Athens, Greece: Cops murder 16 year old boy

by Evans Sun Dec 07, 2008 00:26

Being furious, I forgot to say that in Athens the cops have shot two other people lately. Outside the Ministry of Internal Affairs there are long queues of refugees waiting to fill in their asylum applications. The cops shot Mohamed Ashraf who died in the 26th of October while Mazir Goul was injured today and his condition is unstable.

Right now people have organised demonstrations outside of police stations in many greek cities: Thessaloniki, Giannena, Irakleio, Chania, Lesbos, Komotini, Patras and other cities. In Athens and in Thessaloniki the police attacked the demostrator with tear-gas.

The Minister of Civil Order offered to quit but the prime minister claimed that there is no reason!

by Greek in N.Ireland Sun Dec 07, 2008 10:54

Comrades in this moment of fight we ask of you for acts of solidarity.
No peace with the state.
Riots everywhere!
Venceremos

by AthensCalling Sun Dec 07, 2008 11:25

Correction: Mohammed Ashraf was NOT shot. He was found at the bottom of a ditch near the aliens office in Athens. Eyewitnesses claim that he had been along with hundreds of others been chased by the police and in the confusion fell to his death from a bridge.

For more info, see:

http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=...dos=S

by sam Sun Dec 07, 2008 17:48

Step bacck, take a cool look at what happened, why it happened, and how best to see it doesn't happen again.
Educate, organise, agitate.

by Athens IMC Exiled Sun Dec 07, 2008 23:26

On Saturday 6th of December at around 10pm, two Greek policemen were in patrol in a central street by Exarchia square, in the center of Athens. They had a verbal argument with some young people who were there. During the argument, one of the cops pulled his gun and shot a 16-year-old guy twice. The victim was moved to Evangelismos Hospital to be found dead. According to eye-witnesses, the cop had been swearing against the young man, showing his genitals, before shooting him.

In a spontaneous response, thousands of people gathered in the centers of most of Greek cities. In Athens, people gathered outside Evangelismos Hospital, in order to prevent the cops from entering the building. A little later the riot police attacked in a street in Exarchia resulting to one person being arrested. The evening in Athens evolved with a spontaneous assembly in the Polytechnic University, a lot of riots in the whole center of Athens, including attacks against police departments and banks, until the early hours of the next morning. Meanwhile, a spontaneous demonstration took place, but it was confronted by the riot police with tear gas. Three more University building, the Economic, the Pantion and the Law School have been occupied.

Rallies, demonstrations, direct actions and riots took place all around the country. In Thessaloniki, a big spontaneous demonstration took place, while 2 Police Departments were attacked, several bank departments were burnt and Egnatia str., the main street, was block by burning trash bins for hours. Reports have been also posted about actions in Yannena, Iraklio [photos], Chania, Komotini, Mitilini, Xanthi, Serres, Sparta, Alexandroupolis and Volos.

Demonstrations in all cities of Greece have been announced for tomorrow afternoon, starting at 1pm.

According to the mainstream media, two Ministers offered their resignation, but it was not accepted by the Prime Minister. The two policemen have already been detained and accused for murder, while they insist that the bullet was shot on the air to keep the young men away, but it was reverted by a metal label towards the stomach of the victim.

Photos: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=en&article_...33804
Photos: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_...33717
Video: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=en&article_...33514

by xxx Sun Dec 07, 2008 23:28

http://garizo.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post_08.html

Alexandros, 15, murdered by police

by me Mon Dec 08, 2008 14:02

more information to come soon...

by mediterranean Mon Dec 08, 2008 14:49

"30 people pushed their way into the lobby of the consulate at Wittenbergplatz in western Berlin at around 9.40 a.m. local time". 120 German police cordoned off the area outside the consulate and negotiations are underway with the demonstrators, who were behaving peacefully and had made no demands, police said. At around 11 a.m., 10 people wearing hats and scarves to mask their faces appeared on the balcony of the consulate and shouted: "Police Assassins" and "Alexandros, That Was Murder!"

The Greek embassy in Berlin, located in the east of the city, has not been occupied.

Watch & Learn as they say. Meanwhile the mediterranean area telly channels are filling up with coverage of the Greeks which balances the clearly identified & termed anarchist protests with news of impromptu strikes by secondary & primary school teachers. Even the Turkish are gleefully offering background information on police brutality stories (ironic since they had their own scandal a week ago) & thus it may be timely to ping this : http://www.indymedia.ie/article/83072 a story which indeed never seemed to end to peoples' satisfaction. So it appears for the moment that in Berlin and London anarchist articulation of the widespread Greek disgust at this killing, the initial attempts to distort the facts and the ongoing corruption issues in their state - is being tolerated and to some extent facilitated. After all it's not so easy to get into a diplomatic mission, burn its flag and hoist a red & black.

