The marginalisation policies brought the murder of the activist Zak Kostopoulos

The marginalisation policy of addicts brought the murder of the activist Zak Kostopoulos

Lynching to death by two or even more human-like monsters, activist Zak Kostopoulos, an active member of the LGBTqi community and the struggle against the stigmatization of HIV positive people, is a devastating and racist crime under the tolerance of the police, which took place on 21 September. A crime by those who think they can enforce the law of the jungle against the weak and the rebellious.

Whatever happened on that Friday afternoon, and while new information is constantly revealed, it is clear that the shop owner assumed that a drug addict had invaded his shop, while believing he could be assisted by others, to kick him up to death and be left unpunished. Then, police seems to be kicking the already injured Zak Kostopoulos, who died later in the day.

This cold murder is the consequence of targeting and suppressing drug addicts, immigrants and any weak or socially excluded citizen, who are defined by the state, local authorities and police as unwanted “trash” that spoils the tourist “glamor” of the centre of Athens. It is the consequence of the logic that the weak and the poor are not the priority for social care, but the object of revenge and humiliation.

The government and the Athens council have given the green light to racist police campaigns against drug addicts and immigrants in the centre of Athens to surrender it “clean” to the speculative activities of contractors, big merchants and hotel owners. They were followed by the media, as most of them interviewed the murderer of Zac by focusing on the “fear of the shopkeeper” instead of condemning the murder.

All of them lay the ground for the modern petit-bourgeois who portray as their enemy the weak of this society, thus boosting fascism.

The government’s responsibility for the stance of police can no longer be hidden. Its responsibility of the government regarding the medical treatment of drug addicts and HIV positive people is enormous. The memoranda and austerity policies have dismantled the care programs for these individuals leading them marginalised.

With Zak Kostopoulos we took part in struggles defending diversity, tolerance, the rights of LGBTQi people, for the protection of the oppressed and the socially excluded people.

We will fight to punish Zak’s murderers. To attribute the responsibilities to police officers who seem to have put handcuffs on Zak while injured and possibly to make the final blows.

We will fight to stop the cuts in public health spending, a policy imposed by the memoranda. We demand an immediate opening of all the closed structures for the addicts.

We will fight against the logic that targets the poor, the addicted, the LGBTqi, the HIV positive and the socially excluded people.

We will fight against fascism in every neighbourhood.

We will struggle to overthrow the memorandum policies that entail poverty, unemployment and impoverishment.

ANTARSYA, 23.9.2018