NAZI SALUTE BY GREEK SOCCER PLAYER GIORGOS KATIDIS CAUSES OUTRAGE

[the nomad]

What do we call this?

[h1]Nazi salute by Greek soccer player Giorgos Katidis causes outrage, gets AEK Athens midfielder lifetime national team ban [/h1][h2]Images of Katidis - right arm fully extended with palm upwards - making the hateful gesture after netting his team's 2-1 winner against Veria quickly went viral and caused international outrage.[/h2][h3]BY JAIME URIBARRI  / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS[/h3][h5]SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2013, 1:02 PM[/h5]

[h4]STRINGER/EPA[/h4][h4] [/h4]
Picture of hate: Giorgos Katidis flashes the Nazi salute after scoring AEK Athen's game-winner.

Greek soccer player Giorgos Katidis has been slapped with a lifetime national team ban after celebrating a goal for AEK Athens by giving a Nazi salute.

Calling Katidis' actions a "deep insult to all victims of Nazi brutality," Greece's soccer federation put an immediate end to the player's international career, The Associated Press reported.

Images of Katidis - right arm fully extended with palm down - making the hateful gesture after netting his team's 2-1 winner against Veria quickly went viral on Saturday - the same day Greece marked the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the deportation of its country’s Jews to Nazi extermination camps during World War II.

[h4]AP[/h4][h4]Katidis' Brazilian teammate Roger Guerreiro can't believe what he's looking at.[/h4]

Facing increasing backlash, the 20-year-old midfielder said he was unaware of the symbolism behind his salute and claimed he was merely pointing to an injured teammate in the crowd.

"I am not racist in any way. I abhor fascism. I would not have done it if I knew that it meant something. I know the consequences and would not do it ever," Katidis said on Twitter.

AEK Athens coach Ewald Lienen also came to Katidis' defense, insisting that the player is guilty of nothing more than ignorance.

[h4]STRINGER/EPA[/h4][h4]Giorgos Katidis claims to be pointing at a teammate, not embracing a symbol of hatred.[/h4]

“He is a young kid who does not have any political ideas. He most likely saw such a salute on the Internet or somewhere else and did it without knowing what it means," the German manager said, according to The Daily Mail.

Fans of AEK Athens have been less supportive than Lienen and are calling for the club to give Katidis his outright dismissal. Team officials are expected to decide his fate in the upcoming days.

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Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/m...l-nazi-salute-article-1.1291155#ixzz2NttSHOzk

 

[ohmygosher]

It is what it is.

Edit:

Pic makes it look much worse than the video.

 

[tr1ll]

..but he has a "Get Rich or Die Trying" tattoo?

 

[AEA18]

Add this to the long list of soccer/futbol's blatant racism.

 

[the nomad]

..but he has a "Get Rich or Die Trying" tattoo?

He's only 20 years old ...he may have gotten that tat before he figured out what he wanted to be in life ...(e.g Remy in Higher Learning)

 

[sir charles]

People automatically thought it was a nazi salute. Smh.

It has been a gesture long before the holocaust, and afterwards. It looked more like he was making an airplane

I believe him when he says he isn't racist.

 

[rook]

Idk, i think he ****** up and did the wrong salute.

Who knows. I doubt he did it on purpose. Still though...cmon dude

 

[fraij da 5 11]

So hes saying he doesn't know what it "means"?  If that's true... Then hes just stupid and didn't pay attention in any level of history that he may have gone through in school.

 

[cruthik3]

There is a new Neo-Nazi party in Greece. There were pretty prominent in the Greece elections last year.

 

[mangudai954]

Images of Katidis - right arm fully extended with palm down - making the hateful gesture after netting his team's 2-1 winner against Veria quickly went viral on Saturday - the same day Greece marked the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the deportation of its country’s Jews to Nazi extermination camps during World War II.

Hell of a coincidence.

