Greece: The morning after

Much of the current media coverage over Greece's debt crisis is focused on how the country is going to raise the funds necessary to cover the $400 plus billion it owes creditors. Scenarios concerning the role of Germany and/or France in bailing out Athens are discussed constantly on national TV and in the newspapers and what will need to be done in order to convince Greece's European partners to cover cost of lending the billions needed just to keep the country afloat.

However, whatever happens in the coming months the question of what Greece does next in a world in which its financial choices are closely scrutinised by whatever monetary institution steps into the breach to save the country from bankcruptcy has not been addressed. The prospect that an elected socialist government will be obliged to implement a conservative fiscal policy controlled by unelected officials raises all kinds of political dilemmas which Giorgos Papandreou's PASOK administration will have to deal with in the immediate future.

Papandreaou will be forced to challenge directly exactly those public sector trade unions which have put him and PASOK in power. In addition he will be forced to cut areas of spending which have been used by successive government to ensure political support.

The prospect of a place in the Greek civil service has long been the source of political power for parties on the right and left of the political spectrum. This combined by the promise of public sector contracts to economic elites in the private sector form the basis of the country's feudal political structure and in no small measure contributed to its present woeful economic situation.

Instead of land and power being swopped for military service the present Greek version of feudalism sees votes and political support flowing up the system in return for public funds and the influence it garners flowing downwards. It is a structure of patron-client relations which links the heads of the major parties to the humblest villager and is the lifeblood of modern Greek politics.

The ebb and flow of such influence and the complicated web of personal, familial and political relations that it engenders helps explain much of the apparent confusion and chaos of modern life in Athens and other major cities. Much of the country's infrastructure is divided into a patchwork of competing fiefdoms that have formed as a result of the present political setup. Each participant owes their position and continued economic well-being to maintaining the right connections with those above and below them in the hierarchy. In such a system qualifications, skills, effectiveness and ability play second fiddle to being able to curry favour with those who are in a position to advance your career.

Another by - product is chronic inefficiency and confusion as its duty of every fiefdom to ensure that it gets the maximum amount of resources in order to guarantee its survival. Co-operation and cost cutting mean giving up exactly those resources one needs to make sure that money and influence continues to flow to those whose support you need.

The effects of this system also affect the private sectors as the companies competing for contracts with the public sector, a huge player in the Greek economy, do so on the basis of political, personal and family connections. In some cases this takes the form of outright bribery but many others there is the mutual understanding that favours given must at some point be returned. It is no coincidence that many of the country's richest men have media wings attached to their business conglomerations which can be used to promote or attack parties and politicians .

The upshot of this unholy alliance is that crony capitalism and "licence Raj's" dominate the economy stifling innovation and competition. There is little incentive to cut the cost of your product or improve the quality of your service in such a system. As a result Greek companies which dominant nationally rarely have the expertise to break into developed markets where transparency means that methods used at home cannot be employed.

Whilst foreign observers often point the finger of blame at Greece's powerful public sector unions for lack of competitiveness and low productivity the reality is that pay in the private sector has remained stagnant for years and that much critised worker protection laws that supposedly coddle unsuitable employees are rarely applied to non - public sector businesses. Despite a pool of cheap, educated labour which can be hired and fired at will the private sector has done little to prepare for the demands of a modern globalised economy and instead reaped the benefits of low wages while raising prices far beyond the rate of inflation.

It is difficult to see how an economic and political system run on such principles can reform itself in the kind of time scale being proposed by Europe and controlled by exactly those people who helped run the country into the ground in the first place. The obvious answer is that Greece will not be able to implement the kinds of reforms being demanded and that in trying to square the circle the country will tear itself apart as different social and economic groups turn on each other to preserve a semblance of their priviledges and power.

Already there has been a growing wave of political violence with terrorist attacks now forming a staple of the daily news. That combined with a burgeoning crime rate form the background to a society that appears to be gradually coming apart at the seams.

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/greece-morning-after

Greece's financial problems European roots

The best things in life are free, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Today Greek prime minister, Giorgos Papandreou is in Russia, yet another stop on an itinerary which has seen him flit across the globe in a desperate bid to secure fresh funding for Greece's troubled economy. Faced with $420 billion debt the small Balkan nation with a population of just 11 million has sparked off a crisis which threatens to derail the European Union's grand experiment in creating a unified currency which started in 1999.

