Read on Twitter
1/Another story of vigilantism against #Refugees in #Evros & local politics. Last week, http://evros-news.gr reported that a resident of Ormenio village claimed he was attacked by two people who crossed the border. According to the article, he grabbed https://www.evros-news.gr/2020/11/07/%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%B5%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%AC%CE%B4%CE%B1-%CE%BB%CE%B1%CE%B8%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%B5%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%AC%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%82-%CE%B5%CF%80%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%AD%CE%B8%CE%B7%CE%BA/
2/ a shovel and 'immobilised' the 2 men. He then took a video with his mobile phone, which the news site posted online (as we know, data protections don't apply for #Refugeesgr, not for Evros news at least). The 2 men don't seem to threaten the resident in any way in the video.
3/Two days later, @EFSYNTAKTON published an article by Andonis Telopoulos which (rightly) doubts the resident's version of events, points out that the men in the video don't threaten him & look scared, & criticises Evros news for justifying vigilantism. https://www.efsyn.gr/ellada/koinonia/267714_aytodikia-kata-prosfygon-ston-ebro-me-anothen-stirixi
4/ It also rightly points out to the complicity of local authority figures and farmers & animal breeders associations in defending locals engaging in vigilantism, as in the case of the farmer who threatened Turkish #Refugeesgr at gunpoint in September. https://twitter.com/lk2015r/status/1306927464942272514
5/The @EFSYNTAKTON article also points to the role of the government in supporting such actions since the events of March. In the farmer's trial is September, his lawyer claimed that the (oral) orders given then by the army & police, allowing the participation of locals in border
6/ patrols and arrests have never been revoked. Good point in fact, given the frequent visits of ministers, army leadership & even the 
PM last month - do they still encourage a 'state of emergency' narrative, in which vigilante actions are justified? https://www.efsyn.gr/ellada/dikaiosyni/260790_enohos-o-ktinotrofos-ston-ebro
PM last month - do they still encourage a 'state of emergency' narrative, in which vigilante actions are justified? https://www.efsyn.gr/ellada/dikaiosyni/260790_enohos-o-ktinotrofos-ston-ebro
7/The lawyer in question, is also the chair of the association of fishers 'Ainisio Delta' which was thanked by the local border guard association for their border protection efforts/vigilantism in March. His response to the Efsyn article was published in, where else, Evros news.
8/He claims, inter alia, that #Evros locals were saving 'illegal immigrants & women & children' from drowning 'all these years'. Never heard this, but good example of the humanitarian/securitisation nexus: we save them but also threaten them at gunpoint. https://www.evros-news.gr/2020/09/19/%cf%80%ce%ac%cf%81%ce%b7%cf%82-%cf%80%ce%b1%cf%80%ce%b1%ce%b4%ce%ac%ce%ba%ce%b7%cf%82-%ce%bd%ce%bf%ce%bc%ce%b9%ce%ba%cf%8c%cf%82-%cf%80%cf%81%cf%8c%ce%b5%ce%b4%cf%81%ce%bf%cf%82-%cf%83%cf%85%ce%bb/
9/ Evros news, in response, called Efsyn a 'far left' publication (they still believe SYRIZA is radical left
). They also claim that the lawyer who defended the #Refugeesgr attacked by the farmer in September wasn't verbally abused - he was (local intel) https://www.evros-news.gr/2020/11/11/%cf%84%ce%b5%ce%bb%cf%8c%cf%80%ce%bf%cf%85%ce%bb%ce%bf%cf%82-%cf%85%cf%80%ce%ad%cf%81-%ce%bb%ce%b1%ce%b8%cf%81%ce%bf%ce%bc%ce%b5%cf%84%ce%b1%ce%bd%ce%b1%cf%83%cf%84%cf%8e%ce%bd-%ce%b5%cf%80%ce%af/
). They also claim that the lawyer who defended the #Refugeesgr attacked by the farmer in September wasn't verbally abused - he was (local intel) https://www.evros-news.gr/2020/11/11/%cf%84%ce%b5%ce%bb%cf%8c%cf%80%ce%bf%cf%85%ce%bb%ce%bf%cf%82-%cf%85%cf%80%ce%ad%cf%81-%ce%bb%ce%b1%ce%b8%cf%81%ce%bf%ce%bc%ce%b5%cf%84%ce%b1%ce%bd%ce%b1%cf%83%cf%84%cf%8e%ce%bd-%ce%b5%cf%80%ce%af/
10/ The owner of Evros news, btw, was employed in the Foreign Affairs ministry under the Samaras government - not a surprise given the site's politics - and has close links to the current one. Thought I should post this, given my fixation with this site
https://www.efsyn.gr/ellada/koinonia/231436_48000-hartziliki-sto-paidi-gia-ta-thelimata
https://www.efsyn.gr/ellada/koinonia/231436_48000-hartziliki-sto-paidi-gia-ta-thelimata
