A Thessaloniki court has sentenced a 34-year-old man over homophobic abuse and threats directed at a 23-year-old LGBTQI+ person near the White Tower. The encounter, recorded by the victim in March 2024, came just three days after a separate group attack. The case shows how a phone video helped identify the defendant and bring the incident before a court.

A phone recording helped bring the case to court

The victim’s recording became an important part of the case: after a complaint was made, it helped police identify the man. The encounter happened on the paved area near Thessaloniki’s White Tower, where the 23-year-old said they were subjected to homophobic insults and threats and felt afraid.

The Thessaloniki Pride organisations also reported a related transphobic incident in March 2024 in which a victim and companion recorded an encounter and contacted police. Their account describes a waterfront location, rather than the White Tower area reported in the court coverage, so the accounts shouldn’t be treated as identical.

The defendant accepted the insult charge and apologised

The 34-year-old wasn’t in court in person. His lawyer represented him, accepted the insult charge on his behalf and conveyed an apology.

The court imposed a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for three years. It found him guilty of insult and threat with racist characteristics, according to Eleftheros Typos.

The incident came after a larger attack

The White Tower encounter took place three days after a separate group assault in Thessaloniki. A report by Kathimerini says a crowd verbally attacked and pursued two transgender people in Aristotelous Square, and that 21 people were arrested, including 11 minors at the time of that report.

The later court report says case files were formed against 21 people over the group attack, including 12 minors, with most cases referred to the appropriate courts. The figures differ because the reports reflect different stages of the proceedings, so it’s worth keeping their timing in view.

Greece’s Racist Violence Recording Network condemned the earlier attack and highlighted the harm caused when people are targeted in public because of their identity. Its statement also called for a thorough investigation and support for victims.

Why filming in public became part of the debate

The video did more than capture the encounter: it helped identify the alleged perpetrator. That raised questions about how recordings made in public can be used in legal proceedings.

In a follow-up statement, Thessaloniki Pride said a Prosecutor’s Office circular had accepted that video could be used as evidence to identify people responsible for transphobic attacks. The statement also noted that privacy rights may be limited where there are serious public-interest grounds, provided the response is proportionate.

A reminder that public abuse has lasting consequences

The court case concerns one later incident, but its context is a wider sequence of attacks and legal proceedings in Thessaloniki. For the person targeted, being insulted and threatened in a public place was frightening; the recording then became a practical way to support a complaint.

A phone can preserve evidence, but the organisations’ statements also underline that filming doesn’t replace reporting an incident or seeking support. Accountability matters, and so does making public spaces feel safer for the people who use them.

A conviction is one step towards accountability, not the end of the conversation.

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