Despite being witnessed by dozens of people in the neighbourhood and part of it captured on video Greek courts were unable to convict police officer, Epameintas Korkoneas who on December 6th shot and killed 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos in Exarchia, Athens. As 18 months had elapsed since the officer's arrest the court was obliged to set him free.
The death sparked off riots that lasted nearly a month and cost the country billions in damages as outraged Greeks repeatedly clashed with police across the country and produced the worst civil unrest in a generation. The ferocity of the response was, in part fuelled by the conviction that the police officer would not be punished.
UPDATE
It seems that the officer has been released but the trial is set to continue. The 18 month limit was how long somebody could be held pre-trial before the courts were obliged to release them. Thanks to blogger Lollipop for putting me right on this.
Along with others I gave all the photographs and video I took during the first few weeks of the December 2008 uprising in Greece to friends who were in the process of making a documentary about the events. Their aim was to give a perspective on the nationwide riots and protests that followed the death of 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos at the hands of a Greek police officer in the Exarchia district of central Athens.
That video has now been finished and is being shown around the country.
As part of my on going support for the project I designed this poster and I'm in the process of translating the documentary into English.
The Greek media has been full of praise of the way in which the recently elected PASOK government as handled the disturbances over the last few days. The new zero - tolerance policing policy announced by the minister for the protection of the citizen, Mihalis Chrisoidis has been credited with limiting the extent of violence, especially in Athens.
On the other hand the TV channels have gleefully lapped up images of young protesters throwing rocks and stones at the riot police and have been flooding the airways with stories of anarchist plots and police discoveries of caches of petrol bombs and other rioting paraphenalia. In addition the record numbers of detentions and arrests have been presented in a positive light, sign that the police have got serious about cracking down on trouble makers.
In a sense this is a repeat of the media coverage of last years uprising when the media spent at least a week blaming Greece's worst civil disturbances ina generation on hooilgans and looters, as if the hundreds of thousands who took to the streets in protests across the nation were nothing more than rampaging football fans looking for a fight.
Once again the media coverage has almost completely ignored the thousands who demonstrated peacefully this year and focused on the scenes of violence which are presented simply as acts of mindless vandalism. Indeed the channels have been falling over each other to see who can condemn the protests most, blindly accepting any figure or statement issued by the police, ignoring the opinions of anyone not in a position of authority.
On the other hand the Greek language blogosphere and elsewhere on the internet there is growing resentment of the way of this and especially the way in which the violence of the police has either been played down or completely overlooked. Reporters, who should know better have simply decided to report the official version events and leave out any loose ends such as eyewitness accounts of those actually present.
I personally witnessed what happened during the march on Sunday here in Thessaloniki when the police went into action almost immediately after it started. Just moments after the demonstraters moved off the people from the anarchist block started attacking shops selling religious goods, a supermarket and banks, quickly prompting the riot police and motorcycle units to intervene. The sight of police officers on motorbikes mounting pavements and driving through crowds of people running in panic through clouds of tear gas is not one I'll forget soon.
In the general mayhem the marchers, who are nearly always organised in blocks according to political affiliation, soon scattered and mixed and that is how I ended up with about two hundred others just below the ex-ministry of Macedonia and Thrace surrounded by riot squads who fired tear gas rounds into the group and beat anyone who tried to move away from the area.
Even after it was clear that they had control of the area, officers continued to club and kick those on the ground and refused medical help to the injured, instead shouting insults and threats at anyone who looked at them.
I cannot vouch for the character of each and everyone there but from my knowledge of the groups that regularly take part in marches the vast majority of these people were not trouble makers or bomb throwers. They belonged to student/political groups that abhor such tactics and believe that those who commit such acts damage their cause.
They, like me just happened to be in swept up with a tide of people desperately running away from police with clubs firing tear gas. Like me, they did not break away from the main group knowing full well that in such a situation small groups or individuals are easy prey for police units with a grudge and a truncheon.
