The Greek economic crisis - in pictures, a set on Flickr.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
How much more can Greece take?
Another day, another government announcement of yet more taxes and job cuts. So far there have been five seperate initiatives in the last two weeks and yet more moves by Athens lay ahead in order for the Greek government to placate its creditors.
In such an atmosphere people have no idea what the future holds for them, planning any kind of budget as a family or business has become virtually impossible as no one knows that kind of new bills are coming their way, what their salary will have or even if they'll have a job in the coming months.
As you can imagine such insecurity has forced people to cut back on spending. Even those who have money are afraid to buy anything other than the bare essentials in case they are suddenly hit by yet another tax demand by the authorities or find themselves without work. In such an environment who in their right mind would invest, open a business or even buy a car? So people live in a kind of limbo, unable to move on with their lives and plan decision such as having children or getting married until the situation becomes more comprehensible
On the other hand the poorer off are been crushed by a vice consisting of falling wages on one side and rising prices on the other. Here in the north where winters are much cooler than one usually associates with Greece (we're just 130 km south of Bulgaria) the 50% hike in tax on heating oil combined with large increases in electricity prices are going to push many families into fuel poverty this winter.
Officially, unemployment in Thessaloniki is 21%, but studies carried out by GSEE (Greece's answer to the UK's TUC) put that figure at 5-8% higher with no prospect of any decline soon. Indeed the figures are guaranteed to go higher as tens of thousands of public sector workers are laid off and the continued fall in domestic consumption carries on apace.
Since the start of the year 17% of shops in the centre of Thessaloniki have closed down and store owners are claiming a drop in sales of 50% in the last three years.
In areas outside Thessaloniki's bustling downtown shopping district the picture is even grimmer with business organisations in the poorer western districts of the city reporting a fall in turnover of 80%.While some of this may be exaggeration many commercial thoroughfares such as the westbound Langada Street have indeed been decimated with 70-80% of shop fronts either boarded up or sporting For Sale signs.
Public confidence in the government of prime minister, Giorgos Papandeou has hit rock bottom as his party drifts to gaffe to gaffe, seemingly unable to do more than issue garbled public statements which raise more questions than they answer.
In such an atmosphere people have no idea what the future holds for them, planning any kind of budget as a family or business has become virtually impossible as no one knows that kind of new bills are coming their way, what their salary will have or even if they'll have a job in the coming months.
As you can imagine such insecurity has forced people to cut back on spending. Even those who have money are afraid to buy anything other than the bare essentials in case they are suddenly hit by yet another tax demand by the authorities or find themselves without work. In such an environment who in their right mind would invest, open a business or even buy a car? So people live in a kind of limbo, unable to move on with their lives and plan decision such as having children or getting married until the situation becomes more comprehensible
On the other hand the poorer off are been crushed by a vice consisting of falling wages on one side and rising prices on the other. Here in the north where winters are much cooler than one usually associates with Greece (we're just 130 km south of Bulgaria) the 50% hike in tax on heating oil combined with large increases in electricity prices are going to push many families into fuel poverty this winter.
Officially, unemployment in Thessaloniki is 21%, but studies carried out by GSEE (Greece's answer to the UK's TUC) put that figure at 5-8% higher with no prospect of any decline soon. Indeed the figures are guaranteed to go higher as tens of thousands of public sector workers are laid off and the continued fall in domestic consumption carries on apace.
Since the start of the year 17% of shops in the centre of Thessaloniki have closed down and store owners are claiming a drop in sales of 50% in the last three years.
In areas outside Thessaloniki's bustling downtown shopping district the picture is even grimmer with business organisations in the poorer western districts of the city reporting a fall in turnover of 80%.While some of this may be exaggeration many commercial thoroughfares such as the westbound Langada Street have indeed been decimated with 70-80% of shop fronts either boarded up or sporting For Sale signs.
Public confidence in the government of prime minister, Giorgos Papandeou has hit rock bottom as his party drifts to gaffe to gaffe, seemingly unable to do more than issue garbled public statements which raise more questions than they answer.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Green activists in Pristina, Kosovo demanding alternatives to coalpowered electricity plants
Green activists in Pristina, Kosovo demanding alternatives to coal powered electricity plants, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Greek teachers protest lack of school books
A march called by students and teachers protesting controversial education reforms.Around the woman's neck is a DVD that ministry of education sent instead of school books to classrooms around the country. Unfortunately, there is no way of using the material in lessons as most state schools have just a handful of PCs.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
There's a storm coming
A sombre picture for a sombre time. Once again Greece awaits what is in store for it in terms of spending cuts and job losses. In the media rumours abound of how hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk and the possible imposition of yet more taxes on basics such as public transport and heating oil. All the while the political leadership shows how little the fate of the country depends on decisions taken by Greece's government and parliament. In response protests by ordinary Greeks are slowly gathering steam as people are driven by anger and desperation over the future to express their anger over how they are being treated.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Greece: Light blue touch paper and stand well back
Over the last two days it seems that the Greek government has been in tense negotiations with the IMF and EU partners over the conditions attached to the country's sixth bailout installment. The local media has been cutting into normal programming to report even the the slightest update over the state of play.
