Greece protests: Economic hardship continues to fuel riots

[Robbien]

Source: Reuters, BBC

ATHENS Dec 18th 2008- On the 12th day of unrest since police shot 15 year old Andreas Alexandros Grigoropoulos. On Wednesday demonstrators hung banners from the Acropolis in Greece. The banners meant to call for demonstrations across Europe on Thursday.

Written in Greek, German, Spanish, and English, one of the pink banners that protesters unfurled from the stone wall of the Acropolis read: “RESISTANCE” . The other banner placed on the ancient hilltop citadel read: “Thursday, 18/12 demonstrations in all Europe”

These demonstrations follow nearly two weeks of Greece’s worst protests in decades fueled by growing economic hardship and triggered by the police’s killing of a teenager on Dec 6th. The continuing riots have fed on simmering anger at high youth unemployment and the world economic crisis.

One demonstrator told Reuters they ” chose this monument to democracy, this global monument, to proclaim our resistance to state violence and demand rights in education and work,”

An estimated 10,000 people have joined protests in Athens on Thursday outside a university and marched towards parliament. Demonstrator held banners denouncing the government´s failure to the Greek people.






Read more: http://senderodelpeje.com/sdp/contenido/2008/12/18/102089

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The media keeps calling this a riot over a lad killed by police. What is being hidden is that almost the entire country (80-90%) is on strike. These riots and the strike is a protest against the conservative government "reforms" and privatization.

[killbotfactory]

1. I hope they succeed

People across the world should be following their lead.

[pattmarty]

2. I hope they succeed. Don't fall for it like some of us in the US did.

[aquart]

3. Succeed at what? Fall for what?

[tama]

10. They have succeeded a lot

There was hunger strikes and other actions allready before the murder of Alexis against overfilled Greek prison system, and half the prisoners were liberated few days after the protests started.

They have succeeded keeping the uprising going on and getting stronger and spreading also outside Greece.

They have many concrete demands still unfullfilled (disbandind of MAT (the riot police), unurming the police, no private universities, etc. etc.), hope they succeed.

What they should not fall for is party politics. What they should not fall for is giving into control mania, hope they - we - succeed to make this a true revolution: NO CONTROL

[Odin2005]

4. Holy cow!!!

:wow:

[sarcasmo]

5. We should be rioting here in Michigan, it can't get much more depressed than Michigan.

[Doremus]

6. What does it take to start a riot?

I've been thinking the same thought, that Americans should be protesting en masse for any number of grievances.

Why aren't we? Is it lack of someone, or a number of someones, to lead the charge?

Are mass protests spontaneous or are they planned?

Sorry to address this post to you Sarcasmo, but your comment seemed like as good a place as any. These are actually questions to anybody who might know the answers.

How do we start a riot?

[sarcasmo]

7. Six to ten inches of snow tonight, no one will be rioting in the morning.

It will take something that ignites a large group of people, what, when and where I have no idea.

[Doremus]

8. You know what happens when you roll a snowball downhill...

:)

Sometimes it just so *frustrating*.

I'd take my pitchfork to the town square but passersby would probaby tsk tsk at the crazy lady, lol.


(I joke but inside I'm channeling Dennis: WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!)

[tama]

11. A poem from Greece telling what is happening now:

I was muffled under filthy blankets of boredom
And for years I couldn't get out of the bed
Suddenly I realized I had world to make
And jumped up

***
Here's my thoughts:

Don't expect others to lead the charge, if you think there is need to lead the charge, charge. If you don't care if anyone will follow, then few or many may or will follow.

Both spontaneous and planned. Or spontaneously planned. The Greek uprising started immediately after the murder, Alexis' friends just sent messages via mobile phone and Facebook etc. to all their friends and then they took the streets. Of course it helped that the veteran anarchist activists were involved from the beginning and they have lots of experience and know-how and history - and university asylums where police can't enter.

As for how do you start a riot? Answer is you don't. That's what police provocateurs and violent assholes do. When provoked enough, riots happen, payback time.

Talk to you friends and people you know who are not afraid. Talk about what would be fun to do, organizing a street party (google: "reclaim the streets") is allways a good idea if you can't come up with even better ideas. Invite everybody. If cops come the order you to go away, don't obey - it's your street, your hood. If police takes up violence, be prepared to respond in kind (stash stones, Molotov's cocktails etc.) if that is what you want to do.

If you are angry at the criminals who now walk free and want to do something about that, one idea is to talk to friends who are not afraid and plan a citizen's arrest or preferably many - plan well so that unnecessary violence can be avoided. Once in custody, what I would do to Bush or any other criminal that the system refuses to prosecute, I would handcuff him, shave his head, tattoo "criminal" on his forhead, dress him in prison clothes and drop him at the gate of a prison - physically unharmed and not tortured because I don't want to be like them. "Symbolic" act perhaps, but repeated enough times even the system might start taking the hint. And taking lots of pictures and spreading them everywhere so people could see that the criminals are not above justice and can also get humiliated, just like ordinary people they have been humiliating. You can think up even better idea. Easiest way to start building up this idea is to print tons of WANTED posters (you might want to network that job) of the criminals with instructions on citizen's arrest and how the treat the convict while in custody, and spread the posters everywhere.