The revelations that Athens had massively under reported its debt load and so violated the conditions of the Stability and Growth Pact saw the light of day with the election of the centre left PASOK party in the country's national elections in October. The news that Greece's foreign debt load had reached 12.3% of GNP sent shock waves through European political and banking circles, raising the possibility that the Greek government might not be in the position to honour its monetary commitments.

The chance that a Eurozone nation might default on its repayments sent the cost of Greece's foreign loan requirement soaring and forced Germany's foreign minister Guido Westerwelle to backtrack on previous statement that the country had to put its own house in order before asking its European partners for help.

However, despite the storm of criticism Greece has weathered over its bloated public sector, rampant corruption and falling competitiveness the problems that Greeks face also have their roots in factors which have little to do with the country's internal pathologies that have long been known yet until recently politely ignored by fellow EU members.

As with the other PIIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain) nations the introduction of the Euro as a common currency has seriously limited the ability of governments to regulate their economies so leading to a fall in competitiveness. Unable to adjust their local exchange rates businesses in Europe's soft underbelly have been gradually losing traditional markets due to the rise in cost of their products caused in part by the strength of the Euro. Unlike their northern European partners such as Germany and France the introduction of the Euro has lead to rising costs and prices which their economies have not been able to offset with rises in productivity.

However, the current crisis its roots in the European Exchange Rate Mechanism which means the the European Central Bank is obliged to support the Euro should it fall or raise by 15% against other currencies. As Britain learnt to its cost during Black Wednesday in 1992 such a commitment means that the currency could be the object of speculators who make vast fortunes selling back Euros to the ECB as art of its attempt to shore up the price of the currency.

The UK burnt through 27 billion pounds in the course of a day in a failed attempt to prop up the currency, making international financier George Soros $1 billion dollars richer and leading to Britain to withdraw its application to join the ERM.

With the chance that such a feat could be repeated on a European wide scale with even greater profits there is the possibility that the intense financial pressure of Greece is simply a stalking horse for a larger effort to weaken confidence in the Euro so leading to a fall in its price on the international money markets and so triggering a buying spree by the ECB which could reap billions of dollars in profits for banks and speculators.

None of this bodes well for Greece since the underlying fundamentals that laid the country open to attack by speculators have not disappeared. The country still continues to be plagued by a lack of innovation and a public sector which has ballooned out of control to such an extent that even ministers have no idea how many people they employ. In addition any serious econmic policy is necessarily hampered by the fact the succesive governments have cooked the books so extensively that the basci data needed to plan changes to the economy is next to useless.

The demands by France and Germany's conservative governments that Greece radically cut public spending and raise more revenue by taxation is certain to create a wave of intense protest by public sector unions who will not willingly agree to pay cuts or loss of jobs. In the long term a shrinking public sector is unlikely to help address fundamental productivity issues which stem from crony capitalism and the existence of shadowy price cartels which mean that Greek businesses have traditionally only invested in innovation as a last result, relying instead upon personal and political contacts with the country's main parties in order to secure contracts and inflated profits.

It seems too much to expect those who have created a system whereby huge amounts of money can be earnt with minimum risk to change the habits of a lifetime and take their chances in the cold waters of real competition in harsh international markets.

2009 - looking back

I thought that in keeping with tradition I'd look back over the last twelve months, choosing one image for each month. Not that life fits into such neatly packaged units of time but as an organisational principle it's a somewhat better than a "top ten". Like many here in Greece 2009 has been a tough year on many levels. For me personally, it has seen tragedy and loss of people close to me and a growing realisation that I, too am not immune to the passage of time and all that entails.

January



This was a terrible time, full of anger, guilt and regret. My mother had been diagnosed with cancer a few weeks beforehand and died just one day before I could get back to England to see her. As you can imagine this was an awful shock and something I am still struggling to come to terms with. The fact that this happened during one of the most turbulent periods in my life and modern Greek history just added to the emotional weight of my memories.

Riots, demonstrations and almost daily clashes between protesters and the police which I covered as much as I could for various citizen journalism sites.

February



The month proved to be a lot less eventful than the previous ones and despite strikes and protests seemed much calmer allowing people to enjoy traditional celebrations such as Tsiknopempti - the start of Greek Orthodox Lent - with barbeques and fancy dress parties. Though even then there were echos of the previous upheavals with riot police deployed against boisterous teens in the centre of Thessaloniki (see video here).

