This summer, Thessaloniki is set to host , a pan-European celebration held in a different city each year. Hundreds of thousands of LGBTQIA+ people and allies usually for the festivities, which have previously been held in the likes of Malta, Denmark and the UK. Apostolis Karabairis, Director of Thessaloniki Pride, says that authorities “reached out” to his organisation the day after the trans couple were targeted, giving him optimism that this year’s event will go ahead safely and securely.
“The appalling incident is unprecedented, because it involved a spontaneously gathered mob that indulged in ‘social media violence’ to show off. I’m afraid it reflects some of the current issues the youth are facing,” he writes to GAY TIMES in an email. “Despite the hideous homo-transphobic crime, thousands of Thessalonicans came out on the very next day to protest and make it clear that fear has no place in our city.”
Ieropoulos is this week playing his film at the , which explores the drag scene in Athens, though he says he has been feeling anxious about doing so given that it is “very political and the climate is very hostile” in the city.
“It’s a very political kind of drag that we present, it’s not a RuPaul entertainment situation – rather, think of the early days of drag. Since Athens is a dangerous place for queers, its drag is also more dangerous in itself, it is more politically involved, as the stakes are higher,” he explains. “So, to be honest, we are rather worried about our premiere, we have to brace ourselves for the possibility of fascists showing up. But we knew it all along that making a film like this would be a dangerous feat and we are here to defend it. And at least we have seen that there was a huge demo in Thessaloniki just after the attack in which a large part of the city made it clear that they do not want to live in a state of fear.”
