We Won't Pay - Civil disobedience in Thessaloniki, Greece

Over the last year a group of ordinary Greeks have embarked on a series of acts of civil disobedience by refusing to pay bus fares which have gone up 280% in some cases. Every weekend volunteers board buses and encourage fellow passengers not to buy tickets. Worrried by the movement the government has ordered a police crackdown on such acts, leading to the detention and harassment of activists.

Greek consumer groups organise bus ticket boycott

Greek consumer groups organise bus ticket boycott, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Faced with yet more hikes in public transport prices Greek consumer groups go on the offensive with nationwide protest by refusing to buy ride buses, trains and underground tickets. Angry consumers sealed ticket machines and encouraged fellow passengers to not buy tickets today in response to the second major ticket price increases which range from 33 to 180%.

With the Greek government anxious to cut public spending and raise revenue Athens has announced large cuts in public transport subsidies and increases in the cost of road tolls, trains ticket prices and other utilities such as electricity. However, with incomes plunging, the economy shrinking by nearly 5% and unemployment spiralling out of control such moves have angered Greek voters who are facing the most difficult financial conditions in a generation

Tomorrow activists have announced that they will direct their attentions to the country's motorway toll system which has also announced massive increases which have made the cost of travelling by road prohibitively expensive. It is currently cheaper to go from Athens to the country's second city, Thessaloniki by air than to drive.

More photographs can be found on the Demotix news service website.

Οι επιτροπές AKΡΙΒEIA-STOP! ΘΕΣ/ΝΙΚΗΣ καταγγέλλουν τη διοίκηση του ΟΑΣΘ

Οι επιτροπές AKΡΙΒEIA-STOP! ΘΕΣ/ΝΙΚΗΣ καταγγέλλουν τη διοίκηση του ΟΑΣΘ, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

"Οι επιτροπές AKΡΙΒEIA-STOP! ΘΕΣ/ΝΙΚΗΣ καταγγέλλουν τη διοίκηση του ΟΑΣΘ, που με περισσή υποκρισία κ ψεύτικη συγνώμη, κάτω από το βάρος της αντίδρασης χιλιάδων πολιτών της θεσ/νικης, ανακοίνωσε την απόσυρση της αύξησης στην τιμή του εισιτηρίου κατά 100% μέσω των λίγων γραμμών ενός δελτίου τύπου. Εντούτοις η τιμή του βασικού εισιτηρίου παραμένει αυξημένη κατά 20% σε σχέση με πριν. Επιπλέον, ενώ για την αύξηση αυτή η διοίκηση του ΟΑΣΘ ενημερώνει ακόμα και σήμερα, καθημερινά, μέσα στα λεωφορεία κ στους τηλεματικoύς πίνακες των στάσεων, η ανακοίνωση για την ακύρωση έγινε μέσω ενός απλού δελτίου τύπου, δίχως να ενημερωθούν σε ανάλογο βαθμό οι πολίτες"

www.akribeia-stop.gr/

Activists from the Akriveia - Stop consumer rights group in a protest in the centre of Thessaloniki against the local bus company. Recently OASTH (the Thessaloniki public transport company) decided to raise the cost of tickets by 20 - 100%. The most expensive change was the abolition of the right to transfer from bus to bus for up to 70 minutes without having to by a new ticket, effectively doubling the cost of longer bus journeys. After weeks of protest the bus company reversed its decision but has failed to notify anyone or change the instructions on ticket vending machines.

Greeks angry over price hikes in wake of austerity package

Greeks angry over price hikes in wake of austerity package, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

As well as cuts in wages and pensions Greeks are also reeling from massive price hikes in basic goods and services.

In the country's second city, Thessaloniki there was anger and minor scuffles outside the bus company offices when long lines of commuters queued, forced to upgrade tickest and pay the difference.

Members of Akrivia - Stop ("Stop rising prices") staged a ticket boycott and called upon passengers to refuse to buy tickets today in protest against what it called unjustisfiable increases in a time of economic crisis.

More pictures on Demotix.com