Following the Plevris trial, which sparked a good deal of controversy on this blog, it should be pointed out that those on the frontline who brought the case against Plevris are under attack. I have not included the entire press release but will provide the link to it at the end of this post.

From the Greek Helsinki Monitor (26 December 2007)

Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) hereby reports the extensive attacks against, and prosecution of GHM and Jewish activists who filed criminal actions against Greece’s neo-Nazis for their Hitler-admiring, Holocaust-denying, and anti-Semitic writings. GHM notes that these incidents went unreported, much less condemned, by the Greek media, human rights NGOs, political parties or any other institution

I am extremely saddened by this but not at all surprised. We have seen this over and over again here where racism or anti-antisemitism occurs. Occasionally, like the recent racist attacks against the Pakistani community, the issue gets its “15 minutes of fame” and are promptly never heard of again.

On 4 December 2007, GHM’s Spokesperson Panayote Dimitras testified at that trial. During Mr. Dimitras’ testimony Kostas Plevris and his lawyer verbally attacked the witness, drawing warnings from the presiding judge, who also interrupted the hearing for ten minutes for the defense lawyer to come to order. Immediately upon concluding his testimony, Mr. Dimitras was attacked by Theodoros Varikos, a journalist for the state television channel NET. Varikos called Dimitras a “two-faced bastard” (πουλημένο τομάρι), “scum” (κάθαρμα,) and “karaghiozi” (shadow theater character used insultingly to mean ridiculous) and attempted to strike him with his hand, but was restrained by others. The court police stood by during the entire incident.

Further, although this incident took place right in front of the bench while the court was still in session, the presiding judge did not order the arrest of the assailant for disruption of court proceedings and attempted unprovoked insult by deeds. He merely suggested that the GHM Spokesperson go to the police station and file a complaint against the journalist for defamation. While in the process of doing so, Panayote Dimitras was told by police that he will be arrested along with Theodoros Varikos, as the latter would file a counter-complaint. In view of this moral blackmail by the authorities, GHM’s Spokesperson decided not to file a complaint.

I am shocked by the behavior of the judge and the police in the incident. That such a thing could happen in a court of law in a European country (let’s not forget) is beyond me. However, I am not at all surprised by the subsequent abuse that followed the video of the attack when it was posted online. This kind of frightening but childish rhetoric takes place all over the internet. Of course, NOTHING is being done about the fact that the recording in the court was illegal and that the video is still online.

That same evening, a video was uploaded on YouTube by a member of the extreme right wing party LAOS – represented in both the Greek and European Parliaments, showing the attack against Panayote Dimitras from a distance with the title “dramatic closure to the trial today.” GHM notes that videotaping during a trial without permission is another ex officio prosecutable offense. Below the video, insults as well as death threats were posted:

“no need to insult him; Mr. Dimitras needs something else, something that will rid us of his presence once and for all”

“well you had Dimitras in front of you and did not lynch him?”

There were also anti-Semitic posts:

“death to the Jewish bastards; no Jew should remain in our country and the whole world; let us turn them into soap NOW”

“give me their names and I will break their backs so they won’t enter the courtroom again”

“fucking Jews your time will come.”

Then, after the 13 December verdict, more threatening posts appeared against Panayote Dimitras in the Internet forum of the LAOS youth organization NEOS (I have removed the link here)

“I should remind Dimitras that his power won’t be eternal and I should remind him of the end of once powerful Queen of France Marie-Antoinette”

“Dimitras and Marie-Antoinette have the same unavoidable end”

“I agree. All traitors in the end get what they deserve.”

This was not an isolated series of incidents. From December 2006, when the defendants were first summoned to testify in the preliminary investigation, all the way up to and following the trial, neo-Nazis in extreme right newspapers as well as one television channel, “Extra 3”, engaged in a series of insulting, defamatory, threatening and often racist statements against GHM activists, Panayote Dimitras and Andrea Gilbert, and the four KIS Board Members, Moses Konstantinis, Benjamin Albala, Abraham Reitan, and Leon Gavriilidis, who had testified against them.