In an address to the nation on Sunday, deputy prime minister quoted Churchill to show quite how serious the situation Greece was facing. In Venizelos's opinion anything but a united front by Greek political parties, academics and the media would lead to disaster and in a fierce attack on critics he stopped just short of accusing those opposed to the austerity measures of treason.
So considering the atmosphere of supposedly feverish negotiations it came as more than a surprise when the IMF's official spokeman said that Athens's creditors had in fact demanded no new cuts or taxes but rather that the ruling PASOK government applied measures that had already been agreed upon in summer.
And there you have so many of Greece's problems in a nutshell. The country's political elite, even as the situation deteriorates even further still continues playing the same old games.Like generals fighting the last war, the leadership of PASOK still thinks it can fob off foreigners with promises it cannot keep while fobbing off domestic critics with talk of victories won.
However, this particular web of half-truths, fudges and outright lies is about to crumble as it becomes more and more apparent that Athens hasn't the political power to stop massive cuts in public services and pay. On the other hand local trade unions, public sector workers and huge swathes of the population facing yet more tax hikes are at breaking point. After three years of recession pockets are empty, people are desperate and anger at the mendacity and ineptitude of the country's political class is at an all time high.
Even before the present debt crisis public confience in the political system was low following the seemingly endless series of corruption scandals that dogged the conservative New Democracy's five years in power. Even by the abysmally low standards of Greek politics the Karamanlis administration had reached new depths of veniality, helped in part by laws drafted by present deputy PM Venizelos protecting ministers from prosecution.
Both major parties are polling historically low and are struggling to get more than 20% of the vote. Nor have the smaller parties both of the left and right been able to capitalise on this trend. Instead there has been a widespread sense of disgust which is signalling a seachange in Greek political life.The current politicial set up is in crisis and despite frantic claims to the contrary no one is clear about how to get Greece out of the hole it finds itself.
Outside the hermetically sealed world of party politics however, protests movements are being created that promise to challenge prime minister Giorgos Papandeou's plans. Even the traditionally pro-PASOK public sector trade unions are promsing a long drawn out fight over cuts in pay, conditions and numbers. A battle that will intensify once details of lay-offs involving 100,000 civil servents are announced this week.
Less predictably, and perhaps more explosively, the country's Indignant movement is likely to see a resurgence following it's violent surpression in June. In addition the "I Won't Pay" civil disobedience movement created to fight road toll hikes is likely to pick up support amongst the 5 million housholds facing an emergency property tax in October as part of their electricity bill. Failure to pay in full will, according to the government result in people having their power cut off
This measure is deeply dispised as it is seen as little more than a legislative smash and grab that will includes the unemployed and disabled but not the nation's second largest property owner, the Greek Orthodox Church.
Just today there are at least three major demonstrations being planned in central Athens, a number that is likely to rise as the full extent of Athens's new austerity measures beome clear.
Venizelos may have compared himself with Winston Churchill on Sunday however, Marshal Petain, leader of the puppet Vichy French regime during World War Two seems a much closer historical fit, given how much national sovereignty has been surrendered propping up an economy on the brink of collapse.
In an address to the nation on Sunday, deputy prime minister quoted Churchill to show quite how serious the situation Greece was facing. In Venizelos's opinion anything but a united front by Greek political parties, academics and the media would lead to disaster and in a fierce attack on critics he stopped just short of accusing those opposed to the austerity measures of treason.
So considering the atmosphere of supposedly feverish negotiations it came as more than a surprise when the IMF's official spokeman said that Athens's creditors had in fact demanded no new cuts or taxes but rather that the ruling PASOK government applied measures that had already been agreed upon in summer.
And there you have so many of Greece's problems in a nutshell. The country's political elite, even as the situation deteriorates even further still continues playing the same old games.Like generals fighting the last war, the leadership of PASOK still thinks it can fob off foreigners with promises it cannot keep while fobbing off domestic critics with talk of victories won.
However, this particular web of half-truths, fudges and outright lies is about to crumble as it becomes more and more apparent that Athens hasn't the political power to stop massive cuts in public services and pay. On the other hand local trade unions, public sector workers and huge swathes of the population facing yet more tax hikes are at breaking point. After three years of recession pockets are empty, people are desperate and anger at the mendacity and ineptitude of the country's political class is at an all time high.
Even before the present debt crisis public confience in the political system was low following the seemingly endless series of corruption scandals that dogged the conservative New Democracy's five years in power. Even by the abysmally low standards of Greek politics the Karamanlis administration had reached new depths of veniality, helped in part by laws drafted by present deputy PM Venizelos protecting ministers from prosecution.
