Griots - Greek riots and protests

Griots, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Going through shots from the riots and protests in December I came across this one take on the first day when demonstrators attacked a police station in Ano Poli after their march had been repeatedly tear gassed outside the ministry of Macedonia and Thrace in Thessaloniki.

Protests in Athens and Thessaloniki for K.Kouneva

Yesterday protest march were held in Athens to demonstrate against the attack on Labour activist, Konstandina Kouneva who was the victim of an acid attack in December. The 44 year old Bulgarian trade unionist is still in intensive care after having acid thrown in her face and being forced to drink the liquid.

Lawyers representing her say the attack was prompted by her work in exposing an alleged scam by cleaning companies with contracts with the state run organisations which meant that the mainly foreign born work force received slave wages.

Protests turned violent as some demonstrators attacked the ministry of labour headquarters and clashed with riot police. Despite hopes that last year's violent confrontations have died down, the marches demonstrate that popular anger has not been extinguished.

Picture from the Thursday's march in Thessaloniki attended by between 600 and 800 people.

In addition travel in Greece is slowly being brought to a halt as protesting farmers have blocked road junctions, ports and airports across the country in protest over low prices and government agricultural policies.See here for a video report from Reuters.

Ground control to major Tom

Ground control to major Tom, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Social media and the Greek uprising

Photo by Marplej@ne - Under Deconstruction

One of the most striking features of the recent series of revolts, rebellions and riots in Greece over the last few weeks is the use of social media to relay what has been happening to a wider audience. What I have witnessed is a form of internet hyper - Darwinism in which the forces of change which usually take years have been compressed into a time frame measured in weeks.

Before the recent troubles the use of Twitter, blogs, video sharing services and the like was a pretty limited affair. Many of those on the Left, and much of Greek political life saw the internet as irrelevant as TV, newspapers, public meetings, leafleting and marches were the order of the day. In addition there was a general distrust of the medium, an extension of the Greek Left's ambivalent relationship with the media in general.

For many TV, radio and newspapers are inherently biased and corrupt. Unfortunately, such claims, though often exaggerated have an element of truth to them. The state - run TV networks follow the line set down by the party in power and whilst not Stalinist in their propaganda style (why lie when you can spin?) are no more objective than say, Fox news.

On the other hand many of the private channels follow other agendas set down by their owners who see the TV and print as the PR wing of their business interests. A way of leveraging their position vis - a - vie the state, which is by far the biggest player in the Greek economy.

However, as the protests continued more and more people discovered the power of the net to organise, inform and disseminate their message without having recourse to the mainstream channels. They discovered that they too, could get out their message to a wider audience far beyond their borders. In addition, media outlets from around the world quickly gained access to sources of information which told a very different story from the local media's version of events which depended on more traditional news gathering tools.


With this realisation came a burst of creativity in terms of tactics, slogans, self expression. The hundreds of school occupations quickly started setting up blogs, thousands of those taking part in demonstrations started posting pictures and videos on the net, citizen journalism sites started getting eyewitness counts of the events as they were happening.

I thought that this would eventually happen in Greece but I predicted to my friends that it would take two, three years. Instead it took three weeks.The genie is now out of the bottle and I think that those working in the traditional media have been given a nasty wake up call. They've read about this kind of stuff in America and France but suddenly it has turned up, unbidden on their own door step.

Flashbacks

There were times over the last two weeks when what I witnessed seemed taken from the script of an outlandish movie, the kind where everyone tuts and says, "That is just so Hollywood. That would never happen in real life". William Goldman, the writer of films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid once said that there were things taken from real life he couldn't put in his scripts as nobody would believe them.

Here is a selection of the few I remember from the riots and protests that I covered over the last two weeks.

The two guys wearing masks are ready to charge the bank , all set on smashing the security camera and disabling the ATM. However, there is a young woman there, oblivious to the mayhem around here who is taking out her money. The masked men wait, politely ask her if she has finished then set about the cash machine with hammers.

A march goes past a van, inside two tiny Shetland ponies stuck in a space not much bigger than they are. The protesters, enraged by this discuss what to do. In the end they take down the number plates as to....report the owners to the authorities. Just a few metres behind them riot police approach menacingly.

50 kids, one no more than 10 years old pelting the central police station with rocks as bewildered shoppers seemingly unable to grasp what is happening gawp while pieces of paving stone clatter around them. The quasi - military riot police up against tweenies

Walking along Egnatia Boulevard lit up by at least a dozen fires, acrid smell of tear gas and burning plastic everywhere. Two middle aged bystanders argue over whether the anarchists about to firebomb a bank are doing the right thing. The older, white haired guy, says, :"What do you care? It's not your money".

