Alex
Published by deviousdiva June 4th, 2006 in Racism.I started this blog almost exactly a year ago. My very first post was about the racist attacks that occured in October 1999.
Pantelis Kazakos took to the streets around Omonia in Athens and shot 9 people he saw as foreigners. He killed 5 of them and injured four others.
I went on to write about my worries that there was no debate about the issue of racism and xenophobia in Greece and that the country was in denial of the problems.
Now the unthinkable has happened. A child is dead.
Eleven year old Alex Meschisvili had been missing since February. He came to Greece from Georgia a few years ago. It seems that he was being bullied at school because of his nationality. His mother had informed the school but nothing was done and now he is dead. If that is not tragic enough, it appears that he was murdered by children.
The whole story is not clear yet. There are many rumors, reports and retractions so we do not know the truth yet. Apparently, the children involved in the murder are aged between 11 and 13 years old. They are alleged to be two Greek brothers, two Romanian boys and an Albanian boy. There is talk that some adults were involved in covering up the murder but this has not been confirmed. The lawyers of the five children involved have said publicly that their confessions were forced by police and that they have retracted their statements.
Whatever the truth of what happened, it remains a tragedy. The implication that this had something to do with his nationality is worrying, at best. Bullying in school is not uncommon, even here in Greece. It is often played down, with teachers unable or unwilling to tackle the issue. There are no strategies in place to deal with it. There are some exceptional teachers here, who are dealing with racism and bullying in their classrooms, but this is not the rule.
This is not a simple case of a boy being bullied to death because he was from another country. There were other “foreigners” involved. There are layers of racism at play here. Albanian children are constantly targeted for abuse and insults. So are many children who are perceived as different. From different backgrounds. Different nationalities. Different races. Albanian children are often given Greek names and do not even speak their language at home let alone in the street. They are often made to feel ashamed of their roots. It is common for children to call each other Albanian as an insult. I am sure the same applies to children from other countries too. The insults may vary but the result is the same. Children are learning to discriminate. They are becoming racist because they are surrounded by it. They hear it from their parents, from their teachers, from the television. They are internalising it and now we have a murdered child.
There has been an enormous surge in anti-immigrant feelings in recent years and this has fueled a growing problem in schools. Unless people are willing to face the fact that Greece has a problem of racism and xenophobia, the situation can only get worse. Burying our heads in the sand and hoping it goes away is not an option. It is really time now for people to look at what is happening here and decide to tackle the problem. I believe this is the first incident of this kind in Greece but I think we are waking up to the fact that unless something radical is done, it will not be the last. It is painful for people to admit that they are racist. To admit there is something very wrong in their country. I know that this is more painful when it is pointed out by someone who is considered to be a foreigner. Now there are Greek journalists and media personalities talking about racism and xenophobia in this and other cases. My only hope is that this terrible tragedy will shock people out of their complacency and denial.
It is too late for Alex but it is not too late to make a step in the right direction. It is not too late to begin educating children and ourselves properly. Humanity is not a dirty word.
Greece is considered to be a tolerant and non-racist country but as I said back in that first post,
This is a dangerous fantasy
The death of a child is the most painful thing I can imagine. The death of a child by the hands of other children is just unthinkable. My thoughts are with Alexs’parents. I do not know how anyone can live with such a tragedy and I cannot help thinking that we are all responsible, in some way, for what has happened.
Other people blogging this story:
Technorati Tags: greece, alex meschisvili, racism, xenophobia
Thank you for being eloquent about something unspeakable. It’s so easy to be complacent and take the attitude that bullying is "normal". Mix in racism and nationalism with the bullying, and it leads directly to tragedy. I’m so sorry for Alex and his parents.
