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Athens: Muslims protest over Koran rumor – Should Greek Policemen learn Arabic?
Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Society
A group of 300 angry Muslims threw stones against policemen in Athens downtown Thursday over a rumor that Greek police had torn up a Koran book sold illegally by an immigrant vendor.
We all know that “rumors” can turn dangerous, have extreme impact, ruin humans’ reputations and companies’ shares. What happens if language misunderstandings, cultural gaps and agitation efforts are involved in a rumour? Could yesterday’s situation have been avoided if Greek policeman could distinguish a Koran from a “My Home is my Castle” wish? Should Greek policemen working downtown better start learn Arabic?
Imagine the situation – based on the real facts
A Municipality Police squad is on the way to perform checks and tackle illegal trade on the streets on Athens. They normally check licenses and confiscate items that are sold illegally. They are about to arrest an Iraqi Kurd for illegally selling retail on the street. It comes to a dispute -in what language, I wonder…. -
The vendor shouts - in Arabic, Kurdish or English ? – and claims that papyrus-like Koran excerpts have been torn by the police – it’s all Arabic to Greek police, anyway - . Tension sparks like a fire and within minutes other foreign -legal or illegal – vendors or just hanging around immigrants from Africa, Pakistan, Iraq etc- join the crowd and start gathering around the policemen.
They start throwing stones and other objects to them, they cause some damage even to a private television station car. Outraged about the supposedly Koran insult, the immigrants-vendors-Muslims attack a traffic policeman, who is regulating the traffic, and they damage his motorcycle. Stones also hit a passing by city bus.
While riot police was trying to disperse the crowd, another group was gathering outside the City Hall and protested holding banners with slogans “Stop the Racist attacks! Workers United, Never Defeated” and thus in perfect Greek.
In May 2009 a similar incident sparked violent two-days riots in Athens, when a policeman while searching an Iraqi immigrant for drugs, teared a piece of printed paper, claiming to be the Koran. It turned out they were prayers.
Tension is high, anger towards immigrants is growing and racist attacks by far-right extremists have become an often occurring phenomenon in certain neighborhoods of Athens. Hours after yesterday’s Muslims’ protests, a group of extremists tried to loot a migrant’s shop in Agios Panteleimon suburb. Escalation between groups of young immigrants and extremists was averted after intervention by riot police.
On Tuesday, an extremists’ group harassed praying Muslims by throwing eggs.
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