Fueled by the ongoing debate over Greece’s bailout by European creditors, an anonymous writer targeted a Greek family business in the western German city of Duesseldorf – Hassel. The anonymous letter describes Greeks as “corrupt and lazy” and calls on people to not go to the restaurant anymore. The letter was uploaded by the Plato-Restaurant owner on Facebook and triggered a wave of outrage against the writer and support for the restaurant owners.
The hate-letter arrived in Plato Restaurant on Tuesday, the restaurant owners decided to uploaded it on their Facebook page.
“YOUR new Greek government is brazen, impertinent and behaves like a mob of crude, mannerless jerks,” the writer begins, before accusing Greece of “extorting other hardworking countries” in order to continue its “lazy and comfortable lifestyle.”
“Pay taxes…why? Work…why?” the letter says, “Laying in the sun is much more comfortable, especially when others pay for it.”
“As long as this government continues to sordidly disparage and offend the particularly hardworking and economical Europeans and Germans, we will no longer be buying anymore Greek goods, nor stepping foot in your premises,” the letter promises. “Go back to your own corrupt, rotten and totally incapable dirty Greece.” (excerpts in English via DW)
Restaurant owner Christina Maria Dora posted the letter on Facebook, commenting it was “a shame to feel unwelcome after 31 years.”
“We speak and write German and pay taxes like every other German citizen. We have created jobs and built our life here.
We would appreciate if friends of the Greeks do not support this disrespectful behavior and we talk together against the agitation against Greeks.“
“We speak and write German and pay taxes like every other German citizen. We have created jobs and built our life here,” she added.
Within hours, the issue triggered a wave of support, by now with 20,000 Likes, 5,524 Shares and 5,573 support comments on Plato Restaurant Facebook Page.
The case found its ay to major German media like STERN and DER SPIEGEL, and many news websites like RP-Online.de
In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Dr Pawel Tokarski, an academic and researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), said the image of Greece in German media is very one-sided.
“The German media doesn’t like to show the real situation in Greece – they like to paint a very black and white picture,” Tokarski told DW, adding that this “damage” had now reached society.
“It is the job of the government and the media to repair this damage and bring German and Greek society closer.”
Tokarski maintained, however, that these negative opinions are only among the minority of German society.
“German society in general is very tolerant,” he said.
The expert in European affairs warned, however, that the negative feelings could re-emerge in the German press as the Greek-EU negotiations will continue.
PS Should I not get blushed at the rude language, I could post here also some samples of anti-Greek messages I have been receiving since the new government came in power and the negotiations started. I could also add a “nice” anthology of private and open messages and e-mails sent to me in the previous time period since later 2010. The cowards are all over the place, mostly in Germany and The Netherlands, but also in far way USA and even Australia. However, some of the hate-messages like this one below, you can read directly on KTG’s comment section. This is one of the “polite” ones.
Klaus says:
You greek people are a disgrace! I am so angry that I have to pay so much tax on my hard earned money just to support you lazy beggars.
Pull yourself together! Do you have no sense of honor? Just like little kids you beg for money. Month after month. You are pathetic!You should be kicked out of the European union.
Despicable act, hope the police grabs this idiot.
this is germans
A lot of the Dutch people think they are on the good site of economic future, but the austerity effect everyone. We are all in the same neoliberal mass. But things are changing in The Netherlands. Students are occupying and striking against de neoliberal university and are getting support from teachers and students fron across the country.
Call it the spirit of the Greek spring!
There’s always some idiots, everywhere. In Germany, too.
Since the powers have control of the media organs, I am sometimes surprised that things are not much much worse. Sometimes, somehow, the truth gets out despite the blatant media propaganda. And that surprises me.
It is the filthy Germans and other European tourists that make Greece dirty. These are dirty people who have no respect for themselves. They are naked for anyone to see, throw their trash out of windows and leave all their crap on the beaches. I work in a U.S. university where German students come every summer and the odor that comes from them is unbearable. Take a bath Germany.
I understand and agree that you cannot judge a race of people/ a country by the deeds of “one or two who are claimed to be minorities”. But what does concern me greatly is that the name calling, and the condescending attitude towards the Greeks comes from the top in Government in Germany. Merkel was the first person to state lazy Greeks and call the Greeks a disgrace for being bad debtors and Mr Finance Minister exercises total disrespect and arrogance for the elected Government of Greece. I hear people of Germany are in solidarity with the Greek people but when the rhetoric comes from the top I have my doubts.
CDU & BILD work hand in hand, again and again.
Some things never change. Bild and Greece.
8(
I am appalled and disappointed that in the great country of Germany, there are MORONS who through their stupidity or prejudice have no border.