I received a humorous email from Activist ‘E’, who lives in Cambridge UK, is retired and spends at least 8 hours per day, 7 days per week, alerting the world to the horrors of animal abuse in Greece and how everyone can help. Activist ‘E’ recently engaged in correspondence with a Greek lady Angelica C. Not sure if the email was a prank or was truly serious, ‘E’ replied. Following is a copy of what transpired over the past 2 days.
I would like to invite all Greeks who wish to respond to Angelica to write from a personal perspective, as she does not seem to care or welcome any input from foreigners on the animal cruelty crisis in this country. I will not publish her email but please use the Comment box at the bottom of the page and then I will forward a link to her so she can see for herself what everyone thinks of her approach.
Read on!
Kits Kitty
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Angelica says:
You know, Elaine, if each country took care of its own, we wouldn’t have a problem… I think Britain has a lot more problems with its animals than Greece does: Guards helmets, fox hunting, cosmetics, etc, that a poor country like Greece doesn’t have. Whatever animal abuse we have here, is by individual people - I am sure you, in Britain, also have people who torture animals- (and children, I might add, like poor Peter!) Fix your own, and leaave us to take care of ours. I would like an answer to my mail, please. (…polite, if possible? I wouldn’t like to start an argument!)
Thanks.
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Activist E replies:
August 3 at 8:56pm
Hello Angelica,
When I first got your message, I honestly didnt know whether to laugh and just ignore it, but I do realise that you must be geniune although totally misguided. I did pass it on to a few friends, some Greek, and I will not repeat the language!
Firstly, yes of course there is abuse all over the world. We have cruelty in england, but I only associate myself with animals anyway, whatever country and have little interest in “humans”. Sad about “Peter” but not unexpected. It is the same in Greece but in the u.k. we never had such a “recent” scandal in the last century as you did in Leros with the “mental hospital”.
In the UK we have a government who does listen (not all of the time) but your government DOES NOT LISTEN AT ALL. We have the RSPCA here but you have nobody. You could have had the support of WSPA and PETA, but your ministry of agriculture sent them packing in 2003 when they had talks about the impending “removal” of 15,000 strays to make way for the athens 2004 Olympics. So you have nobody to support your animals apart from the minority greek animal lovers (their own admission) and outsiders like me who work for charity organisations specifically for greece and pour thousands of euros per year into your country.
Fox hunting here was banned several years ago. Hunting is still very very strong in Greece and the hunter owners of the dogs are barbaric and as soon as a dog becomes gun-shy, it is left to starve to death or hanged in a tree (common practice in Kardamena and also in Crete).
The fur helmets are a problem but the government here are trying to find ways of using synthetic materials. We have no bear baiting in the U.K. as you do. Drug experimenting laboratories are sadly a fact of life, everywhere in the world and we have a huge number of people who protest against it. You had a demonstration a few months back in Athens, and around 15 maximum attended according to my greek friend who also went. Just for your information, three of the people who are languishing in a disgusting British prison who were part of the SHAC trial against animal testing laboratories, and have sentences of up to 11 years left, started a fund earlier in the year and raised over 2000 english pounds specifically FOR YOUR STRAYS. Do you think greek prisoners would be doing the same for English strays????
Greece, once known as the “cradle of civilisation” now has the worst animal abuse record, per capita, in the EU.
Compare a population of around 11 million in Greece, with tens of thousands of animal abuse incidents, with a population of 60 million in the U.K. with our animal abuse cases. The latter would be negligible in comparison. Any crimes that are committed here in the U.K. are dealt with and people are imprisoned or punished with huge fines and not allowed to own animals any longer. In Greece with the many many corrupt mayors and municipalities, corrupt police, there is a mafia type organisation and so if the mayor happens to know an animal abuser, the case would not even be heard. We hear this time and time again. By the way, did you know that the municipalities actually are responsible for ordering poison to be put down for the strays, typical example, Ioannina.
So that is why I try to do my best by raising awareness and money, which I can ill afford, for your animals, because I have many desperate greek friends and without our help and volunteers, it would be even more hellish for them.
I suggest you get your head out of the sand and stop being the “typical in denial greek” that you seem to be. Don’t be embarrassed, patriotism is overrated, particularly when it comes to animals, who cannot speak for themselves.
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Angelica replies:
August 3 at 10:12pm
Perhaps your first instinct to “laugh, or ignore” is typical of your own misguided patriotism, dear Elaine…as for my head in the sand? Surely you could do better than that!!! And your friends in Greece? I write with my full name, don’t they use theirs? Greece is still known as the cradle of civilization, what is Britain known for??? enough already- I have said what I wanted, and have heard what you wanted to say- so, bye, we don’t see eye to eye, let’s leave it at that…
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Activist ‘E’ replies:
August 3 at 10:37pm
When I said “laugh” I was not meaning that in a funny way but I was truly astounded at what you wrote. Sometimes ignoring is best but it is also rude. I have persevered with quite a few young Greek men on youtube who were in denial and when they see I am genuine, they come around and even join our groups on facebook and they are nice young men.
