Greek soldiers in 1940's uniforms on parade - 28th October 2014

"Did you say anything against the president?" A little piece of North Korea comes to Greece

Yesterday I attended my very first show trial. I had thought that such events had gone the way of the typewriter and VCR, consigned to the trash compactor of history. However, this particular case was more farce than fear and had a happy ending when the seven defendants were found not guilty of crimes such as insulting the person of the president of  the Hellenic republic and not arresting 10,000 demonstrators on the spot.

But I get ahead of myself. On the 28th October or Ohi (No) day as it known in Greece the annual military parade in Thessaloniki was temporarily halted and the Greek president, Karolos Papoulias fled the area along with other VIPs after crowds flooded into the road and started chanting anti-government slogans (see pictures above). Eventually, the reminder of the parade continued to tumultuous applause, though without any political figure present. The same scenes were repeated across Greece and the shock of the event was such that the government of Giorgos Papandreou stepped down from government a week later.

However, live TV coverage of the Greek president and the local bigwigs being forced to abandon the parade was never going to be forgotten by the country's political elite keen for blood after the humiliation. Also with the Independence Day parades coming up on the 25th March some kind of message had to be sent to show who is in charge hence the arrest and trial of six protesters and one police officer present.

The courtroom was full of supporters of the defendants , not to mention uniformed and plain clothes police. Just to be on the safe side, a platoon of the quasi-military riot police lolled round in the corridor next door, shields and helmet close to hand in case things got feisty.

How much this particular farce has cost the tax payer is anyone's guess, but the fact that so many lawyers, police officers, court workers, witnesses and the like spent an afternoon listening to the charges that sounded more like a school yard spat that a breach of any sane law is an indication that Kafka's spirit lives on in the Greek justice system.

"Did you say anything against the president?"

was one of the questions I heard come from the judge's mouth and for a moment I thought it was a joke. But, no, much of the case revolved around allegations that some of the defendants had called the country's president "traitor" and "a mason". Actually, as I was there those were the least insulting things people shouted, and positively beniegn compared with the insults coming from some groups.

But due to the crowds involved and the fact that the police case was about as watertight as the Titanic nobody could say with any certainty that the accused were those insulting Papoulias.

The police officer faced charges of dereliction of duty since he failed to start arrest any of the 10,000 odd people who were in the streets. Given the potential for a violent reaction and the fact that the parade was full of families such a move was safe to say the most prudent and the court agreed. However you have to wonder what motivated the public prosecutor to pursue the case.

Despite what we see in the movies there was no popping of champagne corks or jubilant cheers, people shook hands, thanked those who'd helped and made their way out of the building, trailed by the riot police squads.

For the Greek government the writing is on the wall following latest protests

It's not often you get to see history made in front of your very eyes, however, that is exactly what I witnessed yesterday during the protests here in Thessaloniki that saw the cancellation of the city's annual military parade and forced the president of Greece to flee the area along with the country's defence minister.

To those unfamiliar with the institution, 28th October is a national holiday in Greece and every year towns and neighbourhoods organise parades to honour those who fell while fighting an Italian invasion in 1940. The celebration is known as No day after the refusal by Athens to allow Mussolini's army to enter Greek territory and is a day loaded with signifigance for many Greeks, akin to Remembrance Day in terms of the hold it has on the national consciousness so the fact that the parade was abandoned and those present refused to let the army march is an unprecedent event. It's almost as if bystanders flooded Whitehall during Remembrance Sunday and forced David Cameron and the rest of the cabinet to flee.



While over the last few years people have started to use 28th October events to air grievances the numbers have been small and many other Greeks have found such incidents an insult to the memory of the war dead. All that changed yesterday to surprise and amazement of most involved. For the country's political leadership it signalled the end of an era when they could command the loyalty (sometimes grudgingly given) of their electorate and showed them definitively that they are no longer welcome in any sphere of public life.

Also for those who organised protests the reaction of the crowds took them by surprise, none expected that ordinary people would react in this way and close down the parade, many of them wandered round with huge smiles on their faces looking somewhat dazed, like kids who've been told in June that Christmas Day has been moved up to today.



The police also were caught on the hop, unsure of how to deal with mass of people that included pensioners, small kids as well as political activists and unruly football fans. Despite being given orders to disperse the crowd by the minister of defence Panagiotis Beglitis, local commanders kept their response low key, realising the use of tear gas and percussion grenades (the usual police respone to mass unrest) could have catastrophic results in such a tense situation. Instead they allowed the protesters through police lines so they could continue their own people's parade that cheered on all non-military units that marched through.

There were some clashes when army reservists taking part in the military parade tried to force their way through leading to fist fights with protesting football fans who lashed back (see video below). Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed on both sides and no one was seriously injured.



When I got on the internet I saw that similiar protests were taking place across the country, even in small towns not noted for their radicalism, in most places the presence of politicians acted as trigger for people to boo, jeer and throw objects.In many cases mayors and MPs had to be hustled away under heavy police guard lest locals let their anger get the better of them.

On the other hand the mainstream Greek media was mixed in its response to the day's events, TV channels such as Skai, Mega and Star filled their screens with indignant politicians and commentators who accused those involved in the protests from being everything from fascist dupes to mindless hooligans.Yet even with this heavy handed orwellian spin doctoring the images that showed town after town demonstrating and the street of Thessaloniki teeming with protesters clashed with the official line which claimed that all of this was the work of a few hundred political malcontents.