Both major parties are polling historically low and are struggling to get more than 20% of the vote. Nor have the smaller parties both of the left and right been able to capitalise on this trend. Instead there has been a widespread sense of disgust which is signalling a seachange in Greek political life.The current politicial set up is in crisis and despite frantic claims to the contrary no one is clear about how to get Greece out of the hole it finds itself.
Outside the hermetically sealed world of party politics however, protests movements are being created that promise to challenge prime minister Giorgos Papandeou's plans. Even the traditionally pro-PASOK public sector trade unions are promsing a long drawn out fight over cuts in pay, conditions and numbers. A battle that will intensify once details of lay-offs involving 100,000 civil servents are announced this week.
Less predictably, and perhaps more explosively, the country's Indignant movement is likely to see a resurgence following it's violent surpression in June. In addition the "I Won't Pay" civil disobedience movement created to fight road toll hikes is likely to pick up support amongst the 5 million housholds facing an emergency property tax in October as part of their electricity bill. Failure to pay in full will, according to the government result in people having their power cut off
This measure is deeply dispised as it is seen as little more than a legislative smash and grab that will includes the unemployed and disabled but not the nation's second largest property owner, the Greek Orthodox Church.
Just today there are at least three major demonstrations being planned in central Athens, a number that is likely to rise as the full extent of Athens's new austerity measures beome clear.
Venizelos may have compared himself with Winston Churchill on Sunday however, Marshal Petain, leader of the puppet Vichy French regime during World War Two seems a much closer historical fit, given how much national sovereignty has been surrendered propping up an economy on the brink of collapse.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Reporters Sans Frontiers on reporting in Greece: "Photographers and cameramen are more and more at risk as they encounter situations akin to civil war"
Reporters Sans Frontiers on reporting in Greece: "Photographers and cameramen are more and more at risk as they encounter situations akin to civil war", a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.
Caught between the violence of the extremist movements and the violence of anti-riot police who show little respect for their professional status, photographers are paying a high price for the coverage they give us."
http://en.rsf.org/grece-could-the-crisis-help-media-14-09-2011,40986.html
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Greek riot police clash with anti-government protesters outside Thessaloniki trade fair
Greek riot police clash with anti-government protesters outside Thessaloniki trade fair, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.
However, this year's event was overshadowed by violent anti- government protests organised by groups as disparate as taxi drives and doctors, football fans and soccer moms, all angry with austerity measures which have crippled the economy and brought about a financial downturn unprecedented in modern Greek history.
Prime minister. Girogos Papandreou gave is annual speech at the fair, the nearest thing Greece as to a state of the union address from behind a security cordon manned by 10-12,000 riot police armed with shields, tear gas and pistols.
The centre of Greece's second largest city of 1,2 million inhabitants was sealed off for one kilometre around the Vellidiou conference centre where the prime minister was scheduled to speak.
In the end the most violent protests came not from the city's large student population or anarchists but rather taxi drivers outraged by government reform measures. For over an hour thousands of driver fought with riot police units outside the trade fair.
Round of tear gas fired by the police were met with a hail of broken paving stones and several times forced them to retreat to the relative safety of the fair.
To add to the authorities woes thousands of football fans also clashed with police units in the centre as the local Iraklis FC supporters smashed shop windows and set fire to rubbish bins along the main Tsimiski Boulevard.
Clashes between students and police around the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki which borders the trade fair also lasted into the small hours of the morning.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Everything you ever wanted to know about how Greek media works in one photo.
Everything you ever wanted to know about how Greek media works in one photo., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.
The media here, especially that funded by the state (as is the case with the station pictured above) is little more than publically funded propaganda designed to present those in power in the best possible light. Dull, biased and impossibly amateur these channels pump out a daily diet of press announcement and valedictory speeches which the vast majority of viwers simply ignore.
Since selection and promotion within such organisations depends on connections (bothe personal and political) and above loyalty to ones superiors quality and talent are often after thoughts which explains why so much money buys such bad TV.
Friday, September 09, 2011
Woman employee grabbed by plain clothes police officers for taking photo of police infiltrators
Woman employee grabbed by plain clothes police officers for taking photo of police infiltrators, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.
With coffers empty and yet more austerity measures soon to be imposed Papandreou's popularity is at an all time low as groups as diverse as dentists and taxi drivers, cleaners and surgeons are taking part in anti-government protests.
The city centre resembles less a trade fair than a city under seige with thousands of quasi-military riot police on stand by around strategic public buildings and the Makedonia Palace hotel where the prime minister and much of the cabinet will be staying for the weekend.
The real show of strength will be tomorrow when thousands of demonstrators have vowed to shut down the centre and do everything in theirpower to prevent the beleagured leader from giving his key note speech to the nation.
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Monday, September 05, 2011
Why I left Demotix
As of last Friday I no longer contribute to the Demotix website. For those who do not know them, Demotix bills itself as an;
"award-winning newswire where YOU tell the stories. We put photos and video from ordinary people and freelance photographers into the international news media."
