Unknown assailants threw rocks at the home of an 11-year-old migrant student from Afghanistan living in Athens, Greece. The attack is being treated by police as a racially-motivated incident.
A group of unknown men attacked the home of 11-year-old Amir who made headlines following the flag-bearer controversy. In the early hours of Friday morning, the assailants threw rocks and other missiles at his apartment in the suburb of Dafni, where Amir lives with his mother and two brothers. Police have handed the case over to the racist violence division for further investigation.
Amir could not carry the flag despite winning the draw
Greece's government launched an official investigation last week after Amir did not get to carry the Greek flag during his school's annual parade as part of the celebrations for Ochi Day on October 28. This was despite him having been selected via a draw.
Amir, a fifth-year primary school pupil living in the central Athens suburb of Dafni, was selected in a draw as part of a new process brought in by the leftist government Syriza to replace the old method of selecting pupils as flagbearers based on academic merit. Instead of carrying his school's flag during the parade, Amir carried a sign displaying the name of his school with another boy given the honor of carrying the flag.
Government investigates
Greece's government have already launched an official investigation into the reasons why he did not get to carry the flag. Reports claim that the school received a call to change the flagbearer due to the fact that Amir and his family would not agree to carry the Greek flag inside an Orthodox church. This claim has since been rejected by Amir's family. The ministry is attempting to establish the identity of the person who made the call and whether that person was possibly a City of Athens employee or an NGO member.
Amir arrived in Greece one-and-a-half years ago after fleeing Afghanistan with his mother and two brothers. His father is currently waiting to be reunited with them in Germany.
Statement by Amir's school
The school's Parents and Guardians Association (PTA) have expressed its support of the educational staff for the way the director and the teachers' association dealt with the issue, however stressing that "it still supports all school children without discrimination".
The statement said: "Regarding the issue that has arisen in our school with the selection of a flag-bearer, we express our support for the school staff for the way the Director and the Teachers' Association have handled it. Our school was, is, and will always offer open arms to the children of the world, without discrimination, for both parents and our entire school community."
"We declare our solid support to both the Teachers' Association of our school and the school's Director, who, with the ethos and the professionalism that distinguishes him, handled this sensitive subject. The Teachers Association and the PTA of the 6th Primary School of Dafni continue to support ALL children of the school without discrimination," the announcement concluded.