Thread by @UR_Ninja

NEW: From Dec. 5-9, fiery protests took hold in several cities in Greece as communities across the country responded to police shooting another Roma youth on the eve of the anniversary of the Dec. 6, 2008 police killing of Alexis Grigoropoulos. [Videos] unicornriot.ninja/2022/tensions-…

Sixteen-year-old Kostas Fragoulis was shot in the back of the head by Greek police in Thessaloniki, Greece on Dec. 5. Fragoulis was pronounced dead eight days later on Dec. 13. ↕️

Full story: unicornriot.ninja/2022/tensions-…

Unlike the United States where nearly 1,000 people are #KilledByPolice each year, police killings in Greece are a rare occurrence. The most notable was on Dec. 6, 2008 when police killed Alexis Grigoropoulos, 15, in Athens leading to a massive uprising that lasted for weeks. ↕️

The 2008 police killing of 15 y/o Alexis Grigoropoulos led to a massive uprising that lasted for weeks with large-scale destruction. Thousands of Greeks commemorate the killing every year by taking to the streets on Dec. 6 as they did this year [video]. vimeo.com/783446512

There hadn’t been any police killings in Greece since the 2008 killing of Alexis G. until last year when police killed 18 y/o Nikos Sampanis.

And now this year, Kostas Fragoulis was killed. Both Sampanis & Fragoulis were Roma teenagers. More on Sampanis: unicornriot.ninja/2022/greek-pol…

In both cases, the police fired direct shots during unnecessary car chases of citizens who had not committed serious crimes. Nikos Sampanis & his friends were allegedly in a stolen car & Kostas Fragoulis is said to have driven off without paying for twenty euros worth of gas. ↕️

Instead of ignoring the commands of the headquarters like in the case of the police killing of Nikos Sampanis, the police informed the headquarters a half hour later, that there had been a shooting in the case of Kostas Fragoulis. ↕️

Shortly after 1am on Dec. 5, in the Diavata area of Thessaloniki, Greece, Kostas Fragoulis, 16, of Roma origin, was shot in the back of the head by a DIAS unit motorbike police officer while driving his pickup truck. Fragoulis is said to have initially survived the shooting. ↕️

Before being killed by the police, Kostas Fragoulis allegedly left a gas station without paying for €20 of gas. Footage showed the police who were involved in the shooting were drinking beers before being informed by the store’s owner of the gas theft.↕️

The police chased Fragoulis until nearly 500 meters before the boundaries of the Roma settlement where Kostas lived, they shot him in the head. It's not known whether Fragoulis’ vehicle hit a wall before or after the shooting. He was taken to hospital in serious condition. ↕️

The initial police reports about the December 5 incident were vague, mentioning that Kostas Fragoulis was severely injured because of a car crash resulting from the police pursuit. ↕️

Full story: unicornriot.ninja/2022/tensions-…

After the shooting, friends & relatives of Kostas Fragoulis gathered outside the hospital in support. Clashes ensued when a police unit appeared outside. After tossing tear gas at the crowd, police units were forced to withdraw. ↕️

Video via @TheBrakeNet:

The evening Kostas Fragoulis was #KilledByPolice, clashes ranging from small to large broke out in Roma camps around Thessaloniki & northern Greece. Violent clashes also broke out in the center of Thessaloniki where people protested the police violence. ↕️

https://twitter.com/TheBrakeNet/status/1600050720295817216

The next morning [Dec. 6], the officer who shot Kostas Fragoulis made a statement to the prosecutor & outside the courthouse small-scale clashes between protesters & police occurred where the police beat and almost arrested Kostas' father. ↕️

https://twitter.com/TheBrakeNet/status/1600237445366579200

The shooting of Kostas Fragoulis on Dec 5 added fuel to the fire for the annual Dec 6 anniversary march for Alexis Grigoropoulos: unicornriot.ninja/2022/tensions-…

10,000-plus civilians took part in a massive march through the center of Thessaloniki, one of the largest in recent years. ↕️

The most significant & unprecedented thing that came from the police killing of #KostasFragoulis was the partly coordinated revolt in numerous Roma settlements & neighborhoods throughout Greece – more than 10 different regions. Social media played a role in the coordination. ↕️

Because Roma communities across Greece use TikTok on a large scale to communicate, the message of the police killing Kostas Fragoulis spread far & wide, turning into a campaign for justice. Roma people's came out & lit fires and barricades, and clashed with the police. ↕️

Through slogans such as “It wasn’t about the gas money, they killed him because he was a Roma,” for several straight days the friends & family of Kostas Fragoulis and broader Roma community denounced the systematic racism that Roma people experience throughout Greece. ↕️

Three days after killing Kostas Fragoulis police violently crushed the Roma uprising with suppressive actions on whole regions. The large-scale military-style police operations from Dec 8-14 were coordinated thruout Greece, militarizing the management of dissident communities. ↕️

Greek special police forces invaded Roma settlements, camps & neighborhoods. The narrative told to the Greek public by the police & media blamed Kostas Fragoulis for his killing saying officers feared for their lives & blamed “criminal” Roma elements for the invasive raids. ↕️

The subsequent raids victimized whole Roma communities & were widely reported as being successful in finding drugs & guns. Yet, the realities of the raids were different with only a few shotguns being found & just a small amount of marijuana, both illegal in Greece. ↕️

While there are no official numbers detailing the total number of people detained from the raids, dozens are expected to have been arrested throughout the country and none are officially facing charges from the justice for Kostas Fragoulis protests. ↕️

Despite the raids not netting the big criminals they were looking for the police violence served as their reaction to the protests. Videos circulated the internet showing severe beatings within communities by police along with heavy use of tear gas. ↕️ instagram.com/reel/Cl2AqJZAy…

After the police shooting of Kostas Fragoulis, the doctor’s union at the hospital that Fragoulis was a patient at, directly accused the management of withholding information about the health condition of Fragoulis to his family. ↕️

News circulated across communities in Greece that the state was covering up Kostas Fragoulis’ death, seemingly with the help of hospital management who claimed Fragoulis was alive, leading to speculation the 16 y/o was clinically dead moments after he was shot. ↕️

On Dec. 13, a week after he was shot by police, Kostas Fragoulis was announced dead.

On the same day, the Commander-in-Chief of the Greek police put the entire force on alert throughout Greece. In Athens and Thessaloniki the streets were filled with police units of all kinds. ↕️

The name of the officer who killed Kostas Fragoulis has not been released but as of Dec 13 he’s been charged with manslaughter with possible malice aforethought. He faces a prison sentence of 10-25 years if he’s convicted. He's not in custody & his trial date has yet to be set.↕️

The family, friends & supporters of Kostas Fragoulis demonstrated outside the Thessaloniki courthouse on Dec. 9 & burned €20 bills signifying the €20 worth of petrol that Fragoulis was killed by police over: unicornriot.ninja/2022/tensions-…

"..they killed him because he was a Roma."↕️

On Dec. 15, a large number of relatives & friends gathered to say the last goodbye to Kostas Fragoulis during his funeral. A large car parade started from the settlement Agia Sofia, where Kostas lived, passed by the location where he was killed & ended at the cemetery. ↕️

Tensions Explode in Greece After Police Kill Roma Teen One Day Before 14th Anniversary of Past Police Killing

#Thread 🧵 above ⬆️ #KostasFragoulis #Greece #KilledByPolice #AlexisGrigoropoulos #Dec5 #Dec6

Full story, contributed by Yegor Halva, in link: unicornriot.ninja/2022/tensions-…

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