When I started to upload photographs and news stories I was hoping that the site would be a serious replacement for other citizen journalism news hubs I had previously worked with. I was hoping that unlike these others Demotix would not degenerate into a centre for crack pot ideas and conspiracy theorists desperately trying to convince us that Hitler's brain was living on Mars.
In that respect Demotix has suceeded by retaining editorial control over content and judicious choice of what stories it promotes. So why am I leaving? The first and most obvious reason is the seemingly endless list of technical difficulties that mean uploading photographs (forget video,where problems grew exponentially) and stories can take hours and many repeated attempts.
If you're sitting in the comfort of your own home, an hour of two wasted now and then may not mean much but when uploading more often or you're outside in difficult conditions, such delays are infuriating.I remember cursing the site with every swear word I possess in both English and Greek when trying to upload a story from the Athens riots which was written on a rapidly dying laptop in an arcade filling up with tear gas.
Despite recent attempts to improve. every upgrade simply changes the nature of the bugs rather than their frequency, it seems. The last straw was on Friday when an entire story just disappeared from before my very eyes never to be seen again. With my main job about to start again I do not have the time to spend two, three hours nursing a story through defective software.
The other problem I have with Demotix is over payment or rather the lack of transparency over what is being sold, where and for how much. By chance I happened to come across some of my images that had been licenced to the Wall Street Journal and some Danish news sites yet no mention was made of this either via my account on Demotix or email. Later a member of the Demotix staff assured me that all the details of these transaction would be made available to me within the following days. That was over a month ago and still no update of my sales has appeared in my account data in Demotix.
As you can imagine this lack of feedback is both disappointing and frustrating and has confirmed my decision that Demotix is not the place for me.
"award-winning newswire where YOU tell the stories. We put photos and video from ordinary people and freelance photographers into the international news media."
When I started to upload photographs and news stories I was hoping that the site would be a serious replacement for other citizen journalism news hubs I had previously worked with. I was hoping that unlike these others Demotix would not degenerate into a centre for crack pot ideas and conspiracy theorists desperately trying to convince us that Hitler's brain was living on Mars.
In that respect Demotix has suceeded by retaining editorial control over content and judicious choice of what stories it promotes. So why am I leaving? The first and most obvious reason is the seemingly endless list of technical difficulties that mean uploading photographs (forget video,where problems grew exponentially) and stories can take hours and many repeated attempts.
If you're sitting in the comfort of your own home, an hour of two wasted now and then may not mean much but when uploading more often or you're outside in difficult conditions, such delays are infuriating.I remember cursing the site with every swear word I possess in both English and Greek when trying to upload a story from the Athens riots which was written on a rapidly dying laptop in an arcade filling up with tear gas.
Despite recent attempts to improve. every upgrade simply changes the nature of the bugs rather than their frequency, it seems. The last straw was on Friday when an entire story just disappeared from before my very eyes never to be seen again. With my main job about to start again I do not have the time to spend two, three hours nursing a story through defective software.
The other problem I have with Demotix is over payment or rather the lack of transparency over what is being sold, where and for how much. By chance I happened to come across some of my images that had been licenced to the Wall Street Journal and some Danish news sites yet no mention was made of this either via my account on Demotix or email. Later a member of the Demotix staff assured me that all the details of these transaction would be made available to me within the following days. That was over a month ago and still no update of my sales has appeared in my account data in Demotix.
As you can imagine this lack of feedback is both disappointing and frustrating and has confirmed my decision that Demotix is not the place for me.
Friday, September 02, 2011
Over 300 university and polytechnic departments now under occupation by Greek students
Despite the fact that the Greek academic year has yet to begin, students in universities and polytehnics across the country are already gearing up to resist contoversial reform programme being introduced by minister for education, Anna Diamantopoulou.
According to student leaders over 300 department in institutions of higher education nationwide are now being occupied by students unhappy with changes designed to overhaul Greece's ailing universities and technical schools. For protesting students and academics the reforms are little more than than a cost cutting exercise being foisted upon Athens by its international creditors anxious to bring public spending down.
Amongst the most contested elements in the reform package is the abolition of the country's campus asylum laws whch mean that the police are only allowed to enter university/polytechnc proprty at the inviation of the dean. Such laws ahve long been a thorn in the side of the authorities as it means that institutions of higher education are essentially off limits to the police.
Today students took part in demonstrations nationwide, in the northern port city of Thessaloniki between two and three thousand students marched peacefully through the centre of the city.
The latest wave of protests in yet another headache for the ruling PASOK party whose austerity measures have been opposed by an ever widening section of Greek society and has seen groups as diverse as taxi drivers and doctors clashing with the authorities. With popular support at record low levels prime minister Giorgos Papandreou attempts to implement deeply unpopular economic measures demanded by the IMF and EU are in danger of failing completely.
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Thessaloniki city council in tree attack
It's that time of year again. The 76th Annual Thessaloniki Trade Fair approaches once again and the local political hacks, in order to look good for their political masters in Athen look to spruce up the city.
