“Even as our societies move forward, we see that racist violent attacks appear to be on the rise,” Apergi Konstantinidi noted. “The racist phenomenon in our country still remains at high levels, with incidents against LGBTQIA+ and especially against trans people being alarmingly frequent. And while such incidents of racist violence and discrimination happen daily, we may not yet fully grasp the magnitude of the problem.”
She attributed these attacks to deeply rooted prejudices and the prevalence of bigoted rhetoric. “Racist-motivated attacks of violence have deep roots and are fuelled by the racist, bigoted discourse that is pervasive in the public sphere, on the street, online, in the media, in the theatre—everywhere,” she said. Apergi Konstantinidis criticised the freedom with which racist speech against LGBTQIA+ people is expressed in public forums, including on television and even within the Greek Parliament. “There are no consequences for the PMs, who are supposed to be there to defend and protect democracy and freedom,” she remarked.
Apergi Konstantinidis pointed out that stereotypes and prejudices against the LGBTQIA+ community remain entrenched in Greek society. “Every day, we hear that trans people are a’red line’ for the country’s traditional and Christian values, while LGBTQIA+ identities ‘threaten’ the moral values of our country. Being transgender is portrayed as a ‘perversion’ that goes against nature and biology, with the claim that there are only two ‘normal’ sexes, and anything beyond that is ‘unnatural’ and ‘abnormal’.”
She further criticised the hypocrisy that follows such rhetoric: “And when, after all this racist crescendo, we have violent racist attacks against LGBTQI+ people, some wonder how and why it happened. As long as racist, intolerant speech is freely expressed everywhere and allowed to grow without being legally addressed, incidents of racist violence will only increase and become even more brutal.”
In response to this issue, Apergi Konstantinidi called on the Greek state to take immediate action. “The state should urgently improve legislation concerning the human rights and freedoms of LGBTQIA+ people,” she urged. “Anti-racist legislation must be amended, not only to punish the incitement to violence or hatred but also to address racist speech as such, and to include all necessary provisions in the legislation on hate crimes.”
The attack, occurred in the early hours of Thursday, September 26, in central Athens. A 33-year-old transgender woman and her 31-year-old male companion were brutally assaulted by the taxi driver transporting them after he realised from their conversation that she was a transgender woman.
A released video of the attack clearly shows the intensity of the driver’s assault. In an attempt to escape his rage, the 33-year-old woman was forced through the glass entrance of a flat building, resulting in serious injuries that required surgery. Her companion, a 31-year-old man, remained on the ground after being attacked. The woman is currently hospitalised following the incident.
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