Increasingly exposed to racist attacks, immigrants in Athens have allegedly organized themselves to fight back and defend themselves. They have reportedly set up their own brigades and patrol in the streets of Athens mostly at night. They call themselves “Black Panthers”, a name adopted from the Afro-American movement of USA n the 60’s and 70’s. Members of the Black Panthers brigades are mostly Africans living in the Greek capital, who want to defend themselves against racist-motivated attacks.
British Channel 4 interviewed one of the founding members of the Black Panthers: Michael, 28, who has been living in Athens since he was eight months old.
Warning to Golden Dawn
“I’m not afraid of this neo-Nazi, stupid, idiotic group,” he told Channel 4. “In WW2, they were crushed. In WW3, we will exterminate them out of the face of the earth.
“I am a member of the Black Panthers and everybody knows that. So I am giving them (Golden Dawn) a straight warning – don’t mess with black people, anyhow. And I mean it.”
Members of the Black Panthers rescue each other if one is attacked. Using mobile phones with instant messaging and social media, their response is swift. “It has turned our lives better, at least in our neighborhood,” Michael told Channel 4 reporter Jamal Osman.” (Full story and tv report here)
Michael did not say whether Black Panthers patrol close to areas where the teams of Golden Dawn do their night watch or whether there have been any unexpected ‘sessions’ between the two groups.
