"Watch out, fool, the end is nigh"

“He will not stop, we're talking about pure hate. The only way he will stop bothering with me is if he sees me dead”, stated Socrates Giolias from Radio 9, directly meaning Makis Triantafyllopoulos. He explicitly heralded his own death sentence, given the targetted attempts at his life by his former employer. Yet, almost four years after Socrates Giolias' execution, Makis Triantafyllopoulos has not yet been called to answer to justice. Not even as someone who would -at least- be relieved by Giolias' possible death, as proven by the innocent journalist. Not even to answer on what he meant on whatever he methodically wrote to Giolias, months prior to the murder. However, the deceased's family has asked for Triantafyllopoulos to finally testify to police.

It is a widespread impression that several of the resentful and malicious, at times, comments against media persons are circumstantial products of frivolity. However, many of them which appear intimidatingly organized and are systematically repeated, are in danger of being seen as irresponsible. Especially when premeditating unpleasant situations, harm or damages or foresee unpleasant developments and future dangers to those that are targeted. Especially when they are written in first person and contain warnings and threats. Even if they are covered by enigmatic, mysterious and sometimes foggy sayings, they cannot but point to a specific targetting- a method that Makis Triantafyllopoulos did not avoid in his “Al Qaeda” column on zougla.gr website as well as “Veto” newspaper, when he attacked his former close parnter Socrates Giolias, when the latter was still alive, with statements such as “After this, you understand, there can be no mercy...”. Therefore, many are wondering how much this “poetic irresponsibility” can be credited to the famous journalilst and TV persona when he was directly addressed the -later- murdered man with the phrase: “You fool, be wary, the end is nigh, said the man next to him, then a bang was heard and the fool was done”.

Hellenic Police could, just by having a simple look at some of the things directed at Giolias a few months prior to the latter's cold-blooded early morning murder, have potentially found them enough to call upon Triantafyllopoulos to testify. But Police never did, in the framework of an initial inexcusable delay which seems to continue until today. Despite that,the written documents still exist and are obviously at their disposal.  Statements addressed towards the troktiko blog's editor are characterized as insulting and vindictive. Specifically, phrases such as “It's true, the dirty troktiko blogger, we'll take him to his end...” or, “A bet that everyone will be unpleasantly surprised? We will return soon...”, “We said that the blogosphere will be cleansed by dirty journalists, rats and there will be...” or even in a sideways manner “Don't pay attention to anything, in a little while even their mother will have forgotten who they are...”, are, according to Anti-Terrorism Police officials, not only malicious reactions, but either open or covert threats of ending the unlucky Giolias. However, in an unexplained hermetic frivolity, Police never requested that Triantafyllopoulos testify on his proverbial statements: “We said it before, first you have the Cross, then you put the lamb on the spit...” and “Silence equals guilt, and when the cannon goes off, it will be too late...”. Besides his outstanding threats, like “Wait and watch the last act of the play, when all the rats who deigned to fight back...what an inglorious end awaits them” or “If he troubles himself to visit the Police department and look at its walls, he will know why it will soon be too late...”. Especially when the -later murdered- journalist, worried by the attacks, considered himself as a victim of an escalating ttack. Especially when Socrates Giolias, when speaking to a family member, revealed Triantafyllopoulos' name as the one who would kill him.

In view, however of these statements, which were never investigated enough, a part of high-ranking Police officials now talks of a relative initial passivity, even unwillingness, of the department to called Triantafyllopoulos to testify, in order for the latter to explain his motives on what is estimated as verbally vicious attacks against Socrates Giolias. Since new and old evidence are connected and reviewed, it is never too late to explain the meaning of the phrases: “This is not time for philosophy, things have gotten way out of hand. When you pull out a gun, though, you gotta shoot, otherwise you're a goner”, as was stated in e-form or in print by known journalist Makis Triantafyllopoulos.

Barrage of insults

Alongside with the direct or indirect threats by Makis Triantafyllopoulos, in both his e-column and his former newspaper, it is obvious that his attempt to depreciate his former partner in the eyes of the public was deliberate. It is also assumed that he put forth the fact that he “fired” the journalist (which he characterized as “reprehensible, unfaithful and greedy”), when it was known that the -now deceased- journalist had quit since October 26th 2009, after a strong fight that the two men had on the phone. Even close partners of Makis Triantafyllopoulos had attributed the outburts of anger that came later, against Socrates Giolias, as a cover-up of a false claim. Not even these internal objections, though, stopped the well-known TV presenter and journalist from makign statements such as “Crazy god-lover of troktiko blog, who rode Efraim from door to door. Get ready to be blown away”. A warning that was accompanied by a mantra “It's a job (sorry for the contracting mindset), that we do not wish to share with others...Have patience and...Get well”.

Experienced Counterterrorism analysts original diagnosed, however, that the slandering of Giolias with Triantafyllopoulos's statements was slandering, after the latter had called Socrates “pious”, “right-wing” and “darkly-connected” journalist. All this with statements that overcame the fog of enmity and resulted in overt invocation of violence, like, “The clash with right-wing dirty scum, will go to the end...Is that clear? If not, then have patience, TV-Al Qaeda has its ways...”.

Therefore, Police officials did not preclude, under the mud-slinging, for Giolias to be targeted by specific terrorist groups. The fact that this was later confirmed on Socrate Giolias while the “Revolutionary Sect”, who murdered him using 20 bullets, and who used the exact same characterizations in its declaration, was seen as mere coincidence. It has not escape anyone's attention, hoever, that Triantafyllopoulos tried to advertise, on the day of Giolias' murder, that the fact was a terrorist hit and not a “settling of accounts”. The day after the burial he sent a “message” to the close friends and coworkers of the deceased that the execution was the act of terrorists. He indicatively wrote that “Before any attempt at an investigation is done, the wretched circles of journalism have claimed it was a settling of accounts, as if Socrates, through his radio show and blog, had connections with the mafia”. This placement was as if it was aimed to cancel out all he had previously blamed the man and underground connections, who was murdered in front of his pregnant wife's eyes. Neither these contradictions and innuendos, however, neither the gaps of a monotonous narrative which sought to manipulate public opinion were judged by authorities to be suspect for further investigation.