On a lighter note various news stories both here in Greece and abroad allowed to to sharpen my satirical talons. The escape of Vasilis Paleokostas and Alket Razai from the maximum security Korydallo prison Athens by helicopter for the second time produced response that mixed cynical humour and disbelief. (click here for my take on this). Also Ryanair's decision to consider introducing pay toilets on their flights gave everyone a rich source of possible jokes

March



More of the same; government scandals, police brutality, riots and bomb attacks in Athens. The ruling New Democracy party and prime minister Karamanlis barely had to time to talk down one politically catastrophic gaffe before another popped up freshly minted in the news. As well as reading about such events I also wrote about them for citizen journalism sites such as Nowpublic.

I also attended the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival and followed debates about about the differences between New Media and more traditional forms. All I can say is that most of the mainstream media here in Greece are polishing the brasswork on the Titanic. "Iceberg,what iceberg?" seems to be their motto.

Already they are being badly hit by the downturn in the economy and fall in advertising revenue. Their reply so far has been to cut costs and reduce the quality of what is, to a large extent aready a pretty poor product. Wooden language, worn out formulas and a phobic fear of change is not going save them and few will mourn their demise.

April



For me the major event of the month was the G20 meeting in London and the killing of Ian Tomlinson by a British police officer. Even though I was at the other end of Europe the internet allowed me to follow this story in a way that would have been unthinkable, even a decade ago. Sites such as Twitter, blogs, even streaming video allowed those there to get out their story, unfiltered by the mainstream media, who seemed happy to unquestioningly lap up what the authorities had to say. So, as the saying goes,I became the media rather than just ranting about it with posts on my blog and stories elsewhere.

Thankfully, the circumstances surrounding Ian Tomlinson's tragic death following an unprovoked attack came to light despite a concerted effort by the London Metropolitan Police surpress the story. The video taken by onlookers published on the Guardian website along with several eyewitness accounts forced the authorities to backtrack in the face of evidence which called into question their version of events.

May



As the passed by I became more and more interested in the satirical possibilities offered by altering pictures and adding my own twist. After much hair pulling and not-infrequent pleading to the gods of computer coding I managed to become more proficient with GIMP (an open source version of Photoshop). My first target was the UK MP's expenses scandal which was breaking. Tales of politicians claiming the cost of everything from moat cleaning, to 42 inch plasma screens as legitimate expenses provided enough raw materials to keep an army of satirist in work for a lifetime. Click here for more examples.

With European parliamentary elections looming there was also ample chance to satirise targets closer to home, namely the two most important parties here in Greece, New Democracy and PASOK who were both embroiled in Siemens Athens Olympics games security contract scandal.

June



Although most of my lessons were finishing for summer there was plenty of other things happening to keep my busy. Election campaigning for the European elections, street parades, anti - racism festival and a semi-naked bike ride amongst other things meant that there was plenty to photograph and report about in Thessaloniki.

July



July saw my first wedding as a photographer and to say I was nervous is an understatement. Still. I managed to get the job done without being sued or maimed.

I decided to continue improving my photoshopping (sounds better than GIMPing) skills to make fun of targets such as the BNP and use my access to citizen journalism sites in order to expose the terrible conditions and abuses of immigrants here in Greece. Although there had been some international media coverage of what was happening, much of it lacked local knowledge or looked at the wider political context in which such ill-treatment was taking place.

Still, the month was not without excitement as I reminded myself when being hunted by police using motorbikes as they were chasing down protesters following a trial in the centre. The exact same tactics as are being used in Iran now. Draw your own conclusion.

August



Usually a month were most people leave the cities and head for the beaches, yet for reasons too dull to discuss at length I was stuck here in Thessaloniki. However,l not wanting to do nothing I, and friends Eleni and Orhan started a project to photograph 1000 people in the city. We still haven't finished it yet but that's just a matter of time.

Also I continued writing about the kind of stories that the mainstream media don't bother with such as police injustics, ill - treatment of immigrants and just about anything that doesn't involve party politics, sport or celebrities.

September



Once again party politics took centre stage as the country went to the polls for the second time in six months, this time to vote in a new national government. In contrast with previous election campaigns this one was very low key as the ruling New Democracy party went through the motions of contesting the vote, knowing full well that it had managed to severely damage the credibility of the country by massively under reporting public debt load.

At the beginning of 2009 Kostas Karamanlis's conservative administration stated that public borrowing would be less than 4% of GNP. In the end the figure was over 14% yet another concrete demonstration of their inability to do much other than put up a slick PR front.

The campaign, however, did provide a chance to take more pictures and see the leaders of all the major political parties in the flesh. Once again a smile and a confident air proved more effective than any form accreditation.