My whole problem here is that people don’t recognize the fact that when adults set examples - make statements about some people not mattering enough, devaluing statements about other human beings - then children pick up on it and figure it is ok to attack someone different.This particular attack may not be racially motivated, but it obvious that Alex may not have "fit in" with the cliques at his school and was picked on because of it. I am tired of bullying in schools, and nothing being done about it. I am tired of parents who are proud of their kids being bullies, I am tired of teachers and school administrators looking the other way. This has been a growing problem that is totally out of control in America and it seems to be spreading across Europe and god knows where else. Something has to be done. I have felt since it happened that the Columbine shooting in America was the result of those two boys being tired of being bullied, and I don’t want it to happen again. Parents, teachers, friends, all adults need to figure out a way to stop this type of behavior. It should not be allowed to go to the extent that it does.When I was a kid growing up in America we had bullies but they weren’t violent bullies. They’d make fun of kids or whatever but it wasn’t the same problem it is now. Something has happened in the world to make kids turn this violent against each other, and against adults in some cases. I don’t think it is video games or violent movies, either. I think it is learned behavior. Either the parents are too nonchalant in their parenting skills or they are exhibiting behaviors that are reflected in their children.
Sad indeed. On a side note, I saw an Albanian family at the beach a few days ago, and the kids (7-10 year olds) were both wearing Albanian Flag shirts and I thought that was nice that they were proud of their country.
Although, I don’t know if I’ll allow my daughter to wear an American flag in public because of the implications.
zardoz says :
oh scruffy ..i wear an american flag on my tshirts
and nobody ,,has picked on me since 1975,,
and so do half the greeks ,on their underwear
on emblems , on harleys, on ford mavericks,
on jackets ,paper , on books,in stores,,
and so dothe the idiots that break and throw
molotovs ,during social or political
marches, even the general secretary of the
communist party of greece ,, sent her kids ,to the U.S.
to get an education……………………………..god grow up will ya.
put your complex’s aside,
and start thinking……………………
your child should be proud of her roots,,
will it be difficult,,,,,,?
you bet it is buster,,, i came to greece in the
early seventies ,from the states,
just in my twenties,,,,
and had a hard time , fitting in .
NOW ITS YOUR TURN ,, TO WALK THE WALK OF PRODUCING
A GREAT MODEL OF A HUMAN BEING.
Having full knowledge of all implications.
or else youre no better than the ones that might have killed ALEX.
because youre reproducing ,,alienation for a little girl..
——————————————————
PEOPLE , the story is not clear yet.
“”"”"”"”"‘Now there are Greek journalists and media personalities talking about racism and xenophobia in this and other cases”"”"”
i believe the press is handling ,the whole thing as a circus,,
as usual,
and i for one refuse to go the circus,,,,
and eat up all the iresponsible ,things being said….
FOR the love of humanity,,one brothel of t.v station
had karatzaferis ,, commenting,,,i mean the devil
was commenting , that hell is hotter , and its the fault of lost souls.
——————————————————
personaly i was abused , hit ,whacked,burnt ,taken out of a classroom and gang beat,stabbed twice, found that a friend died
because of the color of his skin, all in junior and high school.
by groups of people of the same color and , or , social status.
REACTION, saved somebodys son , a dago of all people and he
made me his son, belonging to a family of italians and blacks
made the end of my teens quite easy.
but the answer was TRIBAL………..(FLUX-SCARF you wanta jump in.)
assesment of the situation in veroia
and europe in general : its tribal and economics.
economics is simple ,,
TRIBAL because were and how do we belong,,
how and what is our identity,,,
gets more puzzling every single day,,
for all ,………
————
I’M sorry about alex,the children of COLUMBINE ,,and many many others but it seems ,,
a future of security , for them,is further away
than we hope it is ,,
and thats anywere on the planet.
=zardoz=
This story is getting more complicated. The gradfather of two of the five kids has been called to testify now.
The forensics unit have been searching the area and apparently have found fabric with blood stains on as well as ashes (please God don’t let this mean what I think it does).
The mother of Alex continues to believe he’s alive as no body has been locaed yet and two of the five children have now revolked their statements (probably meaning they’ve now found themselves a lawyer).
This story is too shocking for words.
Just a note - I’m inclined to doubt this was a racist crime. I’m not sure if it even matters. The story is horrible enough.
But the story might actually be worse. There are whispers that quite a few people in Veria knew what happened and said nothing. The kid was killed in February, and only now is it getting attention. Lord of the Flies meets Dogville.
This story, combined with the dramatic helicopter escape from prison by a couple of lowlifes, does not say great things about the diligence and competence of the Greek police and security forces. If the cops can’t even bother to solve a crime where the perps were 10-year-olds, and if they’re not bright enough to shoot at a helicopter landing in Greece’s largest maximum security prison, what does this say about their cooperation with the US and Britain in the so-called War on Terror?
