“On Friday, September 21, Zak Kostopoulos, an activist of the LGBTIQ+ movement, HIV positive, antifascist and drag queen (Zackie Oh), was brutally assassinated in the centre of Athens in public view. The murder was instigated by “outraged citizens” with the tolerance and complicity of officers of the Greek Police. It was followed by an unprecedented operation of covering up the murder, misinforming the public, and incriminating the victim. The murder of Zak was an act of barbarism and growing fascism. We demand justice. We will fight until those who are guilty of Zak’s murder are punished. We will fight against fascism and “normality”. Our lives matter.”
Statement from the Justice for Zak/Zackie facebook page
Several weeks ago Zak Kostopoulos was killed at midday in central Athens. In an apparent cover-up, local news first reported the event as a drug addict attempting to rob a jewellery store with a knife and ending up dying due to an unfortunate series of events. Zak, however, was not a ‘junkie’, as they labelled him, but a much loved gay and human rights activist. Vocally HIV-positive, a drag queen and a performer, Zac was an active member of the Greek queer community. His many loving friends and the Greek LGBTQI community quickly fought the mainstream media’s attempts to brush aside his death and smear his name. Contrary to those first reports, the event looks like a murder, or as many are calling it, a “lynching”.
pandora pavlides 