October



Elections came and with them the crushing defeat of New Democracy by the left wing PASOK party led by Giorgos Papandreou, son and grandson of previous prime ministers. The conservatives's scandal ridden second term lasted just two years before voters finally showed that they were no longer willing to put up with graft, ineptitude and influence peddling.

On a more painful note a very good friend of mine died after struggling with liver disease and I will always miss his humour and friendship.

November



Thessaloniki's Film Festival brought a much needed touch of glamour to the city and I enjoyed the experience of going to parties and openings. On the other hand the ongoing clashes between the police and the city's youth once gain came to the fore during the annual 17th November demonstrations, though this time the authorities decided to implement their new "get tough" policy with liberal use of tear gas, mass arrests and motorbike riding officers all employed to deal with the slightest hint of violence on the streets.

December



2009 decided to go out with a bang and not a whimper. Riots in Greece, turmoil in Copenhagen, aid covoys to Gaza and mad bomber taking hostages in a local school were just some of the events that caught my attention. A busy end to a busy year.

Like, many I am worried about what 2010 has in store for us. The economic crisis has started to hit hard and many are struggling to make ends meet even while prices keep on shooting up and jobs, even badly paid, insecure ones become harder and harder to find. The sight of old people begging or rooting through garbage bins is no longer rare or shocking. The streets ofthe city are littered with empty shops and For Sale signs, further indication that there is less and less money around. Whilst cafes and bars in the richer areas may still be full of people enjoying over priced coffee these are becoming the exception rather than the rule.

On a brighter note and despite the fact that the year started with a tragedy it ended with some great news when I learnt that my brother and his wife are expecting twins.

Why I march

Tomorrow we march, tomorrow we protest for those who have been lost and to make sure their sacrifice need not be repeated. To tell you the truth I'm scared, I'm sure that there will be clashes with the riot police who have adopted a zero- tolerance policy over the last few weeks.There are also keen to show that they are in charge here and that the streets belong to them and them alone,

So why do I go? That's a tough questions and I'm not sure I have a good answer to that but all I know is that not going is unthinkable. I still feel the the raw battery acid taste of rage in my mouth from when last year's events unfolded, that sense that something is fundamentally wrong with the way we live our lives if the cold blooded killing by the police of a teenager goes unremarked.

Last year I spent the better part of three weeks on the streets covering marches, sit-ins and riots in the hope that somehow the outside world would give a damn. I wanted to believe that what I photographed and wrote about helped changed perceptions about how the violent protests last December were seen by the rest of the world. How arrogant that sounds, but maybe, just maybe I was part of a wave that got out, a different message to the one that the mainstream media here were peddling, that of blind destruction and hooliganism, rather than revolt.

Athens bank robbed four times in one month

Athens bank robbed four times in one month, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

The Agrotiki bank in the Athens suburb of Dafni was the target of its fourth robbery in a month when two armed men rushed into the building and seized an undisclosed amount of money from employees this morning. The two robbers escaped in a truck, evading local police.

Not only has the hapless branch been the victim of hold ups, it was also burnt out after an arson attack during the riots and protests that swept Greece last December.

Now Public

Athens calls in Scotland Yard to deal with recent attacks

The Greek government has invited British anti - terrorist experts to help with investigations into the recent spate of attacks throughout the country. According to the Greek newspaper, Kathimerini on Sunday, Sir Ian Blair, ex - head of Scotland Yard is due to arrive in the Greek capital today in order to assist in the re-organisation of the Athens's anti-terrorist unit which has so far failed to make headway in the series of bomb and gun attacks that have occured since the massive unrest in December that followed the police shooting of 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos.

In recent months Greece has seen a resurgence of terrorist attacks on police, banks and government targets. The recent bombing of Citibank in Athens and the destruction of nine carriage belonging to the Athens subway system in an arson attack have added to a sense of public insecurity which has damaged the ruling New Democracy party's standing in the opinion polls in what is shaping up to be a pre-election period.

So far they have been no arrests connected with any of the dozens of attacks that have taken place since December.

In addition the rampage on Friday by approximately 40 youths through the centre of Athens's upscale Kolonaki shopping district which resulted in damage to luxury cars, banks and shops took place under the noses of hundreds of riot police on duty in the vacinity. The incident which was widely reported on Greek TV has added to the widely held impression that the police has lost control of the security situation.

