Protest held in Gümülcine over police shooting of disabled man
The demonstration was organized at the initiative of disability rights organizations and platforms across Greece. Disability rights advocates and numerous citizens attended the protest, demanding that the incident be investigated as a possible hate crime, that the officers involved face judicial proceedings, and that police violence against vulnerable groups, including disabled people and LGBTQ+ individuals, be condemned.
Spiros Dantanidis, Vice President of the "Perpato" Association, said the incident could not be viewed separately from broader prejudices against disabled people and other marginalized groups.
Dantanidis argued that state violence often disproportionately affects socially excluded communities because authorities may assume that public reaction will be limited. He emphasized that "the lives of disabled people are equally valuable" and that every individual deserves equal recognition regardless of disability, identity, or any other personal characteristic.
"Perpato" Association Secretary General Stavros Mihalopoulos, a lawyer and postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Humanities of Democritus University of Thrace, described Thodoris’ death as a major tragedy.
Mihalopoulos stated that the incident highlighted a lack of adequate training among authorities in responding to cases involving disabled individuals. He argued that alternative methods should have been used instead of lethal force and warned that exclusion and discrimination would continue as long as disability remains a social taboo and differences are not properly understood.
He also stressed that defining an incident as a hate crime is not merely symbolic but an important legal instrument for ensuring justice. According to Mihalopoulos, stronger legal protections for groups facing discrimination are necessary to send a clear message that violence based on disability, gender, or any other characteristic cannot be tolerated.
The protest ended peacefully after participants observed a one-minute silence in memory of Thodoris. Demonstrators stated that they would continue demanding effective investigations into alleged abuses of police authority, protection of human rights, and equal treatment for all members of society.