Try it if you don't believe me.

Berlin Consulate of the Republic of Greece this morning.

by Ciaran - WSM Mon Dec 08, 2008 15:14

WSM have called for a Solidarity picket at the Greek embassy on Upper Pembrooke Street for tomorrow, Tuesday 9th December at 5.30.

Meet at the top of Grafton Street at 5 O'Clock & march to the embassy (The last number of times WSM have had such pickets there has been harrassment from the Gardai so arriving there en mass seems a better idea.)

More to follow.

by linker Tue Dec 09, 2008 12:38

RTE live tv feed from the streets of athens, 12.13-13.13

by Anarchist Tue Dec 09, 2008 19:27

Solidarity to all the brave men women and children currently confronting the greek state.
In Dublin at 5pm a soli demo of about 50 anarchists assembled at the greek consulate to express our solidarity with your struggle and our grief at the loss of life so far.
Onwards comrades!

by dunk Tue Dec 09, 2008 22:33 fuspey at yahoo dot co dot uk

In todays headlines on Democracy Now! there was a brief overview of the Greek riots which included the following statement "We are experiencing moments of a great social revolution.” which, it seems, was uttered from Panagiotis Sotiris, 38, a spokesman for Uniting Anti-Capitalist Left, a coalition of leftist groups which helped take over the Athens Law School Monday.

The statement arose from a phone interview with someone from Reuters in ATHENS, the brief discussion was transcribed and included in an article: Greece witnessing "social revolution": activist
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4B75PH2...81208

From there it ended up in the DN! headline under: Unrest Continues in Greece Following Police Killing, http://www.democracynow.org/2008/12/9/headlines#7

This theme is again taken up by the Scotsman: Havoc in cities across Greece as protesters talk of 'social revolution' at http://news.scotsman.com/world/Havoc-in-cities-across-G...33.jp

The Greeks have a strong name for taking action and fighting injustice, and with more and more people from all walks of life joining the "anarchists and students" today in standing up against the corrupt powers there, it seems like anything is possible. The city of Athens has been in flames for 4 days and nights and the spark has ignited in other Greek cities, both on the mainland and on some of the islands too. And now, only hours after the burial of Alex and all that goes with burying a son, a friend, a comrade... can we expect more anger on the streets? Tommorrow being an all out strike, chances are yes. But the Greek powers are calling for calm and have said that they will be heavy handed if they must. A recent post on imc-ie is claiming that there has recently been more shots, about 7pm. Also here on imc-ie there is an Info Statement of the Communist Organization of Greece (KOE) http://www.indymedia.ie/article/90126 critical of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) for siding with the government and calling for a separate protest away from the planned mass actions to bring down the government.

But what might this all lead to? It seems, to many, to have come out of the blue. Yes there has been plenty of state violence and cop brutality before in Greece, and yes there has been violent reaction from the left, and yes cop stations being subject to molotovs is not too unnormal in Greece. But so too in Ireland, so too in Catalunya, so too in France (and we remember what that kicked off- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_civil_unrest_in_France ) But have things changed?

Here in Barcelona, and many other places, there was much rememberence and analysis of what happened in France in '68, what happened in many places around the world. Then it seemed that the world was indeed about to change. But it didnt. One of the interesting things that seems to be happening in Greece is that many of the same factors are re-appearing: general discontent in many many sectors of society, a spark that focuss the anger and frustration in an unforseen, seemingly spontaneous, infectious explosion of activity with people demanding change. So with that, what might happen in Greece tonight? The chances of the government falling is very high, they are in majority by only 1. Tomorrow the country wide all out strikes will go ahead, many will go with the original plan as outlined in the KOE post, but what if the government is toppled, will that be enough??

Other posters have already made comparisons to '68 and earlier an imc-ie post explored some of what that time tried to do, did do and didnt do. 40 years ago this month in Paris….Mai 68 http://www.indymedia.ie/article/87672

But now most eyes are on Greece. Who knows what might happen? I`ll leave you with the end of that interview with Panagiotis Sotiris and after that a vid about Greece '08 and Paris '68

Q - Why have you occupied the building?

A - We take part in the occupation of the Law School in Athens to focus our struggle and create a center of alternative information for people participating in the protests. Hundreds are participating in this occupation. At the moment, almost all universities in Greece are closed or under occupation. High school students are also staying away from school.