Greece's anti - terrorism unit was itself at the centre of more controversy when a list of 82 possible terrorist targets was leaked to the press. The publication of the list which included journalists, politicians and judges led to the suspension of four of the unit's six section chiefs earlier this week.

Blair's arrival in Athens marks the second time British police have worked with their Greek anti - terrorist counterparts. In 2000 members of Scotland Yard were invited to help with the investigation into the murder of British military attaché, Stephen Saunders who had been assasinated by the revolutionary group, 17th November.


Originally on Now Public.

Gay activists attacked by orchestra in Greek National Opera

Photo from TVXS.gr

Gay rights activists protesting the censorship of the opera Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák were attacked by members of the orchestra and security staff at the Greek National Opera (Εθνική Λυρική Σκηνή) in Athens yesterday evening.

Members of the gay and lesbian rights group OLKE were protesting the demand made by the National Opera to cut a scene from the production in which the two male characters kiss. Marion Wassermann, the French director said in an interview (click here to see video) with independent news service, TVXS.gr that although the content of the opera had been known for six weeks she was asked to make the cut only during final rehearsals.

According to Wassermann the attempt to cut the kiss came as a result of the fact that the members of the orchestra had voted to not play in the event of it being included. However the director refused to comply which led to musicians handing out leaflets last night saying that the "degenerate" scene "tainted the central hero with homosexual tendencies" and was "extreme".

Members of the Opera de Nice were booed and jeered by some members of the audience after the performance as was the director who came out on stage in attempt to justify the decision to keep the scene according to the Daily Madness blog.

Attempts by the activists to read out a statement of protest over censorship was prevented when musicians, technicians and security staff attacked members of the group and journalists present.

Originally posted on Nowpublic.com

Fiery, fiery night

Here are two news stories I noticed which didn't get widely reported outside Greece. I wrote about them for Now Public but not many other English language news sources picked up on them.

Multi - million euro arson attack on Athens subway

Nine subway carriages worth 13.5 million euros went up in flames during the early hours of Tuesday morning following an arson attack on the Athens - Piraeus Electric Railways (ISAP). A group of approximately 15 - 20 people wearing party masks boarded the last train at 1 am and when it reached the final stop in the Athens suburb of Kifissias set fire carriages (click here to see video from Mega Channel).

According to unconfirmed police reports as soon as the train reached Kifissias, its last stop the attackers forced passengers to disembark and then doused the carriages with inflammable material and set fire to it. Afterwards molotov cocktails were thrown at other parked carriages nearby.

Although no group has claimed responsibility there is strong possibility that the incident is connected with the recent attack on a labour activist who was worked as a cleaner for ISAP. In December Konstandina Kouneva who was secretary for the All - Athens Union of Cleaners and Domestics Cleaning Employees was abducted and forced to drink acid resulting in massive internal injuries and the loss of one eye.

According to Kouneva the assault followed a series of telephone threats prompted by attempts by the union to expose alleged labour rights abuses by the OIKOMET employment agency.

The incident prompted several protest marches and attacks on targets connected with the OIKOMET, which employed Kouneva and has a contract with ISAP.

UPDATE

Two previously unknown groups calling themselves The Gangs of Conscience and Perama Extremists claimed responsibility saying, it was, in part, a protest against what happened to Konstandina Kouneva. In addition it also said that it intended futher attacks on the public transport system in its proclamation.


The second story is from the Greek port of Patra.

Afghan refugees riot in Greece

Hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan clashed with riot police for hours yesterday evening in the western Greek city of Patra. The disturbances were sparked off when an Afghan man was seriously injured while trying to board a truck entering the city's port. After the accident tens of fellow refugees attacked the vehicle throwing rocks and other objects.

Later the tensions escalated leading to protesters setting up barricades and closing streets near the port. In reply the police deployed riot units and used tear gas in an effort to disperse them.Running battles lasted into the early hours of Tuesday morning as police attempted to confine the protesters to a shanty town that serves as a home for over a 1000 refugees in the city.

Unconfirmed eyewitness accounts reported on Greek blogs and Indymedia Patra speak of the involvement of residents including members of far right groups in efforts to put down the demonstration. Eventually the police were able to push back the refugees to their encampment and disperse far right groups.

Patra, which is Greece's gateway to Italy has become a way station for immigrants seeking to reach the rest of Europe. However, the Greek state has been reluctant to give official asylum status to all but a handful of immigrants entering the country without proper documentation. Greece's daily newspaper Kathimerini has reported that out of 20,692 asylum applications submitted in 2007, Greek authorities approved eight.