Z, I hear you man.
Being the father of a ten year old myself, I understand, albeit, thank god, only as a projection, what fears we carry for our children and their well being. If in fact it is true that there was collusion from the grown ups in Veria, then we are dealing with a far wider issue. None of us can honestly say what we would do if our kids came home and confessed to murder, or rape or any other horrors. But that the media should turn it into a freak show, well once more that leaves us all speechless. I have heard suggestions of racism in this miserable affair, but I agree with scarf, racist or not, the fact remains, a child was murdered and no one did anything about it.
DD makes a brief mention of the reticence of Greeks to discuss these problems. I have to agree. There is indeed wide spread denial of anything that could hint at society needing to sort itself out. The first reaction is often "No we don't have that here" I was even told once, in all seriousness "We don't have any gay people in Greece" by an art director in an ad agency of all people!!!!
What must take place is to stop seeing social problems as either the property or the fault of others, and start tackling them head on. A good start would be accepting that "We do have that here as well".
I am not quite sure I see the connection with nationalism or even racism. The supposed perpetrators were Greek, Albanian and Romanian.
Scarf+, why do you think the police force has become so incompetant?
DD does mention that Greeks are reticent to discuss certain issues. You could also say the same thing about her.
I’m not sure this crime might be charged with racist motives. It sounds more like a case of extreme and vile bullyism; the fact that children are the culprits takes on an even greater tragical dimension. The bullies (underclassed, neglected, abused(?), ignorant children) venting their anger of their sad lives off on another, an innocent (a gifted boy that was like a thorn in their sides; the bullies would never attain that sort of "status", the status of a good person). These "children" were condemned by their families (and with the help of society) to become criminals. If they didn’t do it, then what vile minds of 11,12,13 year olds make up a story like this? If they did do it, what twisted adult minds led them to it?
As I said we do not know the whole story yet. There is much speculation. It seems today that the racism angle is being played down. No-one has the answers yet. Whatever the cause of this tragedy, I believe an investigation into bullying and violence in schools must be made and a strategy for dealing with this enormous problem must be put in place. In every school. And that includes facing the fact that racism and xenophobia is rife in this country and something needs to be done. Children are having to deal with this problem everyday, with little or no support from their teachers and parents. It’s heartbreaking to hear the stories my own child tells me and he’s one of the lucky ones. He has a teacher who is confronting this problem in her class. [Hermes, can you please keep your personal opinions about me to yourself. You are doing yourself no favours]
To clarify: It’s taken the state a very long time to teach the Greek police not to use force at the slightest opportunity. They should be applauded, for example, for not gunning down that Irish clown who disrupted the Olympic marathon. But there is a serious IQ deficit and an almost superhuman laziness. This is not unique among police forces around the world. These are our cops, however, and they should be called on their incompetence.
Hermes, I’m rapidly losing interest in whatever you have to say.
Scarf +, I asked you a question, I did not say anything to you.
Apologies DD, you appeared contradict yourself. Maybe I misinterpreted you.
I think they need Gil Grissom from CSI to come down here and figure out what really happened. But, unfortunately, this will not be wrapped up in a 45 minute show plus commericials.
I wonder why the Greek national forensic experts have not gone up there to help out. On Alter channel, that was one of the complaints by a very vocal journalist last night that the local prefecture was being left to their own resources.
The forensics units have been (and still are) on the scene Scruffy.
This is where the developments are coming from…
Scruffy - You know there was this story circulating when Scotland Yard came down to Athens to assist the Greek police with their inquiries after the Saunders murder. (I can’t be sure if the details are 100% correct.)
It seems somebody had discovered an abandoned papaki (moped), possibly the one used by November 17. So the officer in charge left a young cop at the scene to guard the bike until Scotland Yard got there. Well, they got hung up in traffic or something, and the cop guarding the bike got bored. And the papaki was pretty dirty. So he cleaned it. Did a thorough job, too, got the gravel in the treads and everything.
When Scotland Yard got there, you can imagine the scene. The Brits were apoplectic, the Greek officer in charge reduced the young cop to tears, and Savvas and Koufodinas and the other sneaky little N17 shits had a good laugh watching the story on TV.