An old woman buttoning holing a passing masked teen, scolding him about what has been happening. Others join in a passionately debate what has been happening over the last few days.

A smartly dressed woman , shopping bags around her waiting at the bus stop claps and cheers masked protesters marching by. The man next to her shouts out "Shame, shame on you".

Also check out Ishtar79's blog which has a thoughtful account of the events in Greece plus some great pictures that give a taste of what has been happening.

Greek riot police fight to defend Christmas tree

Two weeks on and the anti - government protests sparked off by the killing of 15 year Alexis Grigoropoulos at the hands of a police officer in the Exarchia district of Athens continue unabated. Today riot police went into action to defend the city"s Christmas tree in Syntagma against protesters who pelted officers with rubbish (see pictures here). The previous tree was burnt during rioting last week.

In addition to mass street protests in the capital, 800 high schools and 240 university departments remain under occupation. TV and radio stations, theatres, town halls and other government offices have also been occupied over the last week by young Greeks angry at the death of the teen and the New Democracy government's economic and political record.

Protesters also threw yoghurt and biscuits today at Vasileios Papageorgopoulos, mayor of Thessaloniki, Greece's second city as he greeted shoppers in the central Aristotelos Square.

NowPublic

Tags: Greece | World | athens | griots | greek riots | syntagma sqaure | christmas tree riot

Greek riots - Designers reaction

"A collection of posters created by Greek graphic designers, inspired by the latest event in Greece. The death of a 15 year old kid shot by a cop, and all the reasons that lead to clashes on the streets of Athens and several thousand people protesting at the government’s economic policies, as part of a general strike. RIP Alex."

From NassosKappa.com

Image by Nassos K

Image by DPGR

And they say bloggers are sloppy!!!!!

Foreign coverage of the events in Greece has been a mixed bag. There have been some very good articles on the causes of the protests, for example the Guardian wrote in depth about the situation (click here) and the BBC's Malcolm Brabant gives a very accurate account of the underlying causes (click here) .

On the other hand I have come across a lot of "remote - control" journalism. The kind where the person has done little more than Google the subject for an hour or so or chatted to some guy in a bar. You know the classic foreign correspondent tactic when abroad and disconnected from the culture. I think this article in the Economist definitely falls into the second category. Sweeping generalisations, lack of context and a blind acceptance of other media sources make for pretty sloppy work.

So, instead I recommend Twitter (#griots hash) which has been a very good source of information and links written by those actually involved or on the scene. Most of it is in Greek but you can translate the page into English by clicking on the button on the right hand side. Also Technorati and Google's blog search can often prove very valuable.

Days of Rage

Day of Rage - Greek riots: Day 2, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Day of Rage - Greek riots: Day 2

Day of Rage - Greek riots: Day 2, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

I was just going through pictures I have taken over the last two weeks. It seems like all this started two years ago so intense has the experience been.

One day 'll get round to putting all this down on paper.

Events in Greece -Time for reflection

On the left the Greek minister for culture, Mixalis Liapis and on the right Prokopis Pavopoulos, the law and order minister.

Many people across the world will have been shocked by the scale of violence witnessed over the last 13 days in Greece. Scenes of intense confrontations with the police and a level of destruction that you normally wouldn't associate with a country famed for its natural beauty and long history.

However, away from the beaches and the museums there are has been a growing sense of despair amongst people, especially those under 25 that the country they live in has no place for them. A feeling that those in charge politically and economically lead lives cocooned by wealth and family connections which leave them indifferent to the problems faced by the rest of the population.

Cronyism, corruption and lack of accountability have eaten away at people's respect for institutions at the heart of Greek life. A fact that was vividly illustrated this week by two decisions which added to the impression that those in authority are above the law.

The first concerned the parliamentary report on the Vatopedi corruption scandal. The case which involved the dubious acquisition of state owned property by the Vatopedi Orthodox monastery involved several senior government officials and cost hundreds of millions of tax payer's money. However, despite a deluge of evidence indicating the misuse of office by high ranking government members the report concluded that there were no grounds for criminal charges.

This is simply the latest in a series of 45 scandals that have come to light since the New Democracy party came to power in 2004 on a platform of clean government.

The other case which has helped undermine faith in the Greek justice system and especially ELAS (the national police force) was the verdict in the Augustinos Dimtrios case which came out last week. Dimitrios, a university student from Cyprus was savagely beaten by eight police officers in an incident which was captured on live TV. Although the officers involved were found guilty none was sentenced to a jail term, instead they received a suspended sentence.

