“Weapon traditions”: three murders in five days in Crete and complete silence from the authorities

Crete again found himself in the center of a tragedy: in five days – three killed, dozens of wounded and hundreds of bullets fired literally “for nothing.” On the island where illegal weapon has long become part of everyday life, the state is still inactive.

First, a 23-year-old man shot and killed his 52-year-old uncle at a family party in Chaniadeciding that he was going “get your weapon.” Three bullets in the chest – and another senseless murder. A few days later – massacre in Vorizya near Heraklion: two families opened fire on each other, releasing more than 2,000 shots. Two were killed, 14 were injured, five were hiding.

Such cases no longer surprise anyone. On Crete weapons are not just an object, but a symbol of power. The authorities have turned a blind eye to this for decades, hiding behind phrases about “tradition” and “honor.” While the state is discussing tougher penalties for talking on the phone while driving, thousands of machine guns and pistols quietly stored in caches.

It is not surprising that such tolerance for lawlessness leads to disasters. One of the latest examples is a 45-year-old resident Chaniawho, being drunk, killed a young man, but was released by the police. This “special leniency” towards the inhabitants of the island turns it into a zone where the law doesn’t work.

Law enforcement often becomes involved in local interests and reacts when it is too late. After massacre in Vorizya The police did not have a clear picture of the incident for hours, and arrived at the scene when all the participants had managed to escape. And then she officially announced that “the village is under control” – as if we were talking not about Greece, but about Mexican cartel.

Journalists remind that similar attempts to “restore order” were made only when Ioanne Metaxase and later under the 1967 junta. But no government has been able to change the culture where weapons are an extension of personality. Decades have passed since then, but in Crete everything is still decided rifle and blood.

Now the question is different: when the Greek state decides to disarm Crete? How many more people must die before the law works equally for everyone?

While the government discusses “new approaches to security,” villages on the island remain weapons depotswhere fear rules instead of dialogue. This is not “tradition” – it is failure of the state.

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