And so the new, foreign technology of fingerprinting came to Hellas. That was in the year 2000
Probably the people now investigating up in Veria have proper training. What counts, though, is whether their superiors have shoved a bell up their ass. The CSI people, from what little I’ve seen, are dogged and earnest and take every little case as a personal challenge. It’d be nice to think of our cops as something similar, but the truth is probably somewhat more banal.
This is indeed a sad tale! What makes me so mad is that we have to put up with the trivial rubbish spouted by the lunatic fringes; if they put their energy to good use instead of promoting their vile hypocritical, bigoted, racist messages the world would be a much nicer place !
Ellas Devil: Yeah I realize the CSI people have been there, but I was referring to the national level CSI (the boys from Alexandras Ave) and not the local police. I guess initially Athens or Thess did not send help at least according to this journalist I saw spouting last night.
Scarf + (is this the same as scarfalonious?), of course the CSI we watch on Telly is just that (TV) but from what I’ve read and seen from the collection of behind the scenes material, they actually have a real CSI advisor on the set to ensure that the over the top Stuff is kept in line. For example, ever notice how quick they get the DNA results back on CSI but in reality it takes a bit longer (I think 2 weeks or so).
Please don’t quote me, but I think some of the DNA results will be available this evening. I just cannot bear to watch any more. His poor mother. She has been going through this nightmare for 4 months already. She believes her precious child is still alive. I cannot imagine the pain she must be going through today (and all the days since Alex disappeared). Whatever the findings are in this case, her nightmare is not going to end. Every time I tune in and see her face, I feel somehow that I am intruding. Joining the spectacle of this very real tragedy. She has talked to all the channels, not because she wants her pain on display, but because maybe she feels that the exposure may offer a chance of finding her boy.
There are no more words…
I know DD, I feel so much for this woman - and any parent who loses a child, especially in a horrible, brutal way. I just hope they can make some discoveries so there can be some closure with the case. I wish there was some chance that Alex was still alive, but unfortunately we all know after this length of time it is a remote, remote possibility.
DD, in your post you clearly link that horrible crime to racism and xenophopia. And I just can´t understand why. But yes, racism and xenophobia is a serious problem, as you say, in Greece and almost everywhere.
In the original reporting on this story a few days ago, a clear link was made with racism and xenophobia. In all the mainstream media. It appears that that is either not the case or it is being downplayed. I tend to lean towards the latter. Whatever the truth is, I did not feel it was appropriate to change my initial thoughts here. I will do an update post when we know more. Teacher Dude has a post up today that also makes the link with racism.
Well, while this case isn’t being linked with racism, bullying stems from a desire to pick on kids who are "different" - whether they are too smart, wear glasses, participate in band, are considered a geek, etc., etc. To me, the psychology is similar to that of racism - a response to someone who is perceived to be different.
Whether the issue is racism or another form of bullying, it comes down to the fact that hate breeds violence. Maybe the hate is racial, maybe it’s brought about by other things (people speculate that Alex was having some trouble socially in school) maybe the other things are brought on by racism. Ultimately, it’s just horrible that these kids thought it was acceptable to be so hatefully violent for ANY reason.
I am not sure what is going on with my spam thingy! It caught three comments yesterday that weren’t ! I have some moderation activated here but I think the spam collector is being a bit over-excited. Apologies to those whose comments didn’t appear until today.
Geez DD, I thought you just didn’t like me!