As a result refugees are forced to attempt the crossing to Italy illegally, often in the backs of trucks bound for the Italian ports of Brindisi and Ancona.

The riots are the latest in a series of clashes between refugees and the authorities in Patra, including a series of accusations of police abuse of Afghan refugees. In September 2008 there were also riots as refugees clashed with police and Customs officers inside the port following the beating of three immigrants.

Prisoners in Greek jails pay the price for dramatic escape

Greek prison

see larger image

uploaded by Teacher Dude

The dramatic escape by helicopter from Athens maximum security Korydallos jail by two prisoners for the second time last week turned convicted kidnappers, Vasilis Paleokostas and Alket Razai into folk heros for many ordinary Greeks. Betting sites are offering odds on if the two will be recaptured whilst on Facebook the Paleokostas Airlines group has already 51,000 members.

However, for the 12,000 other prisoners behind bars in Greece's grim jails conditions are set to deteriorate still further as the new minister for Justice, Nikos Dendias has annouced a series of measures designed to clamp down on "lax practices" by prison officers. In many cases the concessions won by prisoners after last November's mass hunger strike (see here for full story) have been revoked or will not be implemented.

As Ioanna Drosou, a prisoners' rights activist said in an interview with Greek net - based news service TVXS.gr the government has reneged on their promises to improve the conditions in the country's jails despite have been repeatedly condemned by organisations such as Amnesty and the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

Arbitary violence by prison officers, widespread drug use, overcrowding and primitive health care facilities have all been cited as areas that need to be tackled in order to bring Greek jails in line with European standards.

However, last week's prison break out which has severely embarrased the ruling New Democracy government has lead instead to a tightening of security, a move which prisoners rights organisations such as the Initiative for the Rights of Prisoners argue will futher isolate inmates from wider society and add to ths problems inherent in the prison system.

NowPublic

Tags: Greece | Amnesty | World | cpt | New Democracy | Greek prisons | tvxs.gr | paleokostas | korydallos | nikos dendias

Icelanders riot outside parliament over economic crisis

The small Scandanavian country, blessed with abundant natural resources and enjoying one of the highest living standards in the world is hardly the kind of place one associates with economic catastrophe and riots. All that changed yesterday when thousands took to the streets to protest the present government's handling of the recent financial crisis. With gross national product down two thirds, a 45% rise in unemployment and the country defaulting on loan repayments Icelanders are faced with the worst economic crisis in living memory.

Riot police clashed with demonstators (click here for video) outside the Althingi House, Iceland's parliament after 2000 people surrounded the building according to Icelandic journalist, Iris Erlingsdottir writing in The Huffington Post. Icelandic press reports said Over 30 arrests were made, including an 11 year - old.

The target of their anger members of the government that presided over a meltdown in the banking sector and wider economy which has been so severe that a third of islanders are considering emmigration according to a report in the Economist. The coalition government has repeatedly rejected calls for elections in light of the current situation

As with the recent riots and protests in Greece, the impression that those in power have lined their own pockets while ordinary citizens have had to pay the price for financial mismangament has infuriated ordinary Icelanders.

Despite sub zero temperatures the protests have continued for a second day with members of the parliamentary opposition taking time out from debates to join the demonstrators.

NowPublic

Tags: protests | Iceland | World | Riot | Economist | Huffington Post | reykjavik | Credit Crunch | economic crisis

For more updates check out Iceland banking crisis video and more 2008 and 2009 blog.

Anti - government protests - Thessaloniki, Greece

Anti - government protests - Thessaloniki, Greece, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Thousands of students and other groups took to the streets of Athens and Thessaloniki yesterday to protest the present Greek government and its policies.

The government has announced that it has decided on a policy of zero tolerence in dealing with Greece's recent wave of unrest and the change in the ruling New Democracy party's change in tactics was seen in a more aggresive stance on the part of the MAT (Greek riot police) on Friday.

However, the change has proved to be less effective than hoped for as most of the arrests carried out the Athens authorities turned out to be lawyers acting as volunteer legal advisors to those taking part in yesterday's march. The 18 lawyers have filed a suit against deputy minister for law and order, after the head of the riot squad that detained them said that he was carrying out a "political decision", according a report on the Greek TV station Skai's, web site.

In addition the Athenian union of newspaper correspondents (ESIEA) have officially complained to the ministry of law and order over the beating of journalists and other members of the media by the police during yesterday's march.

