Spring is here

Spring is here, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Portraits

Mad, bad and nowhere to be seen

The temperature is rising in Greece as over the last 48 hours there has been a machine gun attack on TV station in the capital, a massive car bomb defused, a professor beaten while giving a talk at the university of Athens. Not to mention yesterday passers by beat a mugger to death here in Thessaloniki and yet another asylum seeker committed suicide while in police custody near Athens airport.

And where are the police during all this? Your guess is as good as mine considering there are far more per head of population here than in most European countries. If they are as successful in dealing with the latest terrorist groups and they were with 17th November revolutionary organisation then we can expect arrests some time around 2038.

Mad, bad and nowhere to be seen.

Sweet Jane

, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Top Greek politician tear gassed while giving speech

Giorgos Papandreou - Γιώργος Ανδρέα Παπανδρέου, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Giorgos Papandreaou, leader of Greece’s opposition in parliament was tear gassed during a speech in the Greek port of Pireaus this morning.Papandreau, head of the PASOK party was addressing protesting farmers from Crete when riot police fired tear gas into the crowds following clashes between a small group of protesters and the police.



More than 2000 farmers arrived from the Greek island yesterday along with hundreds of tractors in order to march on parliament in protest against the present conservative government’s agricultural policies. However, authorities refused to allow the march which led to use of clashes and two arrests. Although the blockade of the country’s main highways by farmers has eased off over the last day Greece’s land crossings with neighbouring Bulgaria are still closed to most traffic.

Framers responded to yesterday's scenes of violence between farmers and police near Athens by blockading roads in Crete's main cities and occupying government buildings. In addition another 100 farmers and tractors arrived in Pireaus this morning to support those already present.

In common with many other European countries, Greece has experienced a wave of rioting and often violent demonstrations over the last two months as people unhappy with the government’s handling of major issues took to the streets.

Athens, Riga, Paris, Reykjavik and other capitals have been the scenes of sometimes unprecedented clashes between disgruntled citizens and police.

To see video of the event from tvxs.gr clickr here.

Latest updates

Today I haven't been following the events in Athens. I just needed a break to do something else otherwise I risk burning out. I did do an interview with a local newspaper but I have had to take a step back. Yesterday I did go on a protest march which went along the sea front here in Thessaloniki which despite a few tense moment passed off without serious incident.

There have been clashes in Athens in Exarchia according to the Greek channels as long as peaceful demos in the central Syntagma Square. I just found video of my interview with Sky Channel earlier this week. Thanks to Asteris for that. BTW he and a handful of other Greek bloggers have literally been working night and day to get news out from the city and have been a far more reliable source of information than the mainstream media.

A week of living dangerously

This week has been one of the most intense I ever experienced and I don't know where to begin as far as my personal feelings are concerned. I feel that I've crammed six months of memories into the last six days. Today I was ready to take a break from participating in marches and just stick to my day job. I was exhausted both physically and emotionally by the last week but when I woke up I read that the ballistics report on the death of the 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos had supposedly vindicated the cops version of events. I was so filled me with anger that there was no way I wasn't going to demonstrate.

The sheer brazeness of the cover up and the outrageous statements made by the defendents' lawyer concerning the victim fuelled me today. I went to the centre in between lessons and came across a group of high school students demonstrating outside the central police station in Aristotelous square. I pulled out my camersa and almost immediately some guy came up and threatened to beat me, accusing me of being a journalist. "Roufianos" was the term he used which roughly translates as "snitch" or "lackey" in English though neither term conveys anything like the odium the word carries in Greek.

I've lost count of the number of times I've been threatened in such a manner over the last few days but I think that the pictures are important as they tell a story that the official media either ignores or does not have access to.

Later on once I'd regained my composure I went on a rally which wound its way peacefully through the city and ended up at the Ministry of Northern Greece. At least this time it wasn't tear gassed by the riot police.

If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will be Next

Manic Street Preachers

The future teaches you to be alone
The present to be afraid and cold
So if I can shoot rabbits
Then I can shoot fascists

Bullets for your brain today
But well forget it all again
Monuments put from pen to paper
Turns me into a gutless wonder

And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next

Gravity keeps my head down
Or is it maybe shame
At being so young and being so vain

Holes in your head today
But Im a pacifist
Ive walked la ramblas
But not with real intent

And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next

And on the street tonight an old man plays
With newspaper cuttings of his glory days

And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next

Ανθρώπινη αλυσίδα γύρω από ΔΕΘ & Γ' Σώμα Στρατού - Δενδροφύτευση

Ανθρώπινη αλυσίδα γύρω από ΔΕΘ & Γ' Σώμα Στρατού - Δενδροφύτευση

Μετά την επιτυχημένη καμπάνια για την εβδομάδα χωρίς αυτοκίνητο, το Δίκτυο των 13 ΜΚΟ και Φορέων της Θεσσαλονίκης, μεγαλώνει και συντονίζεται ξανά με αφορμή την Παγκόσμια μέρα ενάντια στις κλιματικές αλλαγές, στις 6 και 7 ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΗ.

Σε μια πόλη όπου το 77% της επιφάνειας της καλύπτεται με τσιμέντο, το 19% με άσφαλτο και το 4% με πράσινο, το μόνο συνδετικό στοιχείο με άλλες μεγάλες ευρωπαϊκές πόλεις είναι η αρνητική πρωτιά στην ατμοσφαιρική ρύπανση.

Δυο φορές πάνω από το ανώτατο επιτρεπτό όριο συγκέντρωσης επικίνδυνων μικροσωματιδίων (ΡΜ10), και με αναλογία πρασίνου 2,5 τ.μ./κάτοικο, όταν για τον κάτοικο π.χ. του Άμστερνταμ είναι 27 τ.μ., τα περιθώρια για περαιτέρω δόμηση και επιβάρυνση του αστικού περιβάλλοντος έχουν εκμηδενιστεί.

Γι’ αυτόν τον λόγο, οι φορείς που συμμετέχουν στο Δίκτυο συσπειρώνονται και διεκδικούν για άλλη μια φορά το αυτονόητο: την ανάπλαση των ελεύθερων δημόσιων χώρων με μετατροπή τους αποκλειστικά σε χώρους πρασίνου, προσβάσιμους σε όλους τους πολίτες, και την απόδοση τους στην τοπική αυτοδιοίκηση και κοινωνία.

Οι πρωτοβουλίες διεκδίκησης ξεκινούν το Σάββατο 6 Δεκεμβρίου 2008, 12μμ. από την Χ.Α.Ν.Θ.,με στόχο την περικύκλωση της ΔΕΘ, του Γ’ Σώματος Στρατού, μαζί με το πρώην στρατιωτικό νοσοκομείο 424,ενώ την Κυριακή 7 Δεκεμβρίου 2008, 11 πμ, θα πραγματοποιηθεί δενδροφύτευση στο Στρατόπεδο Καρατάσου.

ΕΝΩΣΗ για τα δικαιωμάτα των ΠΕΖΩΝ