This has added to the sense, amply supported by numerous cases of police violence that law enforcement officials in Greece operate above the law, accountable to no one. One of the reasons why the clashes between protesters and riot police over the last week have been so fierce is the anger provoked by the possibility that the officer charged with killing 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos will walk free.

A toxic mix, of unemployment, disillusionment and frustration has driven young people onto the streets time and time again, it has led them to occupy 600 schools nationwide and hundreds of university departments. As of yet there has been no concerted demands for a program of political change, however, this simply reflects the fact that there are so many disparate participants involved in the protests. The speed and scale of the reaction has been such that there is no one group of people or organisation that can truthfully say that represent the demonstrator's will at the present time.

Following the news from Athens via Twitter

I'm currently following what is happening with the massive demonstration in Athens via Twitter. It seems a good source for the latest updates from people on the spot. Most of it is in Greek, however, if you look in the sidebar there is a translation into English option to help.

Just look up the griot tag in Twitter.

Symbolic protest over the death of Alexandros Grigoropoulos

Symbolic protest over the death of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Tonight about two thousand people marched through Thessaloniki to remind people of the death of 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos who was shot by police ten days ago.

Days of rage - Greek riots

Days of rage - Greek riots, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Causes of the riots in Greece

Here is an interesting report by Al Jezeera's Inside Story on the background to the recent events.



Also The Guardian had a great article on the roots of the trouble that has spread across the country over the last eight days. I would also recommend Bollybutton, a blogger living Athens who wrote very eloquently on the issue.

Greek high school students protest death of teen

Greek high school students protest death of teen, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Greek riot police tear gas peaceful protest in Athens

One of the few good things to have come out of the events that Greece has witnessed over the last week is the growing awareness amongst ordinary people that they can get out their message without having to rely on the traditional media.

I have decided to share this video posted 13th December which shows the effects of the police using tear gas on a peaceful protest in Syntagma Square, central Athens. For those who haven't experienced this, imagine someone throwing vinegar in your eyes while you are in the middle of a severe asthma attack.

I include the text which accompanies the video on Youtube.

"Κάθε βράδυ στο Σύνταγμα, από την δευτέρα 8/12/08, μαζευόμαστε και κάνουμε μια ειρηνική διαδήλωση. Στις 13/12/2008 έγινε μία ειρηνική διαδήλωση. Φωνάζαμε συνθήματα, τραγουδούσαμε, μέχρι που, γύρω στις 12 το βράδυ, μας περικύκλωσαν τα ΜΑΤ. Τους είδαμε ότι είχαν προετοιμαστεί, φορόντας μάσκες και μετά, χωρίς να έχει προηγηθεί κάτι, προσπαθούσαν να διαλύσουν την ειρηνική διαδήλωση με χημικά (παρεπιπτώντος, επειδή έφαγα το χημικό στην μούρη, δεν μπορείτε να φανταστείτε πως πονάει) και ξύλο με τα γκλοπ. Δύο κοπέλες και ένα παλληκάρι πήγαν στο νοσοκομείο, η μία κοπέλα και το παιδί λόγω άσθματος, και η άλλη λιποθύμησε από το χημικό και την έδειραν. Ένα παιδί το βάρεσαν στο κεφάλι, και ένα άλλο το χτύπησαν στα πόδια.

Translation

"Every evening since Monday 8/12/08 we have been gathering in Syntagma Square to protest peacefully. On 13/12/08 there was also a peaceful demo. We shouted slogans, we sang and it was around about 12 midnight when the MAT (Greek riot police) surrounded us. We saw that they had prepared for this as they were wearing gas masks and then, without anything having happened they tried to break up the peaceful demo using tear gas. (BTW as I got some tear gas in the face you can't imagine how much it hurts) and truncheons. Two girls and a lad went to hospital . One of the girls and a kid because of asthma and the other who had fainted due to gas who was beaten. One guy was beaten in the head, the other on the legs."

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.

The situation in Thessaloniki - update

Thessaloniki seems to be returning to normal. Traffic cops are once again the main streets in the centre and the damage to banks and shops owned by national and international franchises is being repaired. However, despite the end of violent confrontations between rioters and the police there are still many signs of protest. The university campus is still being occupied by students who are at this moment discussing further demonstrations.

This evening anti - authoritarian groups are planning a march from Kamara at 6pm and other groups are organising demos tomorrow at 12pm at the statute of Venizelou and on Saturday at 12 noon there too.

It is easy to forget amongst all the dramatic scenes coming out of Greece over the last few days that thousands of ordinary Greeks have been peacefully demonstrating, disgusted by the police killing of Alexandros Grigoropoulos and the state on the country in general. They are angry about the present government's almost chronic inability to improve their everyday lives and disillusioned with a political system that seems to thrive on corruption and incompetence.

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