Don Trueten 
On December 5, 2022, 16-year-old Roma Kostas Fragoulis was shot dead by a motorcycle Cop in Thessaloniki, Greece. Almost three weeks later, artists and activists from #Berlin and #Thessaloniki responded to this event, which kept Greece in suspense at the time, with a joint mural campaign in collaboration with his relatives.
Kostas died just 500 meters away from the Roma settlement where he lived. He had allegedly left a nearby petrol station without paying for 20 euros worth of petrol. The fatal shots were fired after a chase with two police officers who happened to be present. The incident sparked protests and sometimes violent clashes with the police throughout #Greece. There were coordinated riots in more than ten regions of the country, which originated in the respective Roma neighborhoods and settlements. They were also fueled by the proximity to 6 December, the anniversary of the murder of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a police officer in the left-wing alternative district of Exarchia in Athens in 2008. After Kosta’s death, left-wing activists supported the Roma protests. A local activist from #Thessaloniki established contact between the artists, the #Roma settlement and #Kostas‘ relatives.
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