A Festival of Colour and Light - Thessaloniki, Greece

YOU HAVE ALL THE WEAPONS YOU NEED NOW FIGHT - T-SHIRT

The 79th Thessaloniki International Trade Festival - Greece

The Power And The Poster

Create your own media message - a community guide

"If we play by their rules we lose, if we create our own rules we have a chance"

Once again the power of of social media can not only be seen in its ability to spread information but also in its power to challenge the way in which the mainstream media sets the agenda on a particular issue, even in places as far apart as The Gaza Strip and Ferguson, Missouri. Despite the vast differences in both geography and cause both cases show that even the most well-oiled media machine can be challenged by ordinary people on the ground using tools such as Twitter, Youtube and Instagram. 

Here are some tips for anyone who wants to use the power of the internet to get their message across and give themselves leverage in their dealings with more traditional forms of media.

1 A community or group should never rely solely on mainstream media to get their message out. It's naive to believe they're are neutral parties in many news events. Remember TV channels and newspapers are often large organisations whose first loyalty is to those who own and/or control them and not to you. In the worst case scenario you are simply another lunch item on their menu, to be consumed today and forgotten tomorrow.

2 Even if the reporter on the scene is sympathetic to your cause, they are often not in charge of how the final story is seen. They may be on your side but as we have seen from coverage in Gaza there is often a massive disconnect between the story reported by those on the ground via Twitter and the one that reaches viewers and readers back home once the editorial line comes into play.

3 Yes, cultivate media who seem sympathetic, but remember media organisations frequently come to a story with their own agenda. Check them out on the internet see if their views and your views coincide. Do not take it on faith that what a journalist tells you is what they are telling their audience.

4 Don't just give the news channels "raw material" in the form of video, footage or interviews without knowing who they are and how they operate. Too many of those in the media see "civilians" as just another expendable resource to be used and then discarded in order to get their story out. Remember once you hand over your material you have no control over how it will be edited and presented. 

5 Use your existing online and offline social networks to communicate your message, share material, produce your own media. The more people who can help you, especially in the beginning, the more others are likely to pick up on it later on and promote your cause. Remember on the internet you have the possibility of contacting sympathetic voices across the globe.

6 Share materials and talent with those around you. If you can, form a group that will allow you to pool talents, materials and resources. Whether it is video footage from a different angle, access to PCs or a gift with writing or photography, your community or group is likely to be a treasure trove as far as material and skills are concerned, it's your job to make the most of these gifts.

7 If a community  or group produces its own coverage (video/pictures/written accounts) it stands a better chance of getting its story out intact.  The more you can do for yourself, the less your have to rely on media outsiders taking your story out of your hands and turning into something you do not recognise. If nothing else you can point people to your version when calling out distorted accounts produced by others.

Video can edited with free tools  with  programs such as Windows Movie Maker which comes pre-installed on many Windows PCs (see here for training video). It allows you to make your videos shorter and more effective and also means you can add media (video, photographs or audio) from many different sources.

8 None of this needs a lot of cash or fancy equipment but it does take time and you will need some technical skills which are well worth learning. A good place to begin is the Witness.org site which is full of practical tips on using video for activism. It is designed to teach those not in media how to cover different events in a professional manner and how to keep yourself and those whose stories you are covering safe. Check out their YouTube channel here. 

If you are going to use photographs rather than video then always remember that a short text describing what is happening in the picture adds to your audience's understanding of the context of the event and also makes your image more credible. 

9 Don't forget to licence your images (be they video, articles or photos) under a Creative Commons licence when posting them online. This means that media outlets cannot just claim that once you posted them you allowed free use of use them to anyone. Of course many will steal your work anyway but at least a CC licence gives you some kind of legal leverage and shows your audience that you are the victim of copyright theft and not just negligent or naive. See more on CC in this video.

What if other nations acted in the same manner as Israel in Gaza?

