Some of the raging forest fires in Greece may have been deliberate arson for financial gain. Forested areas are not allowed to be developed, but cleared areas are. The Greek government is now saying the fires may be considered as terrorism. “So many fires breaking out simultaneously in so many parts of the country cannot be a coincidence,” said their PM.
More: John Robb says over 200 fires have been set in the past 24 hours, many “around the country’s biggest electricity plants”, which suggests deliberate sabotage and open source warfare rather than corporate greed could be the root cause.
GREECE AT THE WHIMS OF THE ARSONIST
The summer fires are a common phenomenon during the summer months in the region, to a small degree, it is nature’s way of renewing itself, and other times such fires are caused by genuine accidents. However, since the beginning of the summer, there have been close to 10,000 fires that have devastated half of Greece’s forests and nature preserves. I am sure, that anything of this kind of disaster has been recorded in the last 2,000 years, although I stand to be corrected. No war, invasion, or civil strife has ever caused such catastrophe. To say this is purely coincidental is absurd and insult to anyone’s intelligence. This is clearly arson. Many theories exist as to the reasons, and to a certain extend they all may be valid. Developers’ greed perhaps may be one possibility, but in the writer’s opinion, a very remote possibility. As the incumbent ruling party has called for early elections on September 16, it appears that the fires and the multiple incidents of fires have intensified. Perhaps rogue operatives in the fringes of the political parties may have sought to destabilize the government and render it helpless and inept prior to the elections. That appears to be a more likely scenario. Of course, in addition, copycats, pyromaniacs, and other demented minds find the environment now conducive into which they can implement and execute their twisted, criminal perversions. How can the government address the issue effectively when hundreds and hundreds of fires spring up at multiple locations simultaneously? This is a Herculean task to bring under control. The kind of difficulty confronting such a disaster will affect any government on the planet in a similar manner whether it involves superpowers, or just Greece. There should be nothing short of marshal law and the mobilization of the armed forces together with the police and the over-worked, exhausted, courageous fire department working in unison. By the way, the mobilized forces should be given strict instruction to shoot and kill any arsonist caught in the act of arson or attempting arson. Further, Greece should consider the death penalty for convicted arsonists. Greece is in a state of war with itself. Human life, property, the environment, national integrity, security, safety, and the economy are at risk. Greece is very much unprepared for such disaster. Immediate assistance by neighboring countries is necessary. It is a very sad state of affairs and I dare speculate it is caused by Greeks against themselves. Radical, colossal, preventive measures need to be implemented in the future in order to prevent this Greek tragedy of biblical proportions from ever happening again. Greece has demonstrated how vulnerable any country in the Mediterranean region or at any region in the world with similar geographical conditions could be at the whims of the arsonist. The terrorist, irrespective of his cause no longer needs sophisticated arsenal, just a match!
George E. Kazantzis
[…] Property speculators are thought to be behind many of the fires. Forest areas are ignited, upon which properties are subsequently illegally erected and then officially registered by corrupt local authorities. This method is well known and, according to estimates, is the cause of dozens of fires every year. […]