It is a sign of how hunkered down the country's political leaders are that they have started believing their own propaganda about  protesters being a small group of malavolent trouble makers being used by dark (and always unnamed political forces). On the other hand the sheer scale of the demonstrations has finally woken some up to the fact that that they are loathed and dispised by people from across the political spectrum.

For the more conservative elements Papandreou's acceptance of foreign oversight is nothing less than  treason, for those on the left the government has failed to protect the poor and the vulnerable and is happily dismantling what passes for a welfare state in Greece. For nearly everyone the latest austerity measures have hit them hard coming as they do at a time of falling incomes, rising prices and skyrocketing unemployment.

The writing is on the wall for the current political system as it is incapable of producing a credible alternative to the present set up and in such a situation the vacuum that will be created by the fall of the government may lead to turmoil and conflict as groups united only in their common hatred of PASOK clash with each other.

Greek protesters close down military parade during anti - governmentprotest

Greek protesters close down military parade during anti - government protest, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

"Say hello to my little friend."

"Say hello to my little friend.", originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Scarface meets the Greek army.

Ochi (No) Day - Thessaloniki, Greece

Ochi (No) Day - Thessaloniki, Greece, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

For more pictures and comments check out my story on Demotix.com

Demonstration against austerity measures - Thessaloniki, Greece

Demonstration against austerity measures - Thessaloniki, Greece, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

This took place just after the end of the annual student parade commemorating Ochi day in Thessaloniki. More protests are expected tomorrow during the main military parade.

28th October parade - Thessaloniki, Greece

28th October parade - Thessaloniki, Greece, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Lydia's first Oxi day parade

Lydia's first Oxi day parade, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Today Greece celebrated Oxi day, when the Greek dictator, Ioannis Metaxas refused to allow Italian army free access to the country. As a result the country entered the Second World War on the side of the allies and inflicted a serious defeat on Mussolini's forces. It is a glorious chapter in modern Greek history, one which prompted Winston Churchill to say,

"We will not say thereafter that the Greeks fight like heroes, but heroes fight like the Greeks!"


So why is it that my daughter's participation in today's celebration filled my dread and anger? As you can see from the picture, for her it was a wonderful, if nerve wrecking event, a right of passage that showed that she too was growing up. I kept my doubts to myself as anything else would have been churlish. She was with her classmates, goofing off, having the time of her life. What could I possibly have against that?

I loathe the way in which young children are militarised,taught to march and keep time like soldiers. Such demonstrations go against every single principle of education I believe in ,a negation of all I hold dear. My daughter has been learning songs and poems that dredge up past hatreds, hardly a fitting preparation for a united Europe. It sickens me to hear the rubbish that is being pumped into kid's heads in the name of patriotism.

Then again, if students don't learn who to hate in school what kind of education system are we paying for?

“Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin they think of firelit homes, clean beds, and wives”

“Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin they think of firelit homes, clean beds, and wives”, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

"COUNTER-ATTACK
AND OTHER POEMS

BY SIEGFRIED SASSOON

With An Introduction By
Robert Nichols

TO ROBERT ROSS

THE GENERAL



"Good-morning; good-morning!" the General said
When we met him last week on our way to the line.
Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of 'em dead,
And we're cursing his staff for incompetent swine.
"He's a cheery old card," grunted Harry to Jack
As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack.
       *       *       *       *       *
But he did for them both by his plan of attack.

For the rest of the work click here.

Police await Siemens workers demo - Thessaloniki 2008

Police await Siemens workers demo - Thessaloniki 2008, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

After the annual 28th October parade in Thessaloniki workers recently laid off from the local Siemens factory attempted to march in order to protest the closure. Τense scenes followed with the riot police until permission was given and approximately 100 people demonstrated outside the Macedonia Palace hotel where Greek president, Karolos Papoulias and other politicians were staying.

Somebody on minimum wage in Greece would have to work over four months to stay just one night in the presidential suite. However, the price does include an American style buffet and a wonderful view of the sea. A great comfort, no doubt to those 240 Siemens employees who lost their job this month.

28th October 2008

Military parade , originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Today Greece celebrated Oxi (no) day which heralded the country's entry into the Second World War.

"Death to Oceania"

"Death to Oceania", originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

"It was curious to think that the sky was the same for everybody, in Eurasia or Eastasia as well as here. And the people under the sky were also very much the same—everywhere, all over the world, hundreds or thousands of millions of people just like this, people ignorant of one another's existence, held apart by walls of hatred and lies, and yet almost exactly the same—people who had never learned to think but were storing up in their hearts and bellies and muscles the power that would one day overturn the world." —pg 181

1984 - George Orwell

28th October parade - Part 2

Every year Greece celebrates the Greek dictator, Ioannis Metaxas's decision to refuse the entry of Italian troops into Greek territory. It is marked here in Thessaloniki and other cities with a military parade. See here for more details on Wiki.

All photos by Teacher Dude

28th October parade - Part 1

, originally uploaded by minas_of_the_north.

Every year Greece celebrates the Greek dictator, Ioannis Metaxas's decision to refuse the entry of Italian troops into Greek territory. It is marked here in Thessaloniki and other cities with a military parade. See here for more details on Wiki.

I did take some pictures of my own but Minas's is far more evocative than anything I captured.