On Saturday night, a large group of up to 300 people verbally and physically harassed two LGBTQ+ individuals at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (TiDF) in Greece. Police detained 21 people in relation to the attacks at Aristotelous Square. In a statement, the festival stated that it “absolutely and clearly condemns any act of homophobic and racist violence.”
The complete statement is shared below.
The Greek Reporter wrote that the two people, both 21, entered a local restaurant after they were verbally attacked. The group followed them there and threw bottles at the pair when they left the restaurant.
Those detained included 11 minors and 10 adults. Twelve of the people detained were foreign nationals.
The outlet also reported that Stelios Angeloudis, the mayor of Thessaloniki, issued his own statement. He said, “Tolerance is a sign of civility and democracy. In the diverse, inclusive Thessaloniki of respect for diversity, there is no place for racist attitudes.”
Same-sex marriage was made legal in Greece in February. The decision will also allow same-sex couples to adopt children together. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis praised the new law and said it will “boldly abolish a serious inequality.”
In a statement shared on Facebook, TiDF explained, “The news of the attack against two trans people, which took place on Saturday night at Aristotelous Square, filled us with anger and repugnance.”
“The Festival absolutely and clearly condemns any act of homophobic and racist violence, sending out a loud and clear message of tolerance, inclusivity, acceptance and visibility through the full scope of its actions: the 26th TiDF’s extensive tribute ‘Citizen Queer’ featuring LGBTQI+ documentaries, talks and presentations from acclaimed speakers, its lineup of films, the Mermaid Award, as well as its support towards the upcoming EuroPride.”
The statement continued, “As we have repeatedly stated, the Festival rejects any acts of hatred and violence and the extremist voices of intolerance and racism, serving as an open platform of art, inclusivity and dialogue.”
Thessaloniki Pride also issued a joint statement with the organizations Rainbow Families, Colorful School, Athens Pride, and more. The statement said in part, “Incidents of violence have increased especially in recent months clearly due to the hate speech and abusive language that has been and continues to be expressed in the public debate within the Greek parliament, in churches, in the media and on social media which unfortunately remain without a resounding response on the part of institutions and the state, thus feeding the snake of fascism that threatens not only LGBTI+ individuals but the whole of society.”
The organizations also called for a rally at Aristotelous Square on Sunday at 7 p.m. local time. Locals have shared photos and videos from the event on Twitter/X, and Variety described the rally as having attendees that numbered in the thousands.