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Alexandros (Alekos)
Schinas (Greek:
Αλέξανδρος Σχινάς)
(Serres, 1870s, Volos - May 6, 1913), was a Greek
anarchist who assassinated King George I of Greece in
Thessaloniki in 1913.
Schinas worked in the pantry of the
Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City and a waiter
remembered him as an avid reader of socialism-related
literature and spending nights in Manhattan "making
friends with radical and fervid thinkers". Schinas was
against governments and especially against aristocracy
and monarchy.
He started an anarchist school in his
native town which the Greek government closed for
spreading anti-government ideas. Two of the leaders of
the school were sentenced to prison, but Schinas escaped
without being imprisoned. The authorities also seized a
number of books and pamphlets published by the school,
which were deemed to contain anarchist doctrine and
denounced the king.
On March 18, 1913, at around 5:15 PM,
Schinas (who was around 40 at the time) shot King George
I in the back from a distance of two paces while the
king was walking in Thessaloniki near the White Tower.
Entering below the king's shoulder blade, the bullet
pierced his heart and lungs and exited through his
stomach. By the time the king arrived at the hospital,
he was already dead.
Schinas was taken
into custody immediately, initially
refusing to explain the reason for the
crime, but when asked by an officer
whether he had no "pity" for his
country, he answered he was against
governments. As Schinas remained calm
for the entire event, there were
suggestions that he was not "responsible
for his actions".
Later, Schinas
declared that he killed the king because
the latter refused to give him the money
he asked for. The Greek government
released statements claiming that
Schinas was an alcoholic vagrant.
Schinas was tortured
throughout the following night, being "forced
to undergo examinations", but he refused
to give the names of any accomplices. On
May 6, he allegedly committed suicide by
jumping out of the window of the police
station in Thessaloniki; but it is
possible he was simply defenestrated by
the police.
Various theories on
the motives of Schinas circulated later,
including that his action was directed
by Bulgaria as a form of revenge for its
lost territories, Austria-Hungary for
political reasons or Germany for
dynastic reasons, however there is no
evidence for any of them.
Wikipedia.org
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