The German press focuses on the news of dead and injured people from a sudden “vendetta” in Crete. The concern for the safety of tourists is evident – and not only that. Read some of the articles selected by DW….
“A hail of bullets in Crete” is the title of the Welt article. Among other things, the Berlin newspaper writes: “The vendetta occasionally occurs in remote areas of Crete, where old conflicts between families have left traces to this day. An aggravating factor is that for many men in Crete, gun ownership is considered an essential element of their self-image.”
Looking back, the article states that “one of the most famous vendettas occurred in the Chania area, which is today a tourist stronghold. It began in 1910 and lasted until the mid-1980s. It is said that the cause was a ‘family honor issue’ between the Sartzetakis and Pentarakis families. In the following decades, the clashes took on increasingly terrifying proportions. In total, almost 120 people were killed on both sides. The confrontation was only ended after intervention at the highest political level.”
“Shooting in the air is common”
“Greek island in state of emergency” is the headline of an article in the Frankfurter Rundschau. The Frankfurt newspaper points out that the Cretan village where the massacre took place “is located southwest of the capital, Heraklion, and is only an hour’s drive away, while it is about 45 minutes from the popular tourist destination of Matala and its beaches, in the south of the island. Such confrontations could cause fear in many holidaymakers in Greece.”
The publication states that “in Crete, the culture of gun ownership is extremely widespread. (…) At weddings and celebrations, shots are fired in the air, sometimes there are deaths from stray bullets. The causes of conflicts between families in Crete often go back so far that the real cause has been forgotten. Only hatred remains, which is passed down from generation to generation.”
The RTL television network speaks of “scenes of war in a tourist area.” “Dead and injured – fierce clashes on a tourist island in the Mediterranean” is the headline of the Hamburg newspaper Morgenpost. Bild writes that “on Saturday, fear and terror prevailed where hundreds of thousands of people usually spend their holidays, enjoying the sun and the sea.” He also notes: “The level of fear in the village is also evident from the caution shown by the authorities. Some of the injured after the shooting were taken to hospitals by cars and tractors, as at first ambulances, for precautionary reasons, were not allowed into the village.”
Source: Deutsche Welle