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/greek-protests-resume-after-holiday-lull

Also the independent Greek news agency tvxs.gr posted video of riot police intimidating innocent citizens after the march. If you fast forward to 9 mins you'll see them harrassing a senior citizen who dared to question their authority.

Despite lull in violence, Greek protests continue

The unprededented wave of protests and discontent that has hit Greece since Saturday shows no sign of abating. Although the country enjoyed relative calm last night after days of rioting, high school and university students are planning to block roads in Athens today. In addition at least 100 high schools are under occupation, as well as the universities in many cities in protest against the shooting of 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a police officer in central Athens.

Yesterday students some as young as twelve clashed with riot police in the northern port city of Thessaloniki. The central police station in Aristotelous square came under repeated attack from stone throwing teenagers who also set fire to rubbish bins and smashed shop windows.

The Greek government has announced a series of measures to help the hundreds of businesses damaged during the riots. Estimates over the cost of disturbances rangge from a three hundred to one billion euros. However, the opposition PASOK party has expressed skepticism over the government's plans to help pointing out that similar promises were made to those who lost homes in last year's devastating forest fires yet not kept.

The two policemen accused of killing the teenager claim that the fatal shot was a ricochet and that the officer who fired had shot into the air in order to scare off a gang of thirty youths who previously attacked them with rocks and bottles.

The defendents also said in their testimony that the dead student had been expelled from several schools and involved in incidents of football hooliganism.

However, several eye witnesses interviewed on Greek TV argue that there were no more than ten youths at the time of the incident and just one bottle was thrown at the defendent's patrol car. They also claim that the officer aimed his pistol directly at the group and fired and after Grigoropoulos fell to the ground walked away.

Friends and family of the teenager also denied categorically the accusations concerning the child's supposedly troubled academic career and alleged involvement in football violence.

The Greek police federation condemned the the actions of the two officers, calling the death a "horrific criminal act".

On the other hand defence lawyer Alexis Kougias, who took on the case other two other lawyers withdrew, claimed that there had been a "misunderstanding" and that foresenic evidence bore out his client's claim that the death was the result of bullet ricocheting. The results of the ballistics analysis of the bullets fired have, however, not been released yet.

NowPublic

Tags: Greece | World | Thessaloniki | Police Killing | greek riots | alexandros grigoropoulos | days of rage

No end to violence in Greek cities

With Greek riots entering their fifth day there is no sign there they about to end soon. Overnight there were violent clashes between in Athens, Thessaloniki and Volos.In Greece's second city anarchists occupying caused extensive damage to the Law and Theology department in the university campus.

In Patra and Larissa angry citizens attacked protesters in the cities universities. In addition riot police allowed groups of youths to throw rocks back at anarchist protesters in the university of Thessaloniki (see video here).

Greek prime minister, Kosas Karamanlis last night went on TV to make a call for national unity after pleas by the government for claim over the death of 15 year old Alexandros Gigoropoulos went unheeded. yesterday the funeral of the teenager shot dead by the police on Saturday was marred by incident. Video showing Greek motor cycle patrolmen firing into the air toscare off high school students wa shown on national TV (see video here). In addition other photographs have emerged of police officers pointing service pistols at demonstrators.

Today, Greek trade unions have called for a nationwide strike in order to protest the present government's handling of the economy.

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Tags: World | athens | Thessaloniki | greek riots | greece patras | illegal police shotings | alexandros grigoropoulos

Another night of rioting hits Greece

Last night saw the another round of protests and riots in Greece's major cities sparked off by the shooting by police of a 15 year - old in Athens on sSaturday. The scale and intensity of the the troubles has alarmed at shocked those in power and is being compared in the media to the disturbances that followed the Rodney King beating in LA and the 2005 riots in France

In Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city between 5000 and 10, 000 people took part in a protest march last night which was repeatedly tear gassed by riot police. In addition the march was also accompanied by attacks by anarchist groups on stores belonging to multi-national chains, banks and post offices. Several buildings were set on fire including Starbucks and McDonald franchises during the clashes which lasted into the morning.

Although Athens and Thessaloniki are quiet at the moment more protest marches are planned to coincide with the burial today of 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos. In the original police report the death was termed an act of self defense by the two police officers involved who claimed that they had come under attack from a mob of thirty youths.

However, eye witness accounts given to the Greek media talk of an execution style killing as the officer who fired first aimed at the youth after getting into an argument with the teenagers.

