During a documentary film festival in Thessaloniki (Greece), two transgender people were attacked by a mob. Reported by the news portal iefimerida.
Attack in Thessaloniki: what was behind the aggression against non-binary people at the festival
On the evening of March 9, an incident occurred when about 150–200 people dressed in black clothes cursed, spat and threw bottles while chasingnon-binary people in Aristotle Square in Thessaloniki, where the festival took place. The pursued people were able to take refuge in a nearby restaurant until the police arrived at the scene. At least 21 people were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the incident, including 11 minors.
Presumably, the motive for the attack on the festival was the presence of many queer programs on the schedule, reports Variety. The incident occurred shortly after the approval of a bill that would have allowed same-sex marriage in Greece, making the country the first Orthodox Christian country to enact such legal changes. Greek government officials stressed that all those responsible will be brought to justice before the law.
Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival: Honor and Outrage at Homophobic Violence
This year, the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival includes a significant number of films dedicated to queer themes, in honor of which the “Queer Citizen” award ceremony was held, and the honorary “Golden Alexander” prize was awarded to the Greek director Panagiotis Evangelidis, known for his work in popularizing LGBTQ community.
According to a statement released to Variety, the festival remains deeply outraged and outraged by the attack.
“The Festival categorically condemns all acts of homophobic and racist violence, making clear and unequivocal our opposition to such acts. We believe our mission is to promote tolerance, inclusion, acceptance and visibility in all aspects of our work,” the statement reads. “As we have emphasized more than once, the festival is an open platform for art, including dialogue, and clearly expresses its rejection of any manifestations of hatred and violence, as well as extremist forms of intolerance and racism.”
On Sunday, Thessaloniki Mayor Stelios Angeloudis expressed his dissatisfaction with the attack, stressing that it does not correspond to the principles of pluralism on which this historic city, a crossroads of East and West, was founded.
“We strongly condemn the brutal homophobic attack that took place in the city centre,” he said. “Accepting and respecting diversity is a sign of culture and democracy. In a colorful and inclusive Thessaloniki, where diversity is valued, there is no place for racist attitudes.”
