OPINION

Senseless violence

Until now, Patras was known for its traditional chocolate-throwing wars during the Carnival season. A few days ago, however, another kind of war, violent and unplanned – with arson, stone-throwing and brawls – marked the end of the Carnival festivities. And all this without even a «minor provocation» (as the police and language would have it) which makes it difficult for us to categorize the incidents as ordinary. Before a court ruling, we cannot know if the 15 youths arrested really played a part in the early morning vandalism spree, nor if their actions were due to alcohol. At soccer matches, a justification – albeit a feeble one – can always be found and magnified, a pretext to explain the fury directed at the referee or rival fans. Be it a foul which was either overlooked or wrongly called, an offside call or a penalty, something always presents itself as a provocation to the (otherwise self-restrained) «working-class heroes» representing one team or the other. In Patras, there were no referees or mistaken line calls and it would be delusion to believe that a spat between Olympiakos and AEK soccer fans was to blame. The more plausible explanation is a mob mentality and love of destruction shared by people who are not necessarily lost causes, as many social cliches would have us believe. When hooliganism has an excuse (let’s say a bad referee, or an uncaring society), then it can be explained and even tackled. When it exists without a reason, it cannot be explained. And therein lies the problem.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.