In consultation and direct cooperation with the relatives, the artists painted the spot where Kostas died with his name, the date of death and the slogan “It wasn’t the gasoline, it wasn’t the money, the cops shot me because I was Roma”. At the highway exit leading to the settlement, they spray-painted a larger-than-life portrait of him. Both pictures were taken during the day and without permission. At the hotel where they wrote the name, there were verbal arguments with the Greek operators. They wanted to prevent their business from suffering from the media attention. The atmosphere there was very tense simply because it was suspected that the police had deliberately destroyed the CCTV footage on site. The day after the murder, activists from the Copwatch initiative drove to businesses in the entire area and persuaded them to make the footage from their cameras available in order to provide Kosta’s relatives with legal support. Of all things, the camera that was pointed at the place of death was missing. The murals were intended to commemorate Kostas, make the police violence visible and raise public awareness. The images of the Roma during the painting campaign went viral in Greece, with several newspapers reporting on them.
However, they also triggered violent reactions from neo-Nazis on social media channels, who called for the murals to be destroyed – to no avail. As in many other European countries, antiziganism is widespread in Greece – many Roma have no access to housing, clean water or urban infrastructure. More than other population groups, they are excluded from the labor market, have hardly any political lobbying and are exposed to attacks by the police.
Go to the photos at Umbruch Bildarchiv.
Links
- Aufstand wegen Polizeimord (akweb.de)
- In Gedenken an Kostas Fragoulis. Der Zentralrat Deutscher Sinti und Roma verurteilt aufs schärfste die tödliche Polizeigewalt in Griechenland
- https://copwatch.gr/