 

[law3001]

In Greece a neo nazi political party has gained support and actually have elected members to the Greek parliament. There have also been a huge number of attacks against Jews and immigrants in general by people throughout the country and this party has been stirring the fire and spewing a very hateful rhetoric. To say he is just making a random sign is just turning a blind eye to a growing problem. Across Europe football players (not all just some) have been using the nazi salute and have been fined and banned for similar acts. Racism and xenophobia is a huge problem in soccer amongest fans and certain players.

In 1999 after a Greek flag was burned at match, Golden Dawn ( the fascist party in greece) members shot and killed immigrants, and other such as followed. This incident is another in a dangerous trend in the country.

I see why the ban was put in place

 

[cacique]

He got permabanned already.

 

[the nomad]

You're referring to Golden Dawn ...the same group the girl from the Olympics is part of.

 

[unknwn]

I honestly believe that he wasn't trying to make a Nazi salute or portray hatred in any way.

I really think he was just using it as a symbol of power...or something... and really didn't mean what everyone thinks

 

[unknwn]

He got permabanned already.

I read an article that said as of right now he is, but there will be a meeting next week to finalize everything

 

[celticsfan9783]

So hes saying he doesn't know what it "means"?  If that's true... Then hes just stupid and didn't pay attention in any level of history that he may have gone through in school.

Would that be so surprising? A 20 year professional athlete with a lack of education?

If I was watching that live I don't think it would be that obvious that he was attempting to mimic the Nazi salute. Van Persie has done something similar.

 

[the nomad]

I honestly believe that he wasn't trying to make a Nazi salute or portray hatred in any way.

I really think he was just using it as a symbol of power...or something... and really didn't mean what everyone thinks

 

[sir charles]

So hes saying he doesn't know what it "means"?  If that's true... Then hes just stupid and didn't pay attention in any level of history that he may have gone through in school.

Would that be so surprising? A 20 year professional athlete with a lack of education?

If I was watching that live I don't think it would be that obvious that he was attempting to mimic the Nazi salute. Van Persie has done something similar.

Plus they teach different history depending on the area. Maybe he was home schooled. Who knows.

Did they ban teaching the holocaust in Greek schools?

 

[law3001]

You're referring to Golden Dawn ...the same group the girl from the Olympics is part of.

Yup. Fascism is on the rise in many parts of Europe, if not overall xenophobia

 

[703 hwy]

Damn but I don't think he meant any harm by it.

@ the "Get Rich or Die Tryin" tat

 

[celticsfan9783]

Plus they teach different history depending on the area. Maybe he was home schooled. Who knows.

Did they ban teaching the holocaust in Greek schools?

I could walk into an 10th grade world history class right now (the year I studied WWII), ask the students to show me the Nazi salute and I guarantee the majority wouldn't know what it is. Doesn't mean questions shouldn't be asked about this guy. Just saying it's not as obvious as some think.

Hell I didn't even really know what it was until I saw American History X

 

[law3001]

Plus they teach different history depending on the area. Maybe he was home schooled. Who knows.

Did they ban teaching the holocaust in Greek schools?

As far as I know they teach the holocaust starting the in 6th grade in most parts on Europe.

 

[elpablo21]

Can't buy the whole pointing to a teammate in the crowd. He's not even looking towards where he's "pointing"

The pics do look worse than the video itself but it's hard to buy the kid is that oblivious

 

[lobotomybeats]

Kind of relevant: A man was once arrested for teaching his dog to do the Nazi salute to some police officers. I bet he thought he found a loophole.

 

[AEA18]

I honestly believe that he wasn't trying to make a Nazi salute or portray hatred in any way.

I really think he was just using it as a symbol of power...or something... and really didn't mean what everyone thinks

Images of Katidis - right arm fully extended with palm down - making the hateful gesture after netting his team's 2-1 winner against Veria quickly went viral on Saturday - the same day Greece marked the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the deportation of its country’s Jews to Nazi extermination camps during World War II.

Hell of a coincidence.

C'mon man a symbol of power