In a sharp political -and for some even “shocking” – tone the man who committed suicide just a couple of meters away from the Greek Parliament in the heart of Athens on Wednesday morning explained the motives for his desperate act. In a hand-written note, retired pharmacist D.X., 77, spoke of loss of dignity due to harsh austerity and wished that some day the youth of the country would take the arms and hang those politicians who brought the country and its people to this stage. He had left a similar not to his daughter.
Daily Proto Thema exclusively published the shattering hand-note of D. Ch.:
“The occupation government of Tsolakoglou* literally annihilated any possibility for my survival that was depended on a decent pension which only I personally paid for 35 years (without any state support).
Because my age does not give me the possibility for a dynamic reaction (without meaning that if a Greek would grab the kalashnikov, I wouldn’t be the second one [to grab one], I see no other solution than the decent end before I start searching in the garbage for food.
I believe that one day the youth without future will take the arms and hang upside down at Syntagma Square the national traitors as the Italians did with Mussolini in 1945 Piazza Poreto in Milan)”
D.X. was married and had a daughter. He was a member of the Greek Pharmacists’ Association. He had sold his pharmacy in 1994 and had gone into retirement.
It looks as if the several pension cuts of the last two years had created such conditions that the man could not bear.
Meanwhile, dozens of Athenians flocked to the spot where D.X. committed suicide, less than two hundred meters away from the Greek Parliament, and started to leave flowers, candles and notes full of anger and indignation against the social injustice of the austerity measures.
When the paramedics removed his corpse in the morning, the stunned passengers had applaud.
D.X. killed himself on Wednesday morning under a park tree with a single bullet on his head.
Greek politicians expressed their shock and shed the usual crocodile tears.
*Georgios Tsolakoglou was a Greek military officer who became the first Prime Minister of the Greek collaborationist government during the Axis Occupation forces of Germany and Italy in 1941-1942, during the WWII. In modern Greece “Tsolakoglou” has the negative connotation meaning a traitor. In times of loan agreemends and Memorandums of Understanding, “Tsolakoglou” refers to those Greek politicians “collaborating” with the country’s lenders, the Troika of IMF, EU and ECB.
Thank you KTG for this sad report.
The BBC evening news here in the UK had a report on the reduced Greek team for the Olympics, but NO mention of this tragedy in Syntagma.
We assume he chose θάνατος over an unbearable ελευθερία.
Please “keep talking”, the world needs blogs like yours to hear the truth. Our hearts bleed for the people of Greece.
From “The Guardian”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/04/greek-man-shoots-himself-debts
“We assume he chose θάνατος (death) over an unbearable ελευθερία (freedom).” and Troika slavery.
thank you.
Yes, crocodile tears indeed. I was watching SKAI NEWS, when they all passed by with their ‘saddened’ faces and their ‘deep regrets’. One even said that we are ALL responsible. “F*** you”, I almost shouted at the TV. We are all doing our utmost from the last cents we have to help all those around us who really are going to hell at the moment. And these Pharisees are telling us that we are all responsible… May they burn for what they did and are denying.
of who said that? I zapped today the moment one politician appeared on my tv screen.
If I remember right it was Mr. K. from LAOS. But then again, as a xenos I probably missed the finer points in what he said… 😐
Do you know if anybody had a word for his daughter? Because she is the one I keep thinking of… It must be pure horror for her. That was going through my mind when I saw that priest I wrote about in the ‘teargas-post’.
It’s a real sad day, this April 4… Just 11 days before Easter.
This man was selfish and didn’t think that maybe his daughter would like to have her Daddy Alive and with her. Suicide is a cowards way out, our sympathy should be with his family not him
Suicide cowardice ?????
What a cruel and unthinking statement when unaware of either his motives or dire circumstances – do you think for one minute that your condemnation helps his daughter and family ?
The cowards in this scenario are not those faced with extreme deprivation they are those motivated entirely by the perpetual drive to line their own pockets at the expense of the poor. They have no morals, no compassion, no ethics or empathy. They shed crocodile tears and call upon the people of Greece whose backs are already broken to carry even more cuts and austerity whilst they busy themselves shifting their nest eggs much of which is acquired from corruption, out into foreign banks – If you are indignant at this old man’s suicide look to those who are responsible, those who systematically have wrecked his life along with many others. Robbed of personal dignity, reduced to obtaining food from garbage cans, elderly people are facing an immense and worsening situation – for them – there are no better times to work towards.
Molly, although I agree with your first reaction on Lucy, we have to be careful about reading to much into this tragic event ourselves. Because it seems the police still has to date (12.30) not confirmed if the letter that is published is indeed genuine.
Antonis, the letter was (allegedly) given to the media by his daughter. She also spoke to the media saying the message of my father …etctect
Thank you, KTG, for this info. I hadn’t read it.
Still, with really all respect and consideration to his daughter, I still would be a little cautious of stating far reaching conclusions before it is confirmed. It has happened before that grieving relatives, in their desperate search for meaning and making sense of that desperate act, are not the best sources and often have to be protected against themselves… And it looks like too many people are reading an awful lot into this tragedy before knowing all the facts.
counting beans?
I don’t know what you mean by that, but it reminded me of this:
I think I was trying to NOT counting beans but rather putting the personal tragedy first.
If any is selfish, its the ones who drove so many people to commit suicide!!!!!!!!!!……… Yes, its a terrible situation for the families. But a cowards way, nope!! Not a hero’s way either, but when you get so fare out mentaly, you see no other way. The state of mind you are in, is something impossible to explain, unless you been there yourself.
But to call him selfish, thats just below the belt!!!!!!!!!
How very very sad I feel reading of this. If it is so that this man ended his life for the reasons stated then there are a lot of people accountable for his death. Here we are a few days ago once again a person accused of owing 77million euros I believe to the state (someone who had so much) and here we are today reading of this poor man’s plight, a man who appears to have had very little. Oh yes there are a lot of people responsible for this man’s death….be ashamed be very ashamed.
I do not think this man was either selfish or a coward – I think he was brave, this was his way of having dignity. My condolences to his family. May he RIP
Over a year ago, perhaps in 2010, Greece was reportedly printing its own Euros outside of the control of the EU Central Bank. I am not sure why some enterprising Government official does not get Greece to print off all its debt obligations and pay them off. After all, the Euro is only partially backed by Gold, and the ECB prints debt whenever it deems it necessary.
There is no real collateral backing the Euro, so Greece might as well print off its debt for nothing and give it to all its creditors who, after all, only want a piece of paper with some numbers on it. GIVE IT TO THEM GREECE! You can do it! That’s the debt settled. No more predatory creditors/IMF/WORLD BANK Nonses who only want austerity when Greece can’t pay anyway. After all, who in their right mind is going to give loans to someone who can’t pay? Ok. We know loan sharks might – but it will cost you your life. -Yet Greece just goes from one debt and credit crisis to another. GREECE IS DEAD! LET GREECE DIE!
Corrupt politicians are at the heart of this, and the only way for Greece to realistically deal with this problem is to exorcise them from office.
these were claims/rumors/internet phantasies
Another rumour is that Greece does not need time to print Drachmas because the banks still have them in their basement. So Greece could do that idiotic nonsense next weekend without any major problems…
As far as i know the workers of the Deutschmark printing factory were really strike-friendly and also a bit militant, i’m not sure if they also print Euros but may be the solution would be to occupy it…
We mark it as a baseless rumor based on halluzinations caused by Passion Week lent. I heard, the printing factory is in fact rpinting books for Greek pupils
do you comment on your comments?