Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC)

Vandal and Xenophobic Rowdyism Shall be Condemned

March 30, 2005

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According to the press reports, during the football match of the date March 29, 2005 that was played in Athens between the football teams of Greece and Albania, there occurred some incidents that were accompanied by anti -Albanian slogans that led to this incident - the Albanian Flag- the symbol of our state was publicly burnt, torn and removed.

Instigators to this reiterated phenomenon were the extremist Greek groups with conspicuous xenophobic feelings that aim to infringe the climate of friendship between our country and Greece.

Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC) strongly denounces this vandal act of the extreme chauvinist with remarkable fascist dosages and seeks that the culprits be legally prosecuted. It is true that after the event the Greek Police detained and arrested some individuals caught in the act, but AHC shares the opinion that the main task of the police was to prevent this painful and punishable incident from happening.

AHC does not agree with the fact that while the Albanian fans, migrants in Greece were deprived of the right to buy the tickets to attend the match like the rest of the population, the young nazi-skins, likely to instigate hatred against Albanian were allowed to attend and undertake extreme actions that were punishable from the Greek rational opinion.

Albanian Helsinki Committee expresses its own considerations for that part of the Greek media, for some of the Greek intellectuals as well as for the Greek Football Federation that immediately condemned the aforementioned act.

On this occasion, AHC appeals to the Government of the Republic of Albania and especially to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania to intervene to the relevant Greek authorities by seeking that the culprits be prosecuted and to take measures in order not to reiterate such cases in the future.

Last case openly and convincingly showed that the instigators were not the Albanians but some groups with noticeable xenophobic inclinations that wish to impede the friendly relationship between the two countries.

AHC also appeals to the Greek non-governmental organizations that are committed in the field of the protection of freedom and human rights to react towards such acts, this way contributing to the establishment of the climate of cooperation and understanding between our peoples.

Tirana, March 30, 2005