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Athens: Employee condemns lack of fire protection at fatal bank

[Scotland] CH | 05.05.2010 20:30

This is a statement from an employee of the Athens bank in which 3 workers died today. Translation provided by Occupied London blog, to be spread widely (Greek original).

[Scotland] CH
Original article on IMC Scotland: http://www.indymediascotland.org/node/19235

Comments

Hide the following 14 comments

Frankly, its a bit insulting to people's intelligence

It goes on about rules and regulations and how there was no one trained to do first aid and other beaurocratic points. These are additional reasons for the death, they are not the primary reason. The primary reason is that an idiot decided to throw a petrol bomb into a building with no regard to loss of human life.

The fact, that seems to escape the author, is that a petrol bomb was thrown into the building - that is the MOST DIRECT reason why these people died.

Its like trying to blame the car manufacturer and the road designer for a death, when a drunken driver kills someone. Yes, perhaps the car could have been better designed etc.etc., but the primary reason for the death is the idiot driving the car - or in this case, the idiot throwing the petrol bomb.

stone-thrower

tragic

05.05.2010 21:05

It does not matter how unsafe the building was or how many locked doors there are - people have the right not to be burnt to death. The person who lit the building is responsible for these deaths.

Jen

Not fucking bureaucracy

05.05.2010 21:36

A building without fire exits is a deathtrap.

But nice to hear that random internet people know more about this than the workers on the ground.

Jog On

Comment from Greece's bank workers' union

05.05.2010 21:40

According to mainstream newswire reports, bank workers are holding a 24 hours strike tomorrow in memory of their dead colleagues.

The union, OTOE, released a statment saying "The tragic events that ended the lives of three colleagues is a sad consequence of the anti-popular measures which led to an uprising of popular rage and the protest of hundreds of thousands of workers,"

xpm

correction

05.05.2010 22:15

4 people died, not 3. The woman was 4 months pregnant.

>>>> A building without fire exits is a deathtrap.

Arson is a deathtrap. Even if the fire exits were open, the people probably didn't stand a chance.

Roman

Ignorant Comments

05.05.2010 22:56

THey weren't burnt to death. They suffocated. The fire didn't spread and surround them. Fuck fire exits. Even if the front doors were unlocked they would all have survived.

wake up

06.05.2010 02:17

Are you fuckin' kiddin me? The three people working in the bank were threatened to lose their job if they left the building. That was a direct command by the bank's management. The bank is in the centre of Athens were 250000 protesters were rallying. In December 2008, all banks in central Athens were burnt down. So, before believing the state media's media, think logically. If those comments are on Indymedia then what we fuck should we expect reading in the Guardian? What we need is solidarity to overcome of an accident that can be used by the state to impose more serious measures of police violence and prevent people from getting out in the streets. The world will not change by dancing Samba on the streets, guys.

When they kick out your front door
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun

Remember your own people and support Greece essentially. A discussion concentrating on how we should prevent molotov bombs being thrown is irrelevant at the moment. At least for anti-authoritarian people

wake up

think more, talk less

06.05.2010 02:21

NO HOPE.

Most of your comments here on uk Indymedia are more ignorant and right-wing than the right wing people in Greece.
Your only hope is that you have limited information.
Are you maybe missing the facts :
Today was a general strike and the poor workers in the bank were DIRECTLY threatened by their bosses not to leave the building during the demo? They were even asking to leave the building from 12:00 as this bank is in the exact centre of where the demo would be passing, with no protection, just glass doors, that are locked from the inside. Everyone know in the last 20 years that banks are burned in Greece in huge demos, and thats a wonderful thing. Hopefully you ll wake up one day in the UK and start burning yours.
Lets not talk about the building itself, about its zero fire protection.

The ones that threw the molotov bomb of course had no clue there were people in, as no one was in the ground floor which was locked! So the people didn't burn to death, they just suffocated as they had no escape.

So just WAKE UP, and stop thinking like your queen.

NO HOPE.

Anarchism kills

06.05.2010 08:24

Anarchism kills. End of.

Anarchism kills

What we need is solidarity to overcome of an accident

06.05.2010 08:52

no, what we need is for people to not throw petrol bombs at buildings that may have people in them.

If you can't accept that the rioters were partly to blame and you stick to one version of events then you are just as much a cause of the problem as the greek government.

There were tohers in the building that got out; these people died from smoke while trying to get to the roof. We don't know yet why they couldn't get out. but feel free to assume that the points that happen to suit your views must be the correct one. And free free to excuse any attrocities that are done by people you support.

killer Bob

Bank must take their share of responsibility

06.05.2010 12:21

There was a riot on, yet the bank insisted that its employees attend then lock them upstairs in a building with no fire safety equipment and without basic security measures.

Yes, chucking petrol bombs into buildings which may or may not be occupied isnt a good idea. Imprisoning employees "for their own safety" in a deathtrap of a building with the threat of losing their jobs if they dont comply is criminal.

Ms medusa

Common Sense

06.05.2010 13:14

I don't think you will find anyone with common sense denying that those that threw the petrol bomb into the building without ensuring it was empty were, fucking stupid and if they have any inkling of ideology in them they should give themselves up.

But then to what system of justice will they be delivering themselves? One that will no doubt allow the bank management and ownership to get away with their hostage tactics and their complete violation of health and safety procedures. The building on its own did not meet the health and safety requirements and this was before management decided to barricade the employees in.

But then what do you expect from a system that's run by crooks. Same applies to the UK of course.

As for the Anarchism kills post. This person is clearly one of MI6's finest agents considering no one as yet knows who did this. But of course you were able to deduce-being two steps ahead of us-that if you carry a petrol bomb you must be an anarchist. For that I congratulate you....Wanker.

T stands for Tosser

06.05.2010 18:22

Yes, you paranoid idiot. If you seriously believe that anyone who posts anything slightly different to the Indymedia party line is an MI6 officer (sadly, I actually can believe that you really do), then you are paranoid, delusional and shouldn't be allowed out of the front door.

You sound like one of those Stalin political officers cranking out the propaganda. The end justifies the means, no matter how bad they are eh? Crackpot wanker

anon

S stands for Sarcasm

06.05.2010 21:33

That's right anon I think that the idiot that posted the comment is an MI6 agent. Much in the same way that I think you're really clever.

UK Indymedia