a criminal minority hell bent on mayhem and theft. For others such as the Greek Communist Party (KKE) the violence is part of an orchestrated plan to distract people's attention from the government's economic woes. Others see the hand of foreign intelligence agencies guiding the protesters, who are seeking to undermine the independence of the government.

What they fail to see is the real rage felt by those protesting at the failure of the current political system to offer hope to young people faced with an economy heading into recession and the total lack of accountability of politicians to those the supposedly serve.

Protesters occupy Greek TV station

A group of 20 students occupied the state run NET TV channel in Athens yesterday in protest against the killing of 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a police officer eleven days ago. Holding up a banner which said, "Stop Watching. Everyone on the Streets" they interrupted the station's broadcast of prime minister, Kostas Karamanlis's speech in parliament.

This is another is series of demonstrations which have swept Greece in the wake of the killing and have put the present administration on the defensive. Hundreds of schools and campuses throughout Greece remain under occupation and protest marches have taken place daily in many cities. Although the violent scenes witnessed last week have died down young people's feeling of anger at the police and the present econmic situation hasn't diminished.



On its site NET channel said that;

"Disrupting any concept of democratic dialogue, a group of young people stormed state television ERT studio at noon while the new bulleting was aired. They managed to interrupt the regular program, putting at risk body integrity of employees, to air their slogans. State Television ERT chairman, Hristos Panagopoulos denounced the action of the particular group, noting that they had not identified themselves even in the text they tried to distribute in the corridors. Mr. Panagopoulos stressed that they were not students but unknown people, who do not respect freedom and democracy. They were not an organized group but sneaked into the state television premises, adding that they blocked both himself and journalists responsible for the news bulletin. "

It should be noted that the state run media has long been accused by opposition parties of pro government bias in its coverage of domestic politics. The opposition PASOK party rerpresentative, Tilimaxhos Hitiris accused NET of being a "propaganda mechanism".

Monday's high school student demonstration outside the central police headquarters in Athens which was violently broken by when the police used batons and tear gas to drive demonstrators back. Whilst scenes of police attacking teenagers were shown on many private TV stations the state run channels showed earlier scenes of students presenting officers with flowers.

Symbolic protest over the death of Alexandros Grigoropoulos

Symbolic protest over the death of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Tonight about two thousand people marched through Thessaloniki to remind people of the death of 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos who was shot by police ten days ago.

More protests planned for tomorrow and on Thursday in Greece

Seventh today of protests in Greece over murdered teen, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Tomorrow and on Thursday mass demonstrations have been planned by high school students in Thessaloniki and other Greek cities. This looks like it is set to run and run.

For more info on what is happening check out these links;

1. On the Greek Riots
2. Indymedia Athens: front
3. Indymedia Athens: local news
4. Indymedia Athens: newswire
5. twitter: #griots
6. Infoshop News
7. All “Greece” posts on this blog
8. Blogs on WordPress with posts tagged: Greece, Greek riots, Athens, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, Kostas Karamanlis
9. Updated videos on the Greek riots from OA
10. ¡Amor y Resistencia!
11. Teacher Dude’s Grill & BBQ (no, seriously)
12. 1D4TW on twitter

Courtesy of Open Anthology.

"If your whole life is one little car, set fire to it yourself"

"If your whole life is one little car, set fire to it yourself", originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Photos from today's demos in Thessaloniki over the death of Greek teen, Alexandros Grigoropulos, last Saturday at the hands of the police.

Greek high school students protesting the murder of 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos

Greek high school students protesting the murder of 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Although the number of people attending protests has dropped there were several marches in the centre of Thessaloniki yesterday and another is planned for today at 12 noon at stautue of Venizelou.

A week of living dangerously

This week has been one of the most intense I ever experienced and I don't know where to begin as far as my personal feelings are concerned. I feel that I've crammed six months of memories into the last six days. Today I was ready to take a break from participating in marches and just stick to my day job. I was exhausted both physically and emotionally by the last week but when I woke up I read that the ballistics report on the death of the 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos had supposedly vindicated the cops version of events. I was so filled me with anger that there was no way I wasn't going to demonstrate.

The sheer brazeness of the cover up and the outrageous statements made by the defendents' lawyer concerning the victim fuelled me today. I went to the centre in between lessons and came across a group of high school students demonstrating outside the central police station in Aristotelous square. I pulled out my camersa and almost immediately some guy came up and threatened to beat me, accusing me of being a journalist. "Roufianos" was the term he used which roughly translates as "snitch" or "lackey" in English though neither term conveys anything like the odium the word carries in Greek.

