President releases statement on Thessaloniki murder

The President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou released a statement on social media on Wednesday on the murder of a 19-year-old, said to have been committed over the victim’s sports club allegiance.

“How can we tolerate our streets, our parks, and our squares becoming the setting of violence between rival gangs, endangering the lives of citizens? And more importantly, how did violence become the only form of expression for a group of young people with issues of social inclusion, sentiments of marginalization, extremely negative perceptions, and fears of a cancelled future,” asked Sakellaropoulou.

“We all need to think and act right now, with no delays. Let the brutal act in Thessaloniki, that cost the life of a young person and injured two more, not become just one more incident in the ongoing transformation of social life into an arena of rivalry, bigotry, enmity, and ultimately, lethal inhumanity,” concluded the statement.