I’m not going to go into my education. I have been to several countries and lived in several more where the gap is big between rich and poor. You googled a fact and assumed the rest, again! And I don’t even smoke weed, crackhead!

Obviously the ‘badge’ used excessive force and hell; he had a gun he might have well have used it, right? Why, don’t they just shoot all the protesters? Hell, they might as well drop an atomic bomb on everyone? (sarcasm) Darwinism is twisted in your head; it’s survival of the richest.

Secondly, you expect anyone to believe that a large group of boys who are throwing objects at a police car (your own freaking quote admits that!) are NOT thugs? You’ve been smoking too much of that legal marijuana you’ve got there.

Finally, and this is all I’m going to say on this matter because we’re obviously getting no where, if you go around to any country on the planet and start hurling things at a police car – you’re liable to get beat the hell up at a minimum, or shot. That is just plain old stupid, and those kids were demonstrating Darwin’s theory in action.

Have a nice day,

John

“The first signs of unrest came just hours after the killing of Andreas-Alexandros Grigoropoulos. Police say Grigoropoulos was among a gang of youths who attacked them while on patrol, though the exact circumstances of the incident remain unclear. The 37-year-old officer who shot Grigoropoulos says he fired warning shots to disperse a crowd, though witnesses charge that he pointed his gun at the young boy and discharged it once. Prosecutors have charged the officer with manslaughter, and his 31-year-old partner with abetting him. The coroner’s report was inconclusive, though a ballistics test may determine whether the bullet was fired at Grigoropoulos directly or whether it ricocheted off something first. ”
-http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1864982,00.html

“Anger on the Streets
Major riots are triggered by the shooting of Athens teenager, Andreas Grigoropoulos, by a police officer who opened fire after youths threw objects at his car. Two police officers have been arrested in connection with the boy’s death.” http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1864960_1811582,00.html

Picture this, you are one of two police officers. A large gang of punks surrounds you. They can easily beat you to death, and you don’t know what their intentions are since you’ve watched them light other cops on fire. Do you:

• Try and fight them all simultaneously “just to be fair” and get your ass completely handed to you?
• Pull out your weapon and order them to stand down?

My money is on #2. Unless you are a moron.

And my knowledge of Greece is first hand, as I’ve stated. The problem is built around the entire societies lack of regard for the police. There are many reasons… historical abuse at the hands of the police and military, Greek politics, and the general Greek attitude. But the point is that you FIX those things – you don’t strip the people who are protecting you of all power.

No offense taken anyway.

John P.

In my recent memory LA was taken to flames when police beat Rodney King. But yeah, you US’ers have it so well when it comes to your work ethic…. the prisoner military industrial complex really solves the gap between rich and poor in my eyes! (sarcasm)

Maybe if you report an issue you should use more than your failing knowledge of global politics, 4th hand sources and the like. MAYBE use more than one source to start with. Your entire article is completely biased and disregards major facts. Nothing personal.

I’m not some average American who doesn’t know what’s going on in Greece. My family lives there, I’ve been plenty of times, and I’ve witnessed with my own two eyes what is going on.

You guys have NO IDEA how good you’ve got it. The average “worker” in Greece puts in about one HALF the time that the average American worker puts in. The Greek work ethic is absolute crap. This, by the way is merely an honest evaluation. I LOVE Greece and Greeks. But that doesn’t hide the truth.

Greece has a lot of problems that are self inflicted. The idealism has gone way, way too far. I understand the history, but the balance of power has shifted way past simple freedom to the point of “majority tyranny”.

If a nation no longer trusts the police, you do NOT revolt, burn down your own freaking towns, and strip the police of all their power! You fire the guys in charge and put some other people in their place!

The Greek system of justice may be a joke, but it’s because the people have not demanded change and held leaders accountable. They whine in the streets and organize riots.

John P.

“The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.”

There is no courage in rioting and burning down your own homes and businesses. You want to impress me? How about getting arrested while demonstrating peacefully and then making your case for the local and international news. Then the rest of us might think you have a point.

