IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT A GROUP OF ALBANIAN YOUNG MEN LIVING IN THE VILLAGE ANTISKARIO OF THE CITY KANDIYE (IRAKLIO) ON THE CREATE ISLAND, WHO WORK IN THE GREENHOUSES IN THE SAID VILLAGE, HAS BEEN BEATEN BY GREEK VILLAGERS IN THE VILLAGE SQUARE ON THE GROUNDS THAT THEY HAVE STOLEN A MOBILE TELEPHONE, DURING WHICH THEIR HANDS AND ARMS HAVE BEEN FASTENED AS IF IT WAS A SCENE FROM THE MIDDLE AGES AND THAT ONE OF THEM HAS BEEN ABOUT TO BE LYNCHED AND HAS BEEN TAKEN TO HOSPITAL IN A HEAVILY WOUNDED SITUATION. ACCORDING TO THE NEWS LAID DOWN IN THE NEWSPAPER ELEFTHEROTIPIA DATED 5 FEBRUARY 2003, WHICH WAS ENTITLED "THEY HAVE DEMANDED AN INCREASE IN THEIR WAGES AND BEEN LYNCHED", DIMITRIS TSAVOLAKIS, THE PRIEST OF THE ANTISKARIO VILLAGE STATED THAT THE INCIDENTS HAPPENED IN HIS VILLAGE WERE NOT ACCEPTABLE AND INHUMANE AND THAT THEY FASTENED A THIN AND WEAK CHILD TO A MAST AND PERMANENTLY BEAT HIM ALTHOUGH HIS FACE WAS FULL OF BLOOD. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IF HE WAS NOT THERE.

THE NEWSPAPER INFORMED THAT THE REASONS WHY THE YOUNG ALBANIAN MAN WAS BRUTALLY BEATEN WERE NOT OBVIOUS, BUT THE RELATIONS OF ABOUT 30 ALBANIAN CITIZENS LIVING IN THE VILLAGE WHO WORK IN THE GREENHOUSES WITH THE VILLAGERS WORSENED IN THE LAST DAYS WHEN THE ALBANIANS REQUESTED AN INCREASE IN THEIR WAGES FORM 20 EURO TO 23 EURO. THE NEWSPAPER ALSO REPORTED THAT ALL THE ALBANIANS WHO HAVE BEEN LIVING AND WORKING IN THE VILLAGE FOR MANY YEARS LEFT THE VILLAGE WITH THEIR FAMILIES FOLLOWING THE SAID INCIDENT.

FEBRUARY 5, 2003 (THE PRIME TIME NEWS OF GREEK TV)