Usually, this takes the form of expensive vanity projects within walking distance of the trade fair and the hotel in which the prime minister and the rest of the cabinet stay. A tradition that the current PM is unlikely to break given the problems with public order that are caused every time high raking government official appear in public.
This year in order to do something the local town council has decided to lop down a number of fine old trees in the part near the hotel and build a "sculpture park".
In a time of direst austerity, in a city where one in four is without work and many do not have the money even to pay their power bills such vandalism and extravagance is a public slap in the face and yet another reminder of how far the country's political leadership is out of touch with the average voter.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Greek fire fighting airplane dropping water on fire outside northern port city of Thessaloniki
Greek fire fighting airplane dropping water on fire outside northern port city of Thessaloniki, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.
Traditionally, August has always proved to the most dangerous month in Greece for forest fires. High temperatures, strong winds and difficult terrein have always proved a lethal combination for the nation's wooded areas.
This time it is the turn of the northern port of Thessaloniki to be the latest victim of forest fires which broke out this afternoon in the Seix Sou district, close to the city's zoo. The fire which is still raging burnt woods around several residential areas but so far there have been no reports of either burnt homes or casualties.
According to latest official reports the fire which is being fought on three different fronts is under partial control with several fire fighting aircraft taking part in the operation.
The Seix Sou areas was devastated in 1997 when a similar fire destroyed much of the pine woods surrouding Greece's second city.
www.demotix.com/news/804221/forest-fire-hits-greeces-seco...
For The political background to Greece's forest fire crisis
"Interagency coordination obstacles and a weakened forestry service continue to threaten Greece's ability to adequately protect its forests, wild lands, and meet climate change targets. Greece recently agreed to associate with the Copenhagen Accord through the EU (ref A), but by not addressing its growing wildfire problem, it leaves a significant gap in its climate change priorities.
Post has engaged many forest policy officials, pressing for a forest protection policy based on prevention rather than focusing on reactive measures. Greek officials have been thankful for U.S. support, primarily U.S. Forest Service (USFS) training through a $2.1 million USAID package that is set to run out in 2010. In recent meetings, Greek officials have been somewhat responsive to Post's engagement, stating their hope to establish legal forest boundaries and ramp up public prevention campaigns.
As the wildfire season approaches, Post continues to encourage responsible policy from the Government of Greece (GoG) to protect the country's natural environment, as part of the global effort to combat climate change."
wikileaks.org/cable/2010/02/10ATHENS99.html
Monday, August 15, 2011
No sitting on the fence in Greek PM, Giorgos Papandreou's New Greece
It's 40 years since Easter Germany or to give the defunct state its full title, The German Democratic Republic (GDR) set about erecting a wall around the western sector of Berlin and so cutting off contact between the citizens of the capitalist West and socialist East. In it's way the wall or "Anti Fascist Protection Rampart" was an admission of failure on the part of the East Germans, a sign that they could not convince their own people to resist the siren call of the West with its democratic right, shiny consumer goods, fresh fruit and veg.
On the seafront of Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, a 1km chain link fence has been erected around the luxurious 5 star Makedonia Palace hotel and though no official announcement has been made the purpose of the barrier is clear to anyone familiar with local politics. The hotel will, as it does every year play host to Greek prime minister, Giorgos Papandreou and most of the cabinet who decamp from the capital to attend the opening ceremony of the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair.
Likewise 40 years on another barrier was erected recently here in Greece, hastily thrown up, almost overnight it does not rival its German counterpart in either in size or durability but does, it its own way signal the end of a dream and is, like the Berlin Wall, also an admission of failure on behalf of a government that cannot trust its own people.
On the seafront of Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, a 1km chain link fence has been erected around the luxurious 5 star Makedonia Palace hotel and though no official announcement has been made the purpose of the barrier is clear to anyone familiar with local politics. The hotel will, as it does every year play host to Greek prime minister, Giorgos Papandreou and most of the cabinet who decamp from the capital to attend the opening ceremony of the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair.
The event, which marks the official start of the winter political season, involves the prime minister talking to the country in the nearest thing Greece has to a State of the Union address. It also marks an opportunity for trade unions and activists to flex their muscle in run up to the coming parliamentary session. Even in normal times the trade fair is a tense affair with both sides indulging in a show of strength and often with clashes between the more "warm blooded" participants and the police.
However, these are not normal times in Greece; the ecomony continues to shrink at an alarming rate and unemployment is soaring, especially here in the north. On the other hand the ruling PASOK party, which is barely able to muster 16% in opinion polls has nothing to placate disgruntled civil servents, trade unionist and voters general. The EU/ECB/IMF austerity measures have crushed consumption and put the Greek economy on life support. Worst of all, any hope that such cuts in public spending will help improve people's prospects in the short term have proven illusionary and as a result there is a ground swell of popular dissent which will probably find a new focus coming the prime minister's visit and hence the fence.
