The president of the Roma Federation "Alexander the Great" Panagiotis Sambanis spoke to ERT about the case of the shooting of the 16-year-old Roma boy by a police officer.
As he said, the condition of the 16-year-old is critical. "His life is hanging by a thread. We are trying to give some encouragement to his parents and his wife. It's a difficult day today for the boy. We're all going to the Hippocrates Hospital to find out what the child's condition is."
"This incident should not have happened. He put gasoline in, he had no money, the kid left, they could have avoided the whole thing. They knew the kid was a minor, 16 years old, he didn't commit any crime. He didn't pay for the gas, but there shouldn't have been a chase, there shouldn't have been bad intentions, to kill a 16-year-old kid, they could have avoided it," he said.
He claimed that the child did not hit any motorbike or any police car. "He was trying to go home and just crossing the lines to turn left into the settlement he was shot in the head, resulting in the car hitting the wall of the hotel located in the Diavata prison."
Regarding the incidents taking place in different areas, he appealed for everyone to calm down, for tempers to cool and for no harm to be done. "The first thing to look at is the health of the child. We must not do any damage. We have to hold on. I appeal to everyone to calm down. We are trying to communicate with the presidents all over the country. Today, the president of the Panhellenic Confederation has an emergency meeting with the Minister of Citizen Protection to see what will be done," Sambanis said.
"We are not saying that all police officers are bad. For God's sake!" There are good ones, there are bad ones, but let's not let this happen again. Not even a year has passed since the Perama incident. The same thing is being repeated with the 16 year old child who could very well have been avoided. They could, they had the capabilities. He did not commit a very serious crime. He put gasoline in the car and drove off. You don't take a life for 20 euros," he concluded.
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