Animal Abuse: Still a Sad Side of Greece

Eight years ago I found myself writing this story for a popular media. Today, I republish part of it only to show that on the one hand …sadly for me as a Greek and for my country Greece, little has changed in the minds of people who feel they can simply abuse an animal and get away with it. And secondly, on a ‘brighter note’- and one which for me is self-evident - the government has finally started doing something about it.

It is so very true that the sophistication of a nation is evident in the way its citizens treat living creatures. In this, I dare say, that my homeland and a large number of my fellow Greeks have failed, giving this once great nation a terrible but very real reputation for both ignorance and cruelty.

This week, a young man and his pals holidaying on the island of Evia decided it was a good idea “for fun” to lure a kitten to their table with some fish and then … kick it into the sea.

What’s sadder about this situation is not the actual and despicable crime, but the fact that these young people thought a) that it was the cool thing to do, so they captured the incident (and their laughter) on video and posted it b) that no one around them at the taverna would care, which only goes to show the extent of the problem.

In Greece, everyone whines about politics and how this or that party is exploiting the people, pocketing their money or never respecting their rights, and yet in my country, a young gay man was killed in the middle of the street in broad daylight in Athens with the police and bystanders looking on. In my country, a mother and father have so far gotten away with the murder of three helpless girls: their children. In my country dogs are still kept chained to barrels in the scorching sun. In my country, abuse of all sorts and killing has nothing to do with need or poverty, but it has everything to do with ignorance… and sadly it begins in every single home and neighborhood, every small community, every little-known corner of the city, village or town.

When I first wrote this article, I had found three dogs, five cats and three birds poisoned to death by a ‘friendly’ neighbor — much like the guy who kicked the helpless kitty into the sea this week. The one dog, the four cats and the birds all died a terrible death. The two others barely survived. Why? Because many of my fellow countrymen (and women) have never realized that they are but a speck in this whole called the universe. They believe that all of nature is theirs and that they can kill whatever gets in their way and doesn’t fit into their limited worldview.

I come back again, eight years later and ask: why should these individuals not do the same and simply stab, shoot or beat to death a fellow human? In all this talk of fascism, with sophomoric reporters making claims, insiders making accusations, know-it-alls reaching conclusions, no one has stopped to simply state the obvious: as long as people remain uneducated and ignorant they will continue to believe that they ARE the universe, they will continue to hurl animals into the sea and sneer at pet lovers, they will continue to vote ignorantly for fascists, racists, sexists, users and abusers, they will continue to slaughter whatever does not fit into their universe.

Again (sadly) in the aftermath of this week’s terrible event, I can only say: horrific acts are exclusively the realm and ‘achievement’ of humankind.

The saddest realization is that most of us are living in virtual times, unaware of our real feelings, not knowing the true reasons we do things and yet doing these with an undying passion and a sense of right and all this to the backdrop of laugh tracks, sensationalist articles, terrorizing news bulletins, all guiding us to act accordingly and then serving as alibis for all sorts of despicable behavior. Think about it… a friend from the group thought it was funny to post the video of the poor kitten being kicked into the water on social media. Meanwhile, the same guy thought it was entertaining to spray-paint his dog and post it on Instagram earlier this year.

This very sick person who kicked the kitten into the water in 2022, his friends, the people who looked on, and the man who killed off the animals in my neighborhood in 2014 are the very same people who avidly support democracy and speak up against fascists and fascist acts (like theirs).

Dark days can only come to those who continue to ignore the lessons of time, those who remain cowards treading the road of ignorance that has been paved by the cowardice of others before them, those who commit their crimes and then go home to cuddle in their beds and even worse, those who do nothing.

It is indeed true that the sophistication of a nation is evident in the way its citizens treat living creatures. And yes, my beloved homeland and a large number of my fellow compatriots have failed, giving Greece a poor reputation for both ignorance and cruelty.

Fortunately, the emergence and stronger presence of the social media and of vigilant users and animal welfare groups are making it much harder for ignorant abusers such as these to continue their acts. And thankfully, the state has finally realized that animal abuse should be penalized. Under Greek law, a violator like the 30-year-old Evia perpetrator can face up to 10 (deserved) years in prison and a fine of up to 50,000 euros. I can only hope and pray, that I will not find myself writing about this sad side of Greece yet again in 10 years’ time.