I was very disappointed in your short reply, you made no attempt to remark or justify anything. Your english is excellent but you have not understood anything I said I am sure.
I do not have misguided patriotism because I am not in the least bit patriotic. We have the worst rate of teenage pregnancy in the EU, probably the whole world, and also what about our disgusting drunken british tourists. My head is not in the sand at all, I tell it like it is.
I sincerely hoped you were not one of these people that make comments and then because you have no answers, it is the end of the subject. All I am interested in is helping greek stray animals and trying to prevent the owned animals from being abused.
Have you see the latest youtube video done by a greek charity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ-jzVDRQBM
I would like to put you in touch with some really great Greek people who spend so much time and energy with animals.
One of the volunteers at the shelter said this at your message -
“Ask her to list the amount of hours of volunteering and protests that she has attended, the amount of euros she has spent sterilizing and making surgeries, and how much time each day she spends making Greece a better place for dogs. She probably cannot answer because like a typical Greek she doesn’t do anything. When she asks about Peter (?) ask her about kidnapped and murdered Alex and his little friends that killed him, the 2 gypsy kids left to die inthe abandoned elevator shaft last Fall, or the 5 year old raped by her uncle.”
I don’t know of these cases she refers to, but as I said before, I am more interested in animals because they cannot speak for themselves, whereas generally, humans are in control of their own destiny.
I am sorry I was unable to convince you of anything. Maybe you are housebound and do not get out much, I dont know.
This is a video made by Phillip Dragoumis, a very well known environmentalist and friend of a lady I know who runs an animal organisation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puY8AaSKl_A&feature=channel_page
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Angelica replies:
Today at 7:01am
What I do, or don’t do, is my choice-I don’t have to justify myself to people I don’t know their names, and in any case, I don’t advertize my doings. I didn’t realize I was on trial here. Or that a simple note to you would be offered as evidence to unknown to me people. I wrote a one-to-one note.
By the way, why Greek strays? What about Turkish strays, Italian strays, Spanish strays?What’s so special about ours??? I wouldn’t like to be put in touch with your friends, thank you. I have enough of my own, people who, like me, have names, and don’t write under the cloak of their english friend.
Again, thanks for your answer.
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Activist ‘E’ replies:
Today at 7:24am
What I meant was I thought you would justify what you said. I haven’t put you on trial, don’t forget you wrote to me, and when it involves animals to me it is not a “simple note”
You ask why Greek strays, the answer is simple, because there are so many which is a result of ignorance regarding neutering and humane euthanasia. Turkey, was not once known as the “cradle of civilisation” and is not the EU but no doubt is as bad, if not worse with the treatment of its strays. Italy and Spain, also have the their problems but they are not notorious for the “end of tourist season poisoning” which sadly Greece is. I was not aware that I had any Greek friends who do not use their own names.
All I can imagine is that you are quite an elderly person to have such deluded views and probably a Garagouni supporter. I realise now of course that you are not an animal lover so it would be futile to put you in touch with any of my Greek friends who work so hard to help them.
Hopefully, one day, you and people like you, will wake up and face the reality. Greece could be one of the most beautiful places in the world, but for this very dark side and sooner or later with the spread of videos and information across the internet, tourists will not want to visit.
http://www.youtube.com/user/hateanimalabuse
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Angelica replies:
Today at 7:31am
……….and that, my dear english friend, would make you so happy!!!!
So, I am deluded, elderly, not an animal lover, unrealistic and (probably!!!) a Garagounis supporter!
You forgot a Drunken British Tourist Lover !!!!
Well done!
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Activist ‘E’ replies:
Today at 7:35am
Well at least you have a sense of humour and you are not a pregnant teenager, LOL!
I am not advocating a boycott of Greece, unlike your own countrymen, and although this would be good as a threat to your dreadful government, it would not help the animals or the decent greek people.
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Angelica replies:
Today at 7:53am
I am not pregnant, not a teenager, not elderly either—time for those later! Yes, a sense of humour is a help to get through life unscathed. By the way, a one-woman-boycott of Greece, wouldn”t do much…Greece is a wonderful country, with caring people, but with her own percentage of stupidity, carelessness, heartlessnes like her friend, England! Have you ever been, or do you watch all those videos you put up on FB?
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What would you like to say to Angelica? Write it below in the Comment box - English or Greek - it does not matter to me, but I am sure Angelica would prefer Greek, as proof that the comment was actually written by a Greek person.
Thank you,
Kits Kitty