Most of all, get in touch with people, both on net and IRL, talk.

[roamer65]

23. America has completely lost the revolutionary spirit.

We are nothing more than fat, lazy ex-imperialists now.

[brentspeak]

25. The riots should be taking place on Wall St., K-Street, and in front of the Capitol and the WH

Take the riots directly to the sources of the misery.

[tama]

27. Not riots

Organized protests, vigils, happenings, take-overs and occupations and other various actions. Riots, if and when they occur, are people's reactions to state violence against people.

But those are prime targets for actions. You can make take your own action and/or invite friends and everybody, what's stopping you?

[tama]

9. Here's one source for news

http://anarchiststrategy.blogspot.com /

Also, another Greek teenager, 16 years, was just murdered. Assassined by unknown gunman or gunmen from distance - Golden Dawn fascists or plain clothes "vigilante" cops or both together. Death squads starting their terror tactics? If so, this may turn ugly, very ugly...

[Mudoria]

12. Could just as easily be another anarchist intent on keep

the current situation going or to fire it up even more by killing the teenager.

[High Plains]

14. Really? Got any evidence for that claim?

I didn't think so.

[arikara]

16. Frequently the "anarchists"

are cops in masks stirring things up. They got caught here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St1-WTc1kow

[tama]

22. Yes, there are cop provocateurs-infiltrators

It's a standard procedure. Instigating violence in demonstrations, also in Greece there are accusations that attacks against small businesses are made by police provocateurs. Anarchists who engage in these kinds of tactics pick their targets carefully (state, multinational corporations and other repressive hierarchic structures), while state tries to paint a picture of random vandalism to maintain the image that state protects society.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

17. Or maybe a goblin flew in on a winged unicorn and did it. nt

[tama]

21. From what I hear

The kid was shot by assassins, but not lethally. Anarchists don't kill other human beings, why would they??? It's the state that murders.

[AngryAmish]

13. Greece is really screwed up

They owe a lot of money (something like 100% of GNP). THere is no investment. Nobody will hire anyone.

This is a lost generation of Greeks. Sad.

[arikara]

15. Unreal. They've been actively striking and protesting all year

The "Grecians" are actively taking on the neocon gov't who wants to privatize as well as take away their pensions and jobs. Unlike North America, a huge majority of Greeks support the strikes and unions. Talk about an under reported story, the other capitalistic gov'ts don't want this getting out and the media aka department of propaganda is complying. Now they are blaming the unrest on the killing of the boy.


Dec 12 2007 Thousands of Greek workers have joined a 24-hour strike in protest against reforms which could jeapordise pensions and jobs.

Launched by Greece's two largest unions, the strike has affected all public services, hospitals, banks, courts and airports. All flights out of Athens airport have been grounded after air traffic controllers, pilots and flight crews walked out, and ferry and metro systems across the country have been hit. No Thursday newspapers have been published, and three state-run television stations have been broadcasting nothing but text supporting the strike.

http://libcom.org/news/greece-general-strike-against-pension-reform-12122007

Feb 13, 2008 Public service workers in Greece have gone on strike, for the second time in two months, to defend their pensions.

The strikes have virtually paralysed the country as workers nation-wide seek to defend their pensions and protest against a government that has broken its promises. The strikers mounted large demonstrations in at least 8 cities across the country including Thessaloniki and Athens, where tens of thousands marched with banners reading "hands off our pension funds" and "the future belongs to the workers."

http://libcom.org/news/greece-general-strike-public-service-workers-13022008

March 20, Greece's civil servants have staged a nationwide strike against planned pension reforms, badly disrupting transport and closing public offices.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7304154.stm

On June 18, Greek workers paralysed the country with a massive general strike against a government attempt to increase the age of retirement and reduce pensions. This militant action underscores the radicalisation that is occurring among the working class in Greece.

http://www.greenleft.org.au/2002/499/27966

A 24-hour general strike was staged Tuesday, October 21, across Greece, grinding the country's major infrastructure to a halt. The strike involved workers in air traffic, urban transport and public services.

http://www.votestrike.com/greece_on_strike


Dec 10, 2008 A general strike shut down schools, hospitals, flight and public services across Greece today, touching off further riots that left dozens injured and piling the pressure on a government severely shaken by five days of unprecedented civil unrest.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/10/greece-riots-protests

[Renew Deal]

18. Initially it was a riot.

It's morphed into more of a protest.

[tama]

24. Popular uprising

is what most Greeks call it.

[Uncle Joe]

19. Kicked and recommended for the Cradle of Democracy to have a rebirth.

I wish the very best, for the Greeks.

Thanks for the thread, Robbien.

[killbotfactory]

20. An open letter to students by workers in Athens

An open letter to students by workers in Athens, against the background of the social upheaval following the police shooting of a young boy.

A letter to students

Our age difference and the general estrangement make it difficult for us to discuss with you in the streets; this is why we send you this letter.

