Giorgos Giakoumakis, the Greek Roma and Structural Inequality
Giakoumakis the Great
The big Greek fella, as known by some, is one of Celtic's most underused players of recent times and, if not for the circumstance of the modern era, he would, by rights, be scoring even more than he already has as part of the old school 'two upfront' approach.
Still, in this age of one up front with clever interplay between all attackers, the expectation of wide runs and dropping deep tactics, Giorgos Giakoumakis - a powerhouse of a forward - has still been able to pounce prolifically so as to net 25 goals in 45 appearances for Celtic. And that's 25 goals in only 21 starts incidentally, at the time of writing.
Such a goalscoring record is no fluke either, this is the man who scored 29 times in 33 appearances for the perennial Dutch Eredivisie strugglers VVV Venlo only two seasons ago. He's as muscular as he is menacing in front of the net and is the only one in a Celtic top who can be relied upon to dominate the air when an aerial attack beckons. Add to this his excellent work rate, mature attitude to the game and an easy ability to outmuscle his marker most of the time, and it becomes clear that Celtic are very fortunate to have a player of his calibre in their squad, particularly as he approaches his prime.
Still, however, he is not considered an automatic start as yet and it is not the place of this article to question coach and tactics. Leave that to the pernicious mainstream media here in Scotland and the multitude of bar room tacticians which exist.
There is perhaps more to the Giakoumakis narrative than simply the football angle however.
The Greek Roma - A Marginalised People
Giakoumakis, from Heraklion in Crete, is also one of the few well known footballers who comes from a Roma background. Former Greek footballer Christos Patsatzoglou was also of the same descent as was the lightning fast Romanian winger Bañel Nicolita, both having since retired.
I have no idea in what way - if any at all - Giorgos Giakoumakis celebrates his Roma heritage. Personally, I sincerely hope he does however, as they are, like in every other part of Europe, an unfairly discriminated against and negatively labeled ethnic minority grouping. Typically a vulnerable group of people who exist, for the most part, on the edges of their host nations cultural acceptance. Othered, forgotten about or just plain discriminated against whether in the UK, Greece or elsewhere.
As is typically the case, a lot of the discrimination and associated issues of structural inequality faced by such groups is on account of ignorance and unconsciousness from the public at large. Thus, the more high profile a name is attached to the ethnic minority group the better, as this can often generate an awareness of their very presence and perhaps even their plight, amongst the wider population.
The bigotry directed at those from a Roma background is known as antiziganism and Greece, sadly, provides one of the most fertile of grounds for such abhorrent attitudes. Whether it is racism, bigotry, sexism or in this case antiziganism, it is not just about the day to day, individual to individual discriminatory interactions and attitudes that create the problem however.
Structural Discrimination and State Sponsored Murder
It is, of course, the much more profound and structural nature of it all.
For example, in Greece, it has long been argued that there is a persistent worsening of police brutality aimed towards those from a Roma background. Typically, this results in over-physicality during arrests, sustained police violence, longer periods in police detention and, at worst, the use of 'lethal force' - that is, murder - by police, the agents of the state.
In this context, it is clear that the power of the state - as exercised via the police - is directed and discriminated against the disempowered - in this case, those from the Roma community.
This certainly seemed to be the case in 1998 when a Roma man, Angelos Celal, was shot in the back by armed police as he was spotted driving away from the scene of a crime in rural Thessaloniki. As was reported by the advocacy and research group, the European Roma Rights Centre (ERCC),
‘...officers ambushed a group of Roma suspected of involvement in a car theft. Mr Celal was shot in the back as he drove away from the scene of the ambush. According to police investigation, seventeen spent cartridges originating from firearms used by the police were found at the scene of the shooting, while an additional one spent cartridge possibly originating from a non-police weapon was recovered.'
Despite initial charges of intentional murder being brought against the three police officers in question, all charges were subsequently dropped by 2001 as other agents of the state - Court Magistrates - found the officers to have acted in 'legitimate self defence'.
However, as the ERRC have stated,
'The court evidently disregarded forensic evidence indicating that Mr Celal had been killed by a gunshot wound in the back…ERRC field research conducted in May 1998 revealed that police officers in Greece are rarely if ever disciplined for abusing the human rights of Roma, even in extreme instances.'
Perhaps if the victim in question, Angelos Celal, was not of Roma descent, there may have been an avoidance of his death altogether or, at least, a more thorough investigation and punitive outcome attributed to the police officer(s) who were responsible for shooting him in the back.
Victim Blame? No Thanks!
For those who may argue that if people of Roma heritage were 'more like us' or were 'less criminal in the first place', simply put, a more thorough understanding of the structural nature of the antiziganist discrimination need be understood. For example, the first sentiment is, by its nature, casually racist in that it presupposes that people from different cultures actually want to be like those from the dominant culture. And, by its very nature, it delegitimises the culture and norms of the migrant culture altogether, in this case that of the Roma.
The second sentiment regarding instances of crime is far too simplistic in its nature to be ever taken seriously. Perhaps, for example, the crime rate is higher amongst those from a Roma heritage because they typically live in crippling poverty and experience social exclusion, stigma by the state and have endured generations of housing inequalities. Where all members of a population - regardless of heritage - experience these structural inequalities, crime rates are always higher. Add to this a problem with heavy handed policing and a more dominant police presence in neighbourhoods of the Roma and, unfortunately, the end result is often what is regarded as a people who feel 'overpoliced and underprotected', according to Criminologist Satnam Choongh. In turn, this creates a mistrust of the police and law and order as defined by the oppressive state.
It is also worth mentioning that Greece, in particular, is one of the more openly violent police forces within Europe. Presently, there has also been an increase in the number of reports of torture being carried out by the police against those in detention.
The normalising of antiziganist attitudes and structural inequalities faced by the Roma are not unique to Greece. They are mirrored in almost all regions where the Roma reside. The state, typically more concerned with either ignoring them altogether or actively subjugating them, appears to care not for their duties of so called civic progression when it comes to this particular ethnic minority group.
Celtic, Inclusiveness and International Roma Day
For context, Scotland has been populated by people of Roma heritage for over 500 years and, currently, there are estimated to be 5,000 Scottish citizens of Roma culture with the majority to be found in Glasgow. The number of people from other traveller backgrounds is much higher at an estimated 20,000.
As a proud Glaswegian and a lifelong Celtic fan with a social conscience, it feels only right to highlight this type of stigma and structural inequality which, in Scotland at least, is often completely ignored.
Like most Celtic fans I too have a belief system rooted in social justice and believe in enabling as much empowerment as is possible amongst those dis-empowered by the state. Particularly those who have to unfairly acclimatise their lives, on a daily basis, to social exclusion and structural poverty.
From the Celtic perspective, it would be excellent if something were to be done to both raise funds and awareness for International Roma Day, which has taken place annually on the 8th April, since 1971. Ideally, this would include the involvement of Giakoumakis - should he wish to - so as to gain as much exposure for the cause as possible. Not every footballer who plays for a team with a politicised fanbase necessarily would want to do this of course. It is most likely difficult enough to be a top athlete with few, if any, real holiday time away from your very demanding and extremely disciplined job. Still though, it would be great to see.
It seems only fitting that Celtic Football Club, which is a globally recognised institution associated with both highlighting and trying to end the historical plight of a migrant people, should attach their name to such a cause.