During the Greek riots between anti-measure protesters and police in Athens resulted in Marfin Bank Stadiou street branch three workers (one a pregnant woman) tragically suffocated to death as a result of a fire in the building. Contrary to conflicting media reports, the attendance at the protests on May 5th is reported to be around 200,000, with at least 20,000 protestors attending the demonstration organised by PAME (Communist Party union).
Whilst the world media and the Greek PM Papandreou were quick to brand the deaths as murder at the hands of Greek anarchists, the Rebels Yell can reveal that there may have been a more sinister turn of events!
Below is a statement released by an employee of Marfin Bank which gives a very different and disturbing background to the chain of events which culminated in these three deaths.
I feel an obligation toward my co-workers who have so unjustly died today to speak out and to say some objective truths. I am sending this message to all media outlets. Anyone who still bares some consciousness should publish it. The rest can continue to play the government’s game.
The fire brigade had never issued an operating license to the building in question. The agreement for it to operate was under the table, as it practically happens with all businesses and companies in Greece.
The building in question has no fire safety mechanisms in place, neither planned nor installed ones – that is, it has no ceiling sprinklers, fire exits or fire hoses. There are only some portable fire extinguishers which, of course, cannot help in dealing with extensive fire in a building that is built with long-outdated security standards.
No branch of Marfin bank has had any member of staff trained in dealing with fire, not even in the use of the few fire extinguishers. The management also uses the high costs of such training as a pretext and will not take even the most basic measures to protect its staff.
There has never been a single evacuation exercise in any building by staff members, nor have there been any training sessions by the fire-brigade, to give instructions for situations like this. The only training sessions that have taken place at Marfin Bank concern terrorist action scenarios and specifically planning the escape of the banks’ “big heads” from their offices in such a situation.
The building in question had no special accommodation for the case of fire, even though its construction is very sensitive under such circumstances and even though it was filled with materials from floor to ceiling. Materials which are very inflammable, such as paper, plastics, wires, furniture. The building is objectively unsuitable for use as a bank due to its construction.
No member of security has any knowledge of first aid or fire extinguishing, even though they are every time practically charged with securing the building. The bank employees have to turn into firemen or security staff according to the appetite of Mr Vgenopoulos [owner of Marfin Bank].
The management of the bank strictly bared the employees from leaving today, even though they had persistently asked so themselves from very early this morning – while they also forced the employees to lock up the doors and repeatedly confirmed that the building remained locked up throughout the day, over the phone. They even blocked off their internet access so as to prevent the employees from communicating with the outside world.
For many days now there has been some complete terrorisation of the bank’s employees in regard to the mobilisations of these days, with the verbal “offer”: you either work, or you get fired.
The two undercover police who are dispatched at the branch in question for robbery prevention did not show up today, even though the bank’s management had verbally promised to the employees that they would be there.
At last, gentlemen, make your self-criticism and stop wandering around pretending to be shocked. You are responsible for what happened today and in any rightful state (like the ones you like to use from time to time as leading examples on your TV shows) you would have already been arrested for the above actions. My co-workers lost their lives today by malice: the malice of Marfin Bank and Mr. Vgenopoulos personally who explicitly stated that whoever didin’t come to work today [May 5th, a day of a general strike!] should not bother showing up for work tomorrow [as they would get fired].
2 comments:
As I was asked to publish this statement I would like to ask you to reciprocate and share this blog post with ALL your friends!
Go Raibh Maith Agat!
The Banks response .... http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/greek-bank-staff-strike-after-firebomb/story-e6frf7jx-1225862832147
With a heavy police escort the chairman of MIG, Andreas Vgenopoulos, the building of Marfin Egnatia Bank Street Stage, which killed three people.
Watch the video: http://www.zougla.gr/page.ashx?pid=2&aid=131644&cid=4
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