The media however, reported that the authorities had isolated and captured a group of anarchists and had confiscated a large number of petrol bombs, gas masks and clubs and that 88 people had been taken in for qustioning and 20 arrested. Despite the presence of a number of TV camera crews for over an hour I saw no footage of those inside the police cordon being asked their opinion or saying what had happened, instead just fleeting glances of people on the floor followed by pictures of the weapons supposedly confiscated.
If their had indeed been such a cache present the density of the crowd and the fact that nobody was searched till hours later would have meant that those carrying such things would have had ample opportunity to get dump them out of their bags or pockets.
What we had instead was PR and punishment, the police knew that whatever version of the truth they put out would be accepted without question and that the sight of them with so many prisoners would vandicate their new get tough policy, irrespctive of whether they'd actually captured anyone who'd broken the law. On the other hand those caught up in this farce would have to endure a night in the cells, possibly weeks in court explaining their case.
The same approach was also true of the events in Athens when motorcycle cops also rode their machines into crowds of demonstrators, seriously injuring a 55 year old teacher, while the footage was shown it was presented as an unfortunate accident. No mention however was made at all of the officer who after gunning his bike into people was pulled off and in a fit of rage drew his pistol and chased them.
I'm not sure what exactly lies behind the new media landscape and why so few reporters have been critical of the present situation but with the Greek media feeling the effects of the country's economic crisis those who own the private media outlets are unlikely to antagonise a government which is in the position to provide a steady revenue stream in the form of ads and contracts.
Today thousands of students and pupils marched in cities across Greece to mark the first anniversary of the killing of Alexandros Grigoropoulos which sparked off the worst civil unrest for a generation.
Photograph from Greek Riots in Photos - Voyager.gr
I thought I'd share a few tips with those covering the anniversary of the death of the Greek teenager, Alexandros Grigoropoulos this weekend. I hope they prove useful.
1 - The potential for violence has increased rapidly over the last few weeks so be prepared for clashes.
2 - Being a reporter is no guarantee of safety, especially with the police. The Greek cops have a long and inglorious history concerning photographers. They will not hesitate to use force if they feel you are photographing them.
3 - Many of the demonstrators, especially the anarchists view the media and hence reporters with the same contempt they hold for the police. Use discretion when taking pictures around them, if challenged put away your camera immediately unless you want it smashed. However, most other political/social groups are more tolerant of the media.
4 - The riot police have changed tactics recently so expect extensive use of tear gas and flash grenades. Maalox antacid tablets mixed with water can help somewhat. Though not with breathing.
5 - The grounds of the university of Athens are officially off limits to the police, so make sure you know where the nearest entrances are if the police advance. Being a foreigner or reporter will not protect you.
6 - If you do get detained make sure you have ID otherwise you risk days of belong held in a police cell.Try to get the number of some Greek friends in case you get arrested.
7 - Areas such as Exarchia are a rabbit warren of small streets, get familiar with the local geography so that if you have to make a quick retreat you know where you're heading.
8 - Running shoes are a must.
Protesters will be formed into blocks. It is probable that anarchist protesters who have intention to clash will be in groups around protesters' blocks. If they start throwing rocks or other objects at the cops things may escalate in no time. I advise you that when you see the first signs of a clash, stay close to a political/student block.
In case of intense use of tear gas don't panic and don't try to run away from the main group of protesters in alleys etc. The best thing you can do (especially if you can't open your eyes) is get into a group, grab the person next to you and walk together.
A group of lawyers will be around in the protest to provide law advice in case someone gets arrested. These are their phone numbers:
6972-718536
6972-799025
6976-395658
6946-738686
6978-909319
6936-492025
6975-752346
6973-335960
If you get arrested, call them as quickly as you can. Do not sign anything in the police station and have in mind that cops may try to deceive you.
"What was the uprising of December 2008? Who participated? What were the causes and how will it affect the future of socio-political demands in Greece? All these questions are trying to find answers in the documentary Enraged December which was filmed by a group of people who met in Thessaloniki during the first days following the murder of Alexandros Grigoropoulos (6th December 2008) in Athens. The film attempts to describe the chronicle of revolt through the eyes of those who participated in the mobilizations during the first three highly charged weeks."
I was one of the people who participated in the making of this documentary.