I've lost count of the number of times I've been threatened in such a manner over the last few days but I think that the pictures are important as they tell a story that the official media either ignores or does not have access to.

Later on once I'd regained my composure I went on a rally which wound its way peacefully through the city and ended up at the Ministry of Northern Greece. At least this time it wasn't tear gassed by the riot police.

If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will be Next

Manic Street Preachers

The future teaches you to be alone
The present to be afraid and cold
So if I can shoot rabbits
Then I can shoot fascists

Bullets for your brain today
But well forget it all again
Monuments put from pen to paper
Turns me into a gutless wonder

And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next

Gravity keeps my head down
Or is it maybe shame
At being so young and being so vain

Holes in your head today
But Im a pacifist
Ive walked la ramblas
But not with real intent

And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next

And on the street tonight an old man plays
With newspaper cuttings of his glory days

And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next

Greek protests over police killing continue for sixth day

In Athens thousands of high school students protested by blocking roads and surrounding 15 police stations in the capital. In some cases the teenagers clashed with officers inside, throwing stones while in others they handed out flowers.

Despite the cold and rain thousands of anarchists turned out last night in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki to express their anger over the killing of 15 year old, Alexandros Grigoropoulos on Saturday. Although there were tense scenes with the riot police following the marchers the demonstration passed off peacefully.

University students across the country have occupied campuses and are planning more marches to protest the death of Grigoropoulos who was shot by a police offcier in the Exarchia district of Athens on Saturday, sparking off the worst violence Greece has seen in over thirty years.

Early reports printed in the Washingtom Post and now being repeated in the Greek language media indicate that the ballistics report on the bullet that struck the teenager confirm the police officer's account of the incident. The 37 year old, father of three claimed in his statement that he had shot into the air in order to scare off a group of thirty youths who had attacked him and his partner with bottles and rocks.

However, the results of the official report have been met with widespread disbelief as three separate eye witness accounts from local residents say that the policemen had not been under attack at the time of the incident and that the officer had fired directly into the group.

Such contradictions are likely to fuel protest planned for the coming weekend and still further add to a popular sense that the police are not accountable to the Greek justice system.

Despite lull in violence, Greek protests continue

The unprededented wave of protests and discontent that has hit Greece since Saturday shows no sign of abating. Although the country enjoyed relative calm last night after days of rioting, high school and university students are planning to block roads in Athens today. In addition at least 100 high schools are under occupation, as well as the universities in many cities in protest against the shooting of 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a police officer in central Athens.

Yesterday students some as young as twelve clashed with riot police in the northern port city of Thessaloniki. The central police station in Aristotelous square came under repeated attack from stone throwing teenagers who also set fire to rubbish bins and smashed shop windows.

The Greek government has announced a series of measures to help the hundreds of businesses damaged during the riots. Estimates over the cost of disturbances rangge from a three hundred to one billion euros. However, the opposition PASOK party has expressed skepticism over the government's plans to help pointing out that similar promises were made to those who lost homes in last year's devastating forest fires yet not kept.

The two policemen accused of killing the teenager claim that the fatal shot was a ricochet and that the officer who fired had shot into the air in order to scare off a gang of thirty youths who previously attacked them with rocks and bottles.

The defendents also said in their testimony that the dead student had been expelled from several schools and involved in incidents of football hooliganism.

However, several eye witnesses interviewed on Greek TV argue that there were no more than ten youths at the time of the incident and just one bottle was thrown at the defendent's patrol car. They also claim that the officer aimed his pistol directly at the group and fired and after Grigoropoulos fell to the ground walked away.

Friends and family of the teenager also denied categorically the accusations concerning the child's supposedly troubled academic career and alleged involvement in football violence.

The Greek police federation condemned the the actions of the two officers, calling the death a "horrific criminal act".

On the other hand defence lawyer Alexis Kougias, who took on the case other two other lawyers withdrew, claimed that there had been a "misunderstanding" and that foresenic evidence bore out his client's claim that the death was the result of bullet ricocheting. The results of the ballistics analysis of the bullets fired have, however, not been released yet.

NowPublic

Tags: Greece | World | Thessaloniki | Police Killing | greek riots | alexandros grigoropoulos | days of rage