Worried about economic meltdown? Your family survival plan

Worried about economic meltdown? Your family survival plan, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Reporters Without Borders issue alarm over police violence against media professionals in Greece

Reporters Without Borders issue alarm over police violence against reporters in Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Following a series of attacks on photographers and other journalists covering anti-government protests in Athens, Reporters without Borders has issued an alarm over the Greek police's treatment of reporters. Below is an extract from their damning report on lack of press freedom in the country.

"Working conditions during demonstrations are nowadays rather like in a war-zone, which is both surprising and deplorable in an EU member-state. press photographers and camera-operators are by far the worst affected. Few protesters make a distinction any longer between media owners and journalists just trying to do a job.


Photojournalists and camera-operators are scapegoats for all the bitterness and violence. to the police, they are undesirable witnesses of often harsh and illegal repression. “Our images show that the police don’t know how to do their job,” says Aristotelis Messinis, a photographer in Athens for the french agence France-Presse news agency. “We show up their poor training and their abuses and excesses.


The police also consider the pictures taken of them as an invasion of their privacy. It’s weird but true. For activists and extremists, we’re a similar problem, as undesirable witnesses of their activities that don’t belong in such demonstrations. To them, the media is an arm of the government, so they attack us."

en.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/greece_2011_eng.pdf

Tim Booth, front man for the UK band James playing at impromptu openair gig in Thessaloniki, Greece

Tim Booth, front man for the UK band James playing at impromptu open air gig in Thessaloniki, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

I read about the gig on Twitter but thought that most likely the whole thing was a practical joke, but when I got to the White Tower I saw Tom Booth and the rest of the band rounding up people for an impromptu gig in a cafe opposite.

Really great atmosphere, like having James play in your back garden for you and your friends.