ABTTF President: “We condemn in the strongest terms the racist and vile attack on a defenceless little boy in Komotini. The competent authorities of our country should urgently take the necessary measures to prevent such racist and hate attacks, which harm the peace and tranquillity in our region and the culture of living together and should never allow the far-right ideology to take root in our region’’.
In the city of Komotini in Greece, a video showing a small child belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace being threatened by a racist group triggered a reaction throughout the country.
In the video, which was also reflected in the press, it is seen that a racist group forced a 10-year-old boy, whom they cornered, to say ‘‘Long live in reference to Ilias Kasidiaris, the former spokesman of Golden Dawn, which has been declared as a criminal organisation by a court.
The attackers then shout at the boy, who appears to be quite frightened, and tell him to get away from there quickly.
It is noted that the video in question was posted on Instagram two months ago by an account known as ‘‘Nationalists of Komotini’’, but it is not yet known exactly when it was taken.
In 2020, the court ruled that the racist Golden Dawn was a criminal organisation and found the leader of the party, Nikolaos Michaloliakos, and six members of the party, Ilias Kasidiaris, Yiannis Lagos, Giorgos Germenis, Ilias Panagiotaros, Panagiotis Iliopoulos and Nikos Pappas, guilty of leading a criminal organisation and eighteen other defendants guilty of being members of a criminal organisation.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the racist and vile attack on a defenceless little boy in Komotini. This attack clearly shows that despite the banning of Golden Dawn, the racism and racist threats targeting our community in Western Thrace still continues and the activities of far-right groups have not ended. The competent authorities of our country should urgently take the necessary measures to prevent such racist and hate attacks, which harm the peace and tranquillity in our region and the culture of living together, from happening again and should never allow the far-right ideology to take root in our region’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
*Image: www.gundemgazetesi.com