Most of us have not (yet) been bald or big-bellied. We are part of the 1990-91 movement. You must have heard of it. Back then, and while we had occupied our schools for 30-35 days, fascists killed a teacher because he had gone beyond his natural role (that of being our guard) and crossed the line to the opposite side; he had come with us, into our struggle. Then, even the toughest of us got to the streets and riot. However, we didn’t even think of doing what you easily do today: attack police stations (although we sang “burn police stations…”).

So, you’re gone beyond us, as always happens in history. Conditions are different of course. During ‘90s they passed us off the prospect of personal success and some of us swallowed it. Now people cannot believe this fairy tale. Your older brothers showed us this during the 2006-07 students’ movement; you now spit their fairy tale to their faces.

So far so good.

Now the good and difficult matters begin.

We’ll tell you what we’ve learned from our struggles and our defeats (because as long as world is not ours we’ll always be the defeated ones) and you can use what we’ve learned as you wish:

Don’t stay alone. Call us; call as many people as possible. We don’t know how you can do that, you will find the way. You’ve already occupied your schools and you tell us that the most important reason is that you don’t like your schools. Nice. Since you’ve already occupied them change their role. Share your occupations with other people. Let your schools become the first buildings to house our new relations. Their most powerful weapon is dividing us. Just like you are not afraid of attacking their police stations because you are together, don’t be afraid to call us to change our life all together.

Don’t listen to any political organization (either anarchists or anyone). Do what you need to. Trust people, not abstract schemes and ideas. Trust your direct relations with people. Trust your friends; make as many people as possible in your struggle your people. Don’t listen to them when they’re saying that your struggle doesn’t have a political content and must seemingly obtain. Your struggle is the content. You only have your struggle and it’s in your hands to preserve its advance. It’s only your struggle that can change your life, namely you and the real relations with your fellowmen.

Don’t be afraid to proceed when confronting new things. Each one of us, as we’re getting older, has things planted in their brains. You too, although you are young. Don’t forget the importance of this fact. Back in 1991, we confronted the smell of the new world and, trust us, we found it difficult. We learned that there must always be limits. Don’t be scared by the destruction of commodities. Don’t be scared by people looting stores. We make all these, they are ours. You (just like we in the past) are raised to get up every morning in order to make things that they will later not be yours. Let’s get them back all together and share them. Just like we share our friends and the love among us.

We apologize for writing this letter quickly, but we do it swinging the lead from our work, secretly from our boss. We are imprisoned in work, just like you are imprisoned in school.

We’ll now lie to our boss and leave work: we’ll come to meet you in Syntagma sq with stones in our hands.

Proletarians

Pictures

http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=949951
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=950002
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=950016

[tama]

26. These are the days of Justin Elmore

Infoshop.org

Augusta, Georgia: Riots Erupt After Cops Kill 23 year old
Wednesday, December 17 2008 @ 01:49 AM CST
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 17
Police StateRichmond County Sheriffs shot and killed 23 year old Justin Elmore on Monday in the Cherry Tree Crossing Housing Projects. The Cops, claiming that Justin had stolen the SUV, surrounded him and opened fire. Bullets flew everywhere. Local apartments had windows shot out and a little boy was almost shot in the Head. On Tuesday, the community held a vigil in response to the shooting. After an occupying force of 90 police descended on the neighborhood the people fought back. Locals threw rocks and bottles at both the Police and the Corporate Media. People also set fires to dumpsters and at least one car. Corporate media reports at least 30 shots had been fired during the riot.

Richmond County Sheriffs shot and killed 23 year old Justin Elmore on Monday in the Cherry Tree Crossing Housing Projects. The Cops, claiming that Justin had stolen the SUV, surrounded him and opened fire. Bullets flew everywhere. Local apartments had windows shot out and a little boy was almost shot in the Head.

On Tuesday, the community held a vigil in response to the shooting. After an occupying force of 90 police descended on the neighborhood the people fought back. Locals threw rocks and bottles at both the Police and the Corporate Media. People also set fires to dumpsters and at least one car. Corporate media reports at least 30 shots had been fired during the riot.

Militant resistance to police violence is not confined to the arbitrary borders that make up Greece. Oppressed people's in the US fight the police on a daily basis. Lets keep Augusta, and all of the other cases of atrocities committed by police in the US in mind when we act in Solidarity on Saturday the 20th. Fighting for Greece means fighting for all of us!

You can find corporate coverage at
http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/local/36277654.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jemefEqYJbE
- check the comments

[Blue_Tires]

28. i had the feeling this was about something deeper than just the murdered teen

[tama]

29. Some of the immediate demands of the protesters

Out of memory, from various sources:

- Legalize cannabis
- Free all the people taken by police during the uprising
- Dissolve MAT (Greek riot police, educated by USA), disarm police
- No to privatizing universities, total remake of education system
- Change destroyed banks and posh shops into community centers serving free organic food for the hungry.
- build more railroads, free public transportation (protesters have been disabling the pay system and giving people free rides in the Athens metro
- Get rid of fossile fuels and replace them with renewable energy
- etc., my memory fails me and not up to searching more right now