Nigeria's top diplomat in Greece calls for calm among immigrant community

23/08/2007

ATHENS, Greece -- Nigeria's top diplomat in Greece, charge d'affaires Mohammed Sani Dole, urged his countrymen to stay calm on Wednesday (August 22nd) following the death last week of a 25-year-old Nigerian immigrant. The man, who was selling pirated CDs in a Thessaloniki cafeteria, jumped out of a window because he assumed two men there were about to arrest him. The incident sparked a series of protests by the Nigerian immigrant community. On Monday, demonstrators in Thessaloniki demanded an investigation into the incident.

At a separate demonstration Tuesday, some in the crowd began throwing rocks at a local TV station, prompting police to use tear gas. Dole met with the chief of police on Wednesday, telling reporters afterwards that an investigation has been launched and efforts are under way to find the two men. (Reuters, Alpha TV, MIA - 22/08/07)