Scruffy… It is a real pity you are bringing up your children to feel ashamed of who and what they are. I am an American living in Greece since 1973 and will probably live here until my dying days. I have many Greek friends and have never been hurt by anyone for being American. I wear my flag with pride. I am not saying they do not feel animosity towards the Americans because they do. It is bred into them from one generation to another. I do not think they could live without their beloved hate for Americans. It is however contradictory to their reaction at anything that is American. It always amuses me to see their facial reaction when I tell them I am American. Their eyes light up and you can see their real feelings. Of course this does not apply to American politics. Mind you, the Americans and Brits living in Greece, as in most other countries are against the American politics at this time. But that is another subject altogether. As for Alex. I do not believe it is a racial thing. Alex was an exceptionally talented and loving child. They taunted him to join their gang and he refused. He was bullied as is almost every child in their school years. I remember being chased and cornered in the gym showers by 3 Latino schoolmates who threatened to beat the living daylights out of me. I honestly can’t say how I got out of that one, but I do remember at a later date, punching one of them in mouth for pushing me. I ended up dating a Puerto Rican guy who was in collage and a new gang member, meaning he was not a bad guy… yet (don’t know what happened later). One of the youngest gang members, who are accused of murdering Alex, was from Albania or some other place. He was also taunted, as was Alex, into becoming one of the gang, which he finally did, to avoid getting beaten. There is a growing dislike of Greeks towards the Albanians but with good reason. They come to Greece, are offered free medical care, jobs and much more, and they move about the country with a superior attitude, stealing the people blind and commenting on how the Albanian flag will fly over the Acropolis one day. They are buying Greek businesses and homes at an alarming rate, which is not surprising as many of them are illegally working and keep all their earnings for themselves, tax free. But again, you will see many Greeks and Albanians co-existing together, as friends, couples, and in businesses. Greece is a peaceful nation in general. They make a lot of fuss complaining about the Americans, the Germans in WWII, the Turks for having taken over Greece, but at the same time, they will not hesitate from sitting at a table with one of them, and drink a glass of wine. So Scruffy… let you children honour their country and walk with heads held up high. You have nothing to fear of in Greece. Now if it was in Iraq…. weeeeeel… that’s a differnet story alltogether.
Proud American -I sincerely doubt Scruffy is bringing up his children to be ashamed of who and what they are. If you’ve read any of his other posts, in all likelihood those kids will end up voting for George Bush VIII.It may be comforting to imagine that anti-Americanism is ‘bred’ into Greeks from one generation to the next. I mean, it’s obviously not possible that Greeks could be reasonably suspicious of a distant country that has intervened militarily in their affairs regularly since World War II. Also not likely that Greeks might have a different perspective on the US’s self-evident benevolence and goodwill. The massacres and napalming of the Greek populace during the Greek civil war was plainly done with the best of intentions. This is America, after all, not some barbaric Old Europe colonial regime. And of course the torturing and terrorizing under the US-sponsored Junta was just another hiccup in the proud march toward democracy.The anti-Americanism which you dismiss as brainwashing actually has a basis in the experience Greeks had under America’s protective wing. Just because your dinner companions don’t blame you personally for your government’s actions doesn’t mean they don’t remember what happened. It’s just common politeness.I suggest you read a bit more about Greece’s history with America. Try Googling anything I just said.As for your comments about Albanians, obviously you’ve swallowed the tabloid prejudices whole and adopted them as fact. You probably consider yourself an enlightened, educated member of an advanced society just slumming it a bit here in poor, backward little Greece, but your writing reveals you to be patronizing, racist and ignorant.
Scarfalonious got it right regarding me. The reason I might keep my children low key and not have them wear an American flag on their shirts is just for security issues. I will raise my children to be proud of America but of course respecting the Greek land they live in.
There are much more productive ways of being patriotic towards America. Voting (as Scarf says) is one of them, and politely debating the natives during a taverna dinner is another one. However, exposing oneself to possible harassment by that rare extremist is not worth the payoff of wearing the American flag on your shirt. I don’t need to advertise my "American Patriotism" it reeks off of me with my swagger…
As a sidebar about t-shirts, during the late 1980s, I used to wear a "KhaDAFFY Duck" shirt (a picture of Moammar Khadafy with a duck face). It was hilarious. I got a lot of flak from Greeks about that, especially after we bombed Libya. But, ironically, now Mr. Khadaffy is one of our mid-east allies….
Thank you Scarf+ for replying to the racist comment from Proud American. I have been very slack in responding to people recently (I have excuses but I won’t bore you with them)Proud American, your little racist rant about Albanians is totally ignorant. As Scarf+ said you have bought the media propaganda without question or thought. The vast majority of Albanians are hard-working, honest and legal. They pay taxes and national insurance the same as you or I. I wonder if you have actually met any Albanians in your narrow-minded life? Or have you gleaned all your "knowledge" from TV? Please read the guidelines to this blog at the top right hand corner of the page.