Like the Berlin Wall the fence also marks the end of a dream as it is concrete evidence of the growing divide between ruler and ruled in Greece and the end of an era for the ruling socialist party. When I first arrived in Greece at the end of the 1980's I was astounded by the popularity of the nation's political leaders, both on the left and right. In particular Andreas Papandreou, founder of PASOK and father of the present PM Giorgos Papandreou was still able to draw massive crowds numbering hundreds of thousands during election campaigns. Ironically, He often chose the Macedonia Palace hotel to give his speeches when in Thessaloniki as attendence was so massive that no other venue could acommodate everyone. For miles in either direction the seafront would be full of eager PASOK supporters following the speech via a long line of loudspeakers that stretched from the port to the old fun fair, a distance of no less than four miles.
Like the Berlin Wall the fence also marks the end of a dream as it is concrete evidence of the growing divide between ruler and ruled in Greece and the end of an era for the ruling socialist party. When I first arrived in Greece at the end of the 1980's I was astounded by the popularity of the nation's political leaders, both on the left and right. In particular Andreas Papandreou, founder of PASOK and father of the present PM Giorgos Papandreou was still able to draw massive crowds numbering hundreds of thousands during election campaigns. Ironically, He often chose the Macedonia Palace hotel to give his speeches when in Thessaloniki as attendence was so massive that no other venue could acommodate everyone. For miles in either direction the seafront would be full of eager PASOK supporters following the speech via a long line of loudspeakers that stretched from the port to the old fun fair, a distance of no less than four miles.
But that era has long since disappeared, a victim of the rise in TV campaigning and a growing disillusionment with not just PASOK but the entire political scene in Greece. Instead of a sea of adoring fans Papandreou Junior is forced to erect fences which undoubtedly will be manned with thousands of riot police to defend himself against the very same people who once so ferevently supported his party.
Of course, you can only take a comparison so far, and the fence around the hotel, unlike the Berlin Wall will not be manned by soldiers with shot to kill orders and most of those fleeing Greece are going to escape poverty and not political oppression but there are enough similarities between the two to warrant a reappraisal of what exactly is the relationship between Greece's political elite and those it purports to represent.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Monday, August 08, 2011
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Summer concert - Thessaloniki, Greece.
A couple of weeks ago I went with my daughter and her friends to a free open air concert in the centre of Thessaloniki. The perfect antidote to the doom and gloom of recent months.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Shot by shot capture of Greek riot police attacking a demonstrator - Athens 3.50pm 29 June 2011
This was just one of the hundreds of acts of police violence commited by Greek riot squads during the 29th June, the vast majority of attacks were directed at peaceful protesters who'd gathered in Syntagma Square, central Athens to show their disagreement with the latest round of Government austerity measures which has brought the country to its knees economically.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Greek members of the Indignant protest movement spray swastika outside German consulate, Thessaloniki
Greek members of the Indignant protest movement spray swastika outside German consulate, Thessaloniki, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.
Demands including the repayment of unpaid war reparation from Germany for the destruction caused by the Nazi occupation of Greece from 1941-1945. In addition German insistence of tough austerity measures has seen a massive upswing in anti-German feeling from across the political spectrum, a sentiment flamed by the repeated acusations that German corporations such as Siemens and HDW systematically bribed leading Greek politicians in order to win lucrative arms and security contracts
www.demotix.com/news/761635/greek-protesters-blockade-ger...
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Welcome to Athens
Dedicated to the Greek riot police who have done so much lately to promote Athens as a premier tourist destination.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Embedded with Greece's Los Indignados
Occasionally, things happen that takes time to process or require distance to filter them through memory till they start to take on the contours of anything that can be explained in a meaningful way.
It has been over two weeks since I went to Athens to take part in the anti-government rally on the 29th June. Tagging along with a group of 400 "indignant" as the Greek protesters call themselves I found myself waiting at midnight outside the White Tower in the centre of Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki with a bunch of people who resembled less a group of serious demonstrators than over aged participants in a school trip. The joking and jostling for position, who sits next to whom, brought back memories of similiar journeys as a kid.
Arriving in Athens the next morning we wasted no time and no sooner had we clambered off the coaches than a banner was unfurled and people took to the road to march and shout out chants, announcing to all who cared to listen that the northern contingent was in town and looking to join their big city counterparts in Syntagma Square. The Square which faces the houses of parliament has, for much of modern Greek history been the focal point of clashes between disgruntled citizens and their rulers.
As soon as we entered the square than many of us were overwhelmed with tears, though this was less to do with any emotion than the residue of tear gas that had been used the previous day and which still coated much of the area. Luckily for us, one of the leaders knew exactly where we could equip ourselves with gas masks and goggles that later would prove so vital for anyone who wanted to stay in Syntagma.
In the crowd that was massed in front of the parliament the atmosphere was a strange mix of carnival and demo, on the one hand people were in a upbeat mood with some present dancing to music played by drummers yet the underlying feeling of tension and anger was apparent to anyone familiar with Greeks and Greek culture.
