What a day. I went back to the centre to see what was happening around the university campus I Thessaloniki as just when I thought everything was quiet and all the violence has ended I turned a corner right into a couple of platoons of riot police getting ready to retreat from stone throwing anarchist who'd left the university grounds.
I was fumbling about to figure out how to turn on the video camera my student had just lent me when my mobile rang and somebody at Sky news told me I'd be talking live. Yikees!!!! Then all hell seemed to break loose as the MAT (Greek riot police regrouped) and charged back by me. In the middle of giving an eyewitness account my truculent mobile died on me making for a dramatic effect, I guess.
Strangely, around the riot police were groups of masked men throwing stones into the university, something that did not seem to bother the cops next to them at all. I keep on hearing rumours members of the far right Xryse Aygh movement are getting involved but I can't confirm this.
I do however have video of the incidents around the university which I'm putting up on Youtube in a while.
Update
I managed to upload the video which shows the situation last night just outside the university next to the Genematas hospital. Notice the civilians wearing gas masks and throwing stones at the anarchists in the university just meters from where the riot police are standing.
In Patras, the port city near Athens thousands attacked rioters in the university grounds.
I just came across this video uploaded to ireport by my friend, Jay. It shows high school students demonstrating in he Analipsi district of East Thessaloniki yesterday. They are chanting, "Batsi gourouni, dolofoni", "cops, pigs, killers"
7 comments:
Yeah, I've been keeping track of comments from Greek comrades on the libcom.org forums saying that the fascists are looking for conflict with the anarchists.
So I'd say that those rumors are true.
This is not the first time that anarchists do this.If the fact that I want them to disappear from my country makes me a "fascist" then you can call me a "fascist"..they are destroying every two months my university (the Athens University of Economics and Business)while they make the bombs in the universities since many months.It is a shame for you that I see that you take the part of these barbarians..our democracy protects the free speech and the expression of every ideology but freedom has its limits..We will not let these men destroy our country and we will unite as one once again together..Your view upon these matter is wrong and you make it on purpose..you take the part of the anarchists while all the civilized world here in Greece has convicted them..your reports are a disgrace.
THE RIOTS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MARCHES..SO STOP PROPAGANDA.
I agree with Michael+
Well, if the government and police can't do anything about the rioters (I refuse to call them anarchists, because they really aren't) I guess regular citizens need to step up and fight them! Honestly, we can't let them ruin the country, and since Greece can't use the military to halt such things, there is no other choice but civil war.
Way too many people seem to be on the side of the rioters. It is disgusting, because in the end, all this rioting takes away from the memory of the boy that lost his life on Saturday. Very sad.
Thanks for putting yourself in the fray, TeacherDude, because otherwise I wouldn't be getting reliable news about what is happening here in Thessaloniki! Just be careful, please.
What is actually sad, melusina, is that you didn' t go downtown to see for your self, since you live here in thessaloniki.
As for Michael, i would not like to get provocativ and call him a fascist, because i don' t believe that he is one. But, what is important is to realise that all this rhetoric about law, normality and order has been deeply embedded and comes out as a natural reflex even from the youngsters of this society. Meanwhile, some other youngsters had a better judgement. This sort of "unrest" that is now held shows, in a way,that it is much more than a simple rioting.It is much more than a headstrong anarchist who enjoys in ruining your country.At the same time teenagers manifest the healthiest unrespect for what untill now was the undoubtfull power of the reason of democracy, state and authorities. Such a democracy as the one that you describe is a mere abstraktion when not proved as an actuall one. The belief in such an abstraktion is, however, pretty much for real and means a growing attachment to conservatism. So, think twice. Each one of us is made to reestimate and not to underestimate the whole situation.
The skin-head white men being armed by the police and helping police smash into people's homes and attack the universities are being called fascists because they are members of Golden Dawn, not simply because they oppose the anarchists.
Your rhetoric about law and order is what's frightening. People around the world support the anarchists (yes Melusina, many of them are anarchists) and the students because the state and the fascists have shown their true colors, and people are sick of it. Sick of being stomped under the boots of cops, bosses and power hungry nationalists.
There are more solidarity demonstrations for the anarchists around the world every day. New York, San Francisco and Stockholm are the most recent.
Special link just for you, Michael+ and Melusina.
http://garizo.blogspot.com/2008/12/neo-fascists-side-by-side-with-police.html
Keep up the good work, this blog and the pictures are amazing.
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