One of the central themes of Israel's defence of its intervention in Gaza is that if other countries, especially those in Europe or North America, were in its position then, they too would be forced to take similar measures to ensure their security.

Let's take their argument and test its logic. Imagine that during The Troubles the UK government had responded to the the bombing campaign carried out by the Provisional IRA in both Northern Ireland and the British mainland in a manner akin to than being employed by the Israeli Defense Force now in Gaza. (See full size image here).



Just to remember that the often brutal conflict in Northern Ireland cost the lives of 3,530 and left more than 47,500 injured in a campaign that lasted from the late 60's to the Clinton brokered Good Friday peace deal in 1998. The current death toll for The Gaza Strip is 1032 dead after just 19 days of IDF operations.

Laws are silent in times of war - Cicero on Gaza

"Laws are silent in times of war" - Cicero

Killing Kids Is Not Cool - Israel invades Gaza

In Kosovo again

I spent part of last week in Pristina, Kosovo. Despite the fact that the country was involved in a brutal war in  the late 90's the capital shows little evidence of the fighting, and instead is now a bustling, friendly Balkan city.

Thessaloniki - cityscape

And now in colour.

Street portrait - Vasilis

Austerity in action

The Girl In The Yellow Dress

On the war path, protesters against plans to privatise historical market place - Thessaloniki, Greece

The authorities in Thessaloniki want to sell off the historical Modiano market place in the heart of the city.

Greek high school students protest changes in the exam system

Already the changes have resulted in a six-fold increase in those failing certain lessons in northern Greece. As with so many educational systems, the Greek one is used as a political football as new ministers introduce their latest pet projects, often ignoring the disastrous effects of constant change on those trying to complete their studies.

Hearts of Darkness - Thessaloniki's Gay Pride Parade stirs angry response from Church.

 On Friday those opposed to the Thessaloniki Gay Pride Parade gathered in the shadow of the city's Saint Demetrios cathedral to hear speeches by priests and lay people who seem to believe that the parade is part of a wider plot to destroy not just the moral fibre of the nation but also Greece itself. But this is not hate speech, every single participant went to great lengths to say that they did not hate gay people, then went onto equally great lengths to accuse them of being degenerate perverts who were waiting to molest children and destroy everything clean and decent. (Greek speakers can see a video here for a taste of their bigotry).

 Where to begin? One earnest young man blamed Elvis for the rot, or rather the TV stations that broadcast him below the waist in the 1950's For the monk(?) who was the headline speaker, the promotion of LGBT rights was just another example of those who wish to impose a New World Order by smashing the moral foundations of nation states. Of course, the plot, according to the monk didn't stop there (it rarely does when it comes to conspiracy loons) as he listed the other elements of the diabolical plan which included, TV, Conchita, black magic,the Dutch, Jews,fanatical Muslims, ex-PM Giorgos Papandreou, George Soros and immigrants.

 

 The speech liberally touched many of the Greek far right's favourite topics such as Kosovo, Ukraine, Kissinger, Germany, the Pope and the ever present threat by One Worlders. All of which would not have been out of place in a Golden Dawn rally, indeed, I'm sure that a fair few of those present in the audience has cast their votes for them. For the attendees the world is a dark, sin ridden place in which Satan and the White House/Vatican/EU and UN work day and night to undermine the Church and the Righteous, using issues such as gay rights as their stalking horse.

 

 It was a vile example of hate speech made all the more extreme by the fact that that the third Gay Pride in Thessaloniki was just a warm, loving affair with a beautiful atmosphere that was a credit to the the city. As the party wound its way through the centre the thousands taking party brought a feeling of hope and optimism sorely missing from the town which has been struggling to survive being in the eye of a six year economic storm. Instead of the stony faced zealots who attended Friday's anti-rally, three - four thousand revellers turned the city streets in to travelling carnival, dancing, singing and helping us forget our woes, if just for one evening.

Rain, rain go away!

Summer storm

This year's June has been full of storms and rain, which is very unusual.

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