Another interesting point was the "ideological" composition of the rally, which seemed to embrace a wide, if not contradictory range of political opinions. In the centre where trouble would later start were the "patriots" as I termed them, who were convinced that the entire Greek debt crisis was the result of American born prime minister, Giorgos Papandreou's collusion with the Jewish banking nexus, with a measure of masonic conspiracy theory thrown in for good measure.
On the other hand every shade of left wing opinion including the anarchists also had their own blocks. In the middle, a mass of others who identified with none of the available political choices but were convinced that the austerity law being debated was a disaster for the country and wanted send a message to those inside parliament.
The real panic began at 1.30pm when news that the austerity vote had passed became known, leading to a group of about 100-200 next to the barriers outside parliament to rush the police. The charge was quickly stopped when riot police units started firing tear gas and the demonstrators quickly retreated. Taking this as a cue a group of about 50-100 youths started pelting police lines from nearby the Grand Bretagne hotel and and the police intervened effectively the violence would have probably been over within a few minutes.
However, riot police units then took the attack as an excuse to lauch a concerted assault on the rally from five different directions, using thousands of tear gas cannisters, flash grenades and other weapons. The result was a generalised onslaught on anyone still remaining in Syntagma who were all perceived by the police as rioters, even though the vast majority were protesting peacefully and had nowhere to flee to.
Assualts by the police continued inside Syntagma and throughout much of the centre of Athens for the rest of the day, with hundreds being hospitalised with breathing problems or the result of beatings by the police who in many situations acted more like football hooligans than the agents of law and order.
How to describe the horror of seeing a pack of 10 officers kick and beat a man in front of my eyes, or the anger generated when a protesters who talked back to a policeman was repeatedly punched in the face by a another cop. It was scenes like these that infuriated many present and created a much wider circle of people, many older men and women willing to throw stones and other objects at the police.
I repeatedly saw demonstators plead with riot squad units to stop attacks and who intervened to calm down fellow protesters but often their attempts to play peacemaker were thwarted by the police themselves who lashed out at anyone who approached them or grabbed people, seemingly at random.Each time this happend yet another wave of anger rippled through those nearby.
This pattern of violence and over reaction repeated itself through the day and lead me to the conclusion that the violence of the police was not simply a lack of self control but part of a plan by the authorities to empty the square and put down the Indignant movement at all costs. I doubt if anyone in government uttered those words but I'm pretty sure that the police leadership was left with no illusion about what their political masters wanted done about the situation.
Another infuriating aspect of the day's events was the foreign coverage of the rally which seemed to misunderstand the gravity of the situation, For most of the foreign press crews the story as yet another clash between Greek "anarchists" and the police so ignoring the wider implications of a massive police surpression of a mainly peaceful protest movement.
I'm not sure if this was simply journalistic laziness or the result an agenda that much of the mainstream media often bring to news stories.I remember arguing with some smug US TV anchorman next to me who was waffling on about how futile the protests were as if it was a tired theatrical show that has outstayed its welcome rather than the desperate fight by ordinary Greeks for a viable future. This unwillingness or inability to look beyond the dramatic images to get to a deeper truth has marked much ofthe reporting from Syntagma and the Greek crisis in general.
Later as the day wore on my nerves and stamina dwindled the constant threat of attack by the police or injury by flying objects from both sides plus the experience of being tear gassed took its toll and even the adenaline jolt of being in a highly charged conflict wasn't enough to keep me going . So I went to a cafe to send off pictures and comment to Demotix. yet even there the atmosphere was heavy with tear gas and I ended up sitting at a table in a mall wearing a mask while tapping out my story.
Towards midnight I carefully made my way back to Syntagma Square which now resembled a war zone with fires burning and the much of the surrounding area looking as if it had been used for target practice to get to the subway station to meet up with the other protesters from Thessaloniki who were going back by coach from Monestiraki.Even inside the station the regular thud of flash grenades going off near the entrance gave the impression that we were in an air raid.
Even though I have seen lots of upheaval in Greeece, including the violent uprising in December 2008 the level of violence I witnessed in Syntagma was of a new order of magnitude and it seemed that it was ushering in a violently different relationship between the Greek government and the people they are supposed to represent.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Is this UK media's Waterloo?
With the News of the World phone hacking scandal knocking over its own set of dominoes, a real debate is kicking off in Britain over the state of the country's mainstream media and in particular the uncomfortably cozy nature of the way in which big business, journalists and politicians work together to decide upon what the rest of us get to consume as news.
In many respects the situation in Britain closely replicates the situation here in Greece as far as the media is concerned. In both countries media conglomerates are owned by the very rich who do not hesitate to use their position to set the political agenda in order to ensure their interests are either protected or extended. In this they are assisted by both journalists and politicians eager to curry favour with owners in return for the kind of publicity that will advance their careers.