John

Finally, your recipe for the police to get tough and trigger-happy on protesters (oh wait, there are actually thousands of people protesting besides the ravaging rioters you watch on evening news) is the perfect way to end the riots… and start a civil war.

Doesn’t Greece have a good soccer rivalry with another European country? Those “students” just need a place to channel their “youthful energy”. Same goes with the “youths” in suburban Paris. .

If a society is going to castrate their law enforcement, then the results are going to be predictable and dangerous to the law-abiding population.

The violence our country has suffered for the last 4 days is, according to the vast majority of people in Greece, not the product of a weak police and strong opposition (or anarchists or anything you would like to call these people). It is deeply political.

Those in power, whether politicians, policemen, doctors, lawyers etc. are rarely if ever get punished for any major or minor offense. This is not a new situation. However, it has come to be very obvious and profound in the last couple of years.

There is a sense that nothing will ever change, nothing will ever improve, democracy is for the few privileged and only.

I do believe that out of violence nothing good will result.

Please don’t say that a 15 year old paid for its stupidity by dying. It is .. just a terrible thing to say. I urge you to read Greek newspapers just to get the fact straight.

This terrible situation is the result of generalised disappointment. And to my view this kind of disappointment is spreading across the world like a disease.

Enough said.

Thank you for your time

You missed my point entirely. Frankly, I wouldn’t care if 20 kids were killed. Or 200. Or 2,000. Any of that would be wrong! But burning down the country and turning other innocent people into victims is just as wrong.

Those a-holes that are starting fires could kill someone. What if they set a building on fire and a bunch of innocent people burn to death? Heck, how about if you are a poor working person who has a car and relys on it to get to work, and those kids burn your car? An innocent person’s life has just been ruined.

The police in Greece are always operating in defense mode. The fact that they never shoot anyone, and that when they do they are arrested, is why there is absolutely no law and order in the country. Greek cops are WEAK.

As far as the kid who got shot is concerned, I don’t care if he called himself an anarchist or not. He clearly thought it was perfectly fine to get together with a huge overwhelming group of other kids and harrass, intimidate or possibly attack the police. But guess what, that is not OK. Not in Greece, or any other country. So, he paid the price for stupidity.

There is no ignorance or stereotyping in my commentary. I am half Greek, I’ve been there many times and my family lives in Athens. I know what I’m talking about. However, I am angry and ashamed that Greeks act like savages. And I can’t believe that the rest of the Greeks are too scared to put an end to it.

John

Officer who shot teenager was a special guard; defense attorneys decline the case

Epaminondas Korkoneas, the 37-year-old police officer who is alleged to have shot the teenager Alexis Grigoropoulos is a special guard, a force that was created in 1999 but fully inducted into the police only this year.

Special guards were intended to take on more menial tasks, such as guarding buildings, so that regular police officers would be able to take up other duties.

Speaking to Kathimerini, the legal counsel of the Attica Police Officers’ Union, Vaios Skambardonis, said that police officers are advised that they should only use their revolvers if human life is in danger.

However, footage of Saturday’s shooting, captured by a witness on her mobile phone does not appear to show Korkoneas and his colleague coming under any kind of threat.

The blurred, dark images appear to show the police officer standing at some distance from the 15-year-old and other youths.

There appear to be no signs of the police officers coming under any kind of attack.

Korkoneas has been charged with murder and illegal use of a weapon while his colleague has been charged as an accomplice.

Their next appearance in court is in some doubt as the lawyers assigned to defend them have refused to accept their case. This has been interpreted as an indication that the officers’ argument that they were acting in self-defense was not convincing.

1. According to official police statements the officers that killed the boy where NOT in defense. It is interesting to note that in your article you state that the officers WERE in defense. I wonder why..

2. There is no evidence the kid was an anarchist. But even if he was, is there a law which states that the penalty for being an anarchist is death? You say “That is over 2 decades since a cop has killed one lousy kid!” A lousy kid??? God!! What if it was your lousy kid? How can you be so inhuman?

3. I Athens is my city and I love it. It shouldn’t have been damaged that way. Why was it left unprotected? Makes you wonder..

4. Your article is full of stereotypes, anger and ignorance. It is people like you who make violence happen.