dimitris christoulas

8/2/2019 Dimitris Christoulas

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Mourners stand around the spot where a man committed suicide at central Syntagma square in

Athens. A 77-year-old Greek man has committed suicide in central Athens by the nations

parliament, shooting himself with a handgun in apparent financial desperation.

Eyewitness reports say that the man shouted So I wont leave debts for my children before

turning the gun on himself. Others claimed he said nothing.

The incident occurred around 9 am (local time), just outside a metro station, when the square was

filled with people and commuters. The man took his life behind a big tree, which concealed him

from most eyes.

Greek media identify the man as Dimitris Christoulas. This is yet to be confirmed by the police.

The pensioner appears to have been a retired pharmacist who owned a drugstore in Athens,

which he sold in 1994, Costas Lourantos, the head of the Attica Pharmacists Association told

Skai radio.

A suicide note has been been found on the old man, saying The Tsolakoglou government has


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annihilated all traces for my survival. And since I cannot find justice, I cannot find another means

to react besides putting a decent end [to my life], before I start searching the garbage for food and

become a burden for my child."

Georgios Tsolakoglou headed the Greek collaborationist government during the German

occupation of Greece in the Second World War.

The note has been widely regarded as drawing a parallel between Lucas Papademos current

collaborationist government and Tsolakoglous regime because of the economic crisis in the


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country.

In his note, the deceased forecasts the Greek government a fate similar to Benito Mussolinis if

they continue robbing young people of their future. The Italian dictators body hung in Milan for

public view several days after his execution in April 1945.

Young people without a future will one day take up arms and hang the traitors upside down in

Syntagma Square, as the Italians did to Mussolini in 1945, the message reportedly reads.

Syntagma is a Greek word for constitution. Syntagma Square, where the elderly man

committed suicide, lies in front of the Greek Parliament.

-'Syntagma afternoon' protest

In the wake of the tragedy, the Greek community issued calls for a "Syntagma afternoon." Over

2,000 people signed up to an event announced via Facebook: Everyone at Syntagma. Let's not

get used to death.

In the evening, hundreds of protesters made their way across the street from the square to outside

Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, chanting: "This was not a suicide, it was a

state-perpetrated murder" and "Blood flows and seeks revenge.

A couple of scuffles broke out between the protesters and riot police, who used pepper spray to

repel youths throwing bottles of water at them.

Greece Prime Minister Loucas Papademos issued a statement as protesters gathered at the site of

the suicide.

"It is tragic for one of our fellow citizens to end his life," he said. "In these difficult hours for oursociety we must all the state and the citizens support the people among us who are desperate."

Whos next? -Throughout the day, people have been bringing flowers to the tree under which

the desperate old man took his own life. Numerous messages have been left on the tree:

"Austerity kills," "Enough is enough," "Not a suicide; a murder or Whos gonna be next?

Full text of the suicide note: "The Tsolakoglou government has annihilated all traces for my

survival, which was based on a very dignified pension that I alone paid for 35 years with no help

from the state. And since my advanced age does not allow me a way of dynamically reacting

(although if a fellow Greek were to grab a Kalashnikov, I would be right behind him), I see no

other solution than this dignified end to my life, so I dont find myself fishing through garbage

cans for my sustenance. I believe that young people with no future, will one day take up arms and

hang the traitors of this country at Syntagma Square, just like the Italians did to Mussolini in

1945" (Source: The Athens News)


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The number of suicides has dramatically increased in the country since the beginning of the

economic crisis, shows data released by the Greek Health Ministry.

Prior to the economic downturn Greece had the lowest suicide rate in Europe at 2.8 for every

100,000 inhabitants. Now, this figure has almost doubled, with police reporting over 600 suicide

cases in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Attempted suicides are also on the up.

Just on Tuesday, a 38-year-old Albanian man killed himself on the island of Crete. He had been

unemployed for some time. The financial hardship made him jump off his second-floor balcony,

reported local news.

The private sector is proving to be no safe haven either, as in the last few months several

businessmen have fatally shot themselves.

To secure loan payments to foreign investors, Greece has been forced to drastically cut state

spending by slashing public salaries and pensions by almost 40 per cent, while the unemployment

rate has hit 21 per cent.

But so far the Greek government has failed to pull the country out of its three-year economic

downturn and continues to rack up austerity measures to qualify for EU bailout packages.

Killing Austerity sweeps through stricken EU -Greece is not the only country to see a spike in

the suicide rate caused by the governments effort to battle crippled finances.

In neighboring Italy, a 78-year-old woman threw herself out of her third-floor apartment on

Tuesday after her monthly pension was cut from 800 to 600 euro. Since the 25 per cent cut, the

pensioner from Sicily had reportedly been struggling to make ends meet.

"The government is making us all poorer, apart from the wealthy who they don't touch in

contrast with us workers and small businessmen who are struggling with heavy debts," said her

son, Bruno Marsana, as quoted by The Daily Telegraph.

On Monday, a picture frame-maker hanged himself in Rome. His suicide note told of

"overwhelming economic problems." Previously, two men in northern Italy set themselves on fire

in two separate incidents, citing financial woes as well. Both survived, sustaining severe burns.

Italy, like Greece, is struggling with a recession and mounting unemployment by increasingly

severe austerity measures. This includes drastic spending cuts, tax hikes and pension reform.

Rome is also trying to pass an unpopular labor decree, which will make it easier for companies to

sack employees.


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http://rt.com/news/greece-suicide-218/

Pensioner shoots himself at Greek Parliament, refuses to 'search for food in garbage' (PHOTOS)
http://rt.com/news/greece-suicide-218/http://rt.com/news/greece-suicide-218/

dimitris christoulas

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