What many argue, though is the killing of Alexandros was merely the cue for the violent expression of a much deeper sense of dissatisfaction by young Greeks. Even before the current economic downturn those under 25 faced sky high levels of unemployment and limited prospects in low paying jobs. This combined with a deep sense of distrust of the government fostered by years of scandal has found its expression in violence and protests seen over the last four days.

In addition the incident has once again thrown light on the Greek police's tarnished record concerning unlawful killings and a systematic lack of accountability even when evidence of abuse is overwhelming. According to the national daily, Eleutherotypia one person a week dies in custody in Greek police stations and jails.

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Tags: Greece | World | Riots | police violence | Thessaloniki | protest march | greek riots | greek youth

Greek riots enter third day

Despite entering their third day the scenes of chaos and rioting in Greece's major cities seems far from over. Although there was an overnight lull in the clashes between protesters and riot police in Athens and other cities the peace was once again broken this afternoon when high school student marchers protesting the death of 15 year old, Andreas Grigoropoulos turned violent. Once more the central police station Thessaloniki, The country's second largest city came under attack. Unconfirmed eye witness accounts say that the police arrested a 13 year old girl during the event.

With the smell of burning plastic and tear gas hanging over much of the centre Thessaloniki resembles a war zone with heavily armoured riot police taking and re-taking strategic points along the central Egnatia Boulevard. In keeping with the tenets of guerrilla warfare their opponent simply retreat from the onslaught simply to reappear elsewhere within minutes.

Anarchist protesters have also taken over much of the university campus and other off campus departments such as the school of theatre where huge banners are hanging from the upper floor windows and loud rock music is blasting out.

In the face of such wide spread resistance the riot police appear unable to maintain order in the city. The situation seems to have slipped out the authorities ability to control. Traffic is still being allowed to enter riot zones around the university even though drivers are coming under attack with stones and paving blocks. 

With two more protest rallies scheduled today at 6pm today in Athens and Thessaloniki there is little likelihood that tensions will lessen and protesters go home. Indeed more and more cities throughout the country are reporting unrest.

The latest revelation that the dead teenager was apparently shot in cold blood by a police officer in the Exarchia district on Saturday has simply added to the anger and frustration that many young Greeks feel over the situation in the country as a whole. Rising unemployment, low wages and limited prospects have helped fuel a toxic mix which is easily ignited. However, it should be noted that while violent street clashes are not unusual in Greece the length, duration and intensity of these latest episodes has taken many by surprise.

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Tags: Greece | protests | World | Riots | Thessaloniki | Andreas Grigoropoulos | greek riots

Greece erupts in flames after death of teen.

The death of a 15 year - old in central Athens during clashes with police in the Exearchia district has sparked off a series of violent protests in the Greek capital and other major cities. Thessaloniki, Patras, and Crete all witnessed violent clashes between demonstrators and riot police.

According to official reports Andreas Grigoropoulos died after being shot at 9pm by police guarding the Exarcheia police station, which due to its proximity to the university of Athens is often a target for attacks by anarchist and other leftist groups. However, eyewitness accounts tell a different story. According to local residents the the police officer shot Grigoropoulos after an argument. Greek national TV is now calling the incident a "cold blooded Murder" rather than an act of self - defence.

News of the death quickly spread via the internet, SMS and word of mouth leading to protests across Greece. Today's marches quickly turned violent as enraged demonstrators took our their anger on banks, shops and police stations.

In Thessaloniki, Greece's second city the central Leukos Pyrgos police station was attacked by masked anarchists with rocks and Molotov cocktails. The police replied with tear gas and flash grenades causing panic and chaos amongst the thousands of marchers not involved in the violence.

TV images being shown live on Greek TV show central Athens swathed in smoke and tear gas and tens of small fires burn unattended as the fire fighters are unable to put them out.

Although violent scenes are not uncommon in Greece the extent, duration and intensity of the riots seems to have taken the authorities by surprise.In addition the fact that many of those who took in protest marches were neither young nor students is indicative of the fact that the death of the teenager has angered many Greeks. Case in point was the pensioner, who stood in front of a phalanx of riot police, apoplectic with rage shouting, "cops, killer, pigs" during the march in Thessaloniki

The events couldn't have come at a worst time for the conservative New Democracy government which has been losing support due to its handing of the recent economic crisis and the alleged involvement of many senior officials in the Vatopedi corruption scandal.

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Tags: Greece | protests | World | Riots | athens | Thessaloniki | Andreas Grigoropoulos | police death