Family of murdered teen condemns violence on anniversary
The family of Alexis Grigoropoulos, the teenager who was shot dead by a police officer in Athens in December 2008, issued a statement Friday distancing themselves from the violence that accompanied the anniversary of his death this year, including the placing of a rudimentary explosive device at the home of former PASOK minister Costas Laliotis.
“The meaning of Alexandros’s sacrifice has nothing to do with the violence that leads to painful losses for our fellow human beings, to whom we express our support,” the statement said.
“Alexandros was a sensitive, free teenager who had been brought up to respect democracy. He had forward-looking plans and dreams for life. The only contact Alexandros had was the completely senseless violence against him in the form of his cold-blooded murder.”
The family also accused the unknown group that placed the device outside Laliotis’s home on December 3 of trying to “hijack” Grigoropoulos’s name.