As for the rest of us, we are just treated as rather silly children who must be seen but not heard, occasionally a few of us are asked our opinion on the issues of the day but this is little more than window dressing, and is no way is allowed to interfere with the media's real job which is promoting the views of the wealthy and powerful.
I suppose those living in Greece should be thankful that the local media corporations are less practiced in the dark arts of spin than their UK counterparts and so their efforts often fail to convince, either that or Greeks, long accustomed to the constant media drone of state and non state propaganda are less credulous than UK consumers and so more cyncial about whatever claim or counter claim the media chooses to make.
Following the flame out at News International it is time once again to look at the simmering conlict between old and new media or perhaps more accurately between corporate embedded media and those operating outside the hermetically sealed world of political reporting. For too long those of using the new, powerful tools offered by the internet have taken traditional journalism's claims about superior accuracy and professionalism for granted.
What is emerging now in the wake of News of the World/ Times debacle is cold, hard truth is that much of commercial journalism is deeply corrupt and has no real claim to being better than the work done by bloggers and the like. When the slick presentaion is removed what really distinguishes media players from their independent counterparts? It certainly isn't integrity if the stories coming out of Wapping are to be believed.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
When those who think words can change the world meet those who know that weapon will.
When those who think words can change the world meet those who know that weapon will., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.
I saw several of these used by riot police last Wednesday by riot police and was always relieved when this hunk of metal which travels in the air at 50-60 kph managed not to hit anyone.
I thought the juxtaposition of the leaflet and the grenade encapsulates so much of what happened later that day. In essence a peaceful protest movement was drowned in a wave of violence and tear gas by a government terrified that it would develop even further and threaten their pwer.
Using a violent actions of a few demonstrators the police launched a sustained and savage attack on all sections of the rally leaving in its wake over 500 injured and the centre of Athens looking like a war zone, an especially damaging image for a country as dependent on tourism as Greece is. In contrast to most riot situations when the police use about 100 tear gas cannisters police sources admitted that 2860 cannisters were used on Wednesday alone.
The sense of outraged felt by those witnessing the casual brutality of the Greek police was paliable and goaded many , normally law abiding citizens to pick up whatever came to hand and fight back.
With the Indignant movement shattered, or at least geatly weakened, a false feeling of calm has decended upon Greece as people no longer take part in mass demonstrations. This is partly due to the time of year (Summer is traditionally a slow period politically) and partly a sence of futility as people have been unable to stop the austerity measures. But do not count on such emotions lasting indefinitely, with the coming Autumn the Greek government is likely to be faced by a large number of political challenges both from within and without parliament.
Already rage against the ruling PASOK party and politicians in general has lead to a series of over 90 attacks on MPs, a number which is set to rise as they return to disgruntled constituencies for the summer recess.
Monday, July 04, 2011
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Friday, July 01, 2011
The Battle for Athens. The day after.
Greek police getting ready to attack protesters in Syntagma Square, Athens, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.
When I got back from Athens the first thing I did was take a shower to wash away the stench of tear gas, Maalox and fear that had hung around me since the morning. Although I have seen my fair share of violent clashes here in Greece, including the uprising in December 2008, nothing had prepared me for the sheer level of savagery shown by the Athens riot police. More than once I saw them act like wild animals, pouncing upon anyone foolish enough to stop to plead or remonstrate with them
Time and time again the police sent vollies of tear gas into packed crowds and it's only by a miracle that no one got crushed under foot as thousands of people ran panic striken from the gas and flash grenades. Nor did this stop throughout the day, from the moment the trouble started at 1pm till after midnight Syntagma Square smelt and sounded like a war zone with an almost continous series of loud explosions and renewed tear gas attacks on the Los Indignados encampment.
Even as far away away as Monesteriki (a neighbourhood about 1km from parliament) rampaging motocycle officers created havoc as they attacked peaceful protesters in cafes and tavernas and gunned their bikes along narrow streets packed with tourists drinking coffee outside.
At no point did the level of police response correspond with the threat they were facing, instead of calmly dealing with a small group of stone throwing trouble makers they launched an all out attack on five fronts against demonstrators which succeeded in provoking a furious reaction from a much larger section of the rally who had outraged by the scenes of uncontrolled police violence they were witnessing.
If such violence had been restricted to an handful of officer or units then perhaps you could talk about rogue officers acting unlawfully, but the scale and the duration of the operation left no doubt that police were under direct ordrs to do everything in their power to break up the demonstration and make sure those taking part would not regroup. In that way the country's political leadership and ultimately, prime minister Giorgos Papandreou took the decision to surpress the anti-government protests in manner more befitting the brutal regimes of Egypt and Tunisia than any EU member.
This is a decision that may buy the ruling PASOK administration some time as people reel in shock from the violence but in the long term has severely damaged, perhaps irreparably the credibility of Greek parliamentary democracy and probably will be the final nail in the coffin of PASOK as a viable political force in future elections.
In a country where folk memories of previous state violence run deep, sometimes going back generations the events of the 28th and 29th June are not likely to remain fade any time soon..
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