Moreover, Kostas Plevris launched a series of legal actions against them, claiming that he was defamed by their complaints. To date he has filed one lawsuit seeking compensation of €200,000 from each of these six individuals. He has also filed two additional lawsuits: one against Panayote Dimitras and Greek Helsinki Monitor, again seeking a compensation of €200,000 euros from each, for a previous GHM statement on Plevris’s implicated book; and another against the four journalists of the Ios team, the daily “Eleftherotypia,” and its publisher and editor, also seeking €200,000 from each of the six persons and the newspaper. These lawsuits invariably repeat Plevris’ anti-Semitic statements. Moreover, against GHM’s Andrea Gilbert, a well-known Jewish and LGBT activist, Plevris has filed for interim measures seeking to freeze her assets in anticipation of his lawsuit. Despite the fact that all these lawsuits are abusive and also contain racist anti-Semitic and homophobic statements, the Greek courts have registered them and set trial dates for them in 2007 and 2008.

In addition, Kostas Plevris has filed a criminal complaint for defamation and perjury against the two GHM and the four KIS activists who filed complaints against him. He has also filed a complaint against GHM and NGOs in general claiming that they are redundant, illegal and implying they are foreign agents. Here too, his complaints include racist and defamatory comments. Nevertheless, the Chief Prosecutor of the First Instance Court of Athens and, in one case, the Chief Prosecutor of the Appeals Misdemeanors Court of Athens have decided that these criminal complaints are not completely unfounded, and, rather than archiving them, they instead have launched preliminary criminal investigations.

And the icing on the cake ? Plevris has published another book…

Finally, Kostas Plevris has collected all these legal documents and published them in a second book entitled “The Struggle for Truth.” The latter is not only blatantly anti-Semitic and racist but also defamatory against the GHM and KIS activists and the “Eleftherotypia” journalists. In addition, this book contains the legal documents reproduced in full, meaning that the addresses of those Plevris has sued are also published.

Now, I have had (as many of you know) my fair share of abuse and threats from the type of people who post their racist, homophobic or antisemitic “thoughts” around internet forums and on blogs. This is in a different league altogether. Publishing the addresses of people who have received such abuse and death threats is unforgivable.

GHM concludes by recalling that none of these actions against the activists of GHM and KIS has ever been reported in the Greek press (except in the extreme right papers), nor has anyone condemned them in any way. This, combined with the anti-Semitic climate that prevailed in the trial and the acquittal of several defendants, makes it obvious that, in Greece, racism and, in particular, anti-Semitism is considered among the mainstream opinions that need to enjoy freedom of expression even when they incite violence or hatred. On the other hand, those activists who fight against these views and endeavor to have Greece implement its related international commitments and consequent domestic legislation are considered unwelcome, whereas their resulting persecution and prosecution appears to be welcome.

I would like to state publicly that I condemn these attacks on the Greek Helsinki Monitor and KIS activists. The fact that Plevris has been allowed to publish this latest book is a clear indication to most of us that the media and Greece in the main, does not care about racism and antisemitism. It cares about pandering and catering to the extremists. Talking about freedom of expression that includes hate speech or incitement to violence is just plain wrong. This affects ALL of us who care about human rights and for those who are fighting to protect them.

What steps are going to be taken against Plevris’s new book ?

What steps are going to be taken to ensure the safety of those people whose addresses have been published ?

What steps are going to be taken against the person who illegally filmed the court proceedings and posted it on the internet ?

I think we all know the answer to these questions.

Panayote, is there anything we can do (petitions etc) to show our condemnation of the above actions against you and the KIS activists ?

In the meantime, please spread the word…

The full press release from GHM is here (word document)

Technorati: neo-nazi, greece, racism, antisemitism, law, plevris