Q - What are you trying to achieve with the protests and how long will they last?

A - We ask for the ministers who are responsible for this to resign and we want to topple the government and its policies. The protests will last as long as necessary.

Related infos

RTE: Clashes outside Athens parliament
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1209/greece.html

EURONEWS: More riots in Greece as teen is buried
http://www.euronews.net/en/article/09/12/2008/more-riot...ried/

BBC: Protests as Athens funeral held
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7772645.stm

Greek riot 2008-Alexandros Grigoropoulos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrhLPk0wUP4

Mai 68 : la révolution en images
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmv-eYlV1D4

40 years ago this month in Paris….Mai 68
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/87672

Greece: "Ελλάδα (Greece): "We are experiencing moments of a great social revolution.”

Caption: Video Id: wrhLPk0wUP4 Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video

Caption: Video Id: kmv-eYlV1D4 Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video

by dunk Tue Dec 09, 2008 23:27

Here is a good article about some of the history that has so many greeks on the streets:
Spirit of rebellion, Why student anger has erupted in Greece : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7771628.stm here are just 2 snippets:

When Greeks say no, they mean it in spades.

Rebellion is deeply embedded in the Greek psyche. The students and school children who are now laying siege to police stations and trying to bring down the government are undergoing a rite of passage.

They may be the iPod generation, but they are the inheritors of a tradition that goes back centuries...

... In an editorial entitled "Anger's teen martyr", Mr Konstandaras wrote that Mr Grioropoulos' blood would be "used to bind together every disparate protest and complaint into a platform of righteous rage against all the ills of our society.

"It will quickly become a flag of convenience for anyone who has a grudge against the state, the government, the economic system, foreign powers, capitalism and so on."

"If Greece had already appeared difficult to govern, it will now be out of control."

Here is a related BBC post from last nights action, anger, fire...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBLwg1BO-Ss

Caption: Video Id: TBLwg1BO-Ss Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video

by Danae Wed Dec 10, 2008 01:57 danaetahtaras at yahoo dot gr

Ciaran,I would like to know if there will be another protest here in Dublin.Ive just saw the call for protest.I m greek student here in Dublin,I want to do sth to protest my disappointment and anger for what is going on in my country.

by s Wed Dec 10, 2008 03:38

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iuzvh_AOonI

by sic Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:40

Hello and many greetings to Danae from Greece ,
Here we have many troubles with the police and goverment , the people here
are angry recently with the politics and the cops...

all of them its the reason and we are protest at streets...
its unbelievable , many people , mens , womens , from all ages are out with us ,...

by dunk Wed Dec 10, 2008 13:28

The country of Greece is now nearly at a standstill, airports, schools, public transport... nearly all shut down for 24 hour strike. This shows that there is a huge amount of discontent in Greece. In yesterdays Periodico paper here in Barcelona, there was much commentry about the difference between France '05 and Greece '08, whereas there and then it was disadvantaged angry youth in poorly constructed and supported suburbia, whereas now it is people from all walks of life, angry youth from middle class families are the ones on the streets, as well as those from more disadvantaged areas. Everyone seems angry and wants a change, how they bring that about is another thing.

an article from BBC, 'The anarchists are misunderstood' outlines different sides, their strategies but mostly the anger that exists from normal joes http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7774304.stm

this vid from SKY news shows the vid online in which the shot is heard, it also shows how scenes from london when people were caught up with police trying to occupy, it seems, the greek embasy. it also finishes saying how last time things went this way riots lasted for months.
Rampage On The Streets In Athens, Greece: this is now about much more than fatal shooting of teen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JKXYbvMJUE

Best site to keep up to date for english speakers seems to be IMC-UK:
Anger All Over Europe As Police Shoot Dead Young Activist In Athens
https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/414640.html

further good link from BBC with recent updates
Greek capital hit by major strike
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7774634.stm

Latest news: SKY: Greek Strike Protest Gets Violent
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Greece-Stop...f=rss

Caption: Video Id: 4JKXYbvMJUE Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video

by T Thu Dec 11, 2008 00:19

There are more translations in English at the link below covering the situation in Greece. It seems there had been a lot of tense building in Greece amongst the population especially since the huge forest fires back in 2007.

http://tapesgoneloose.blogspot.com/2008/12/riot-info.html

by dunk Thu Dec 11, 2008 10:28

From Greece to BCN , Bern and Copenhagen and probably plenty other places...

BCN
Last night in Barcelona @ 500 people gathered to support those in Greece, it led to roads being blocked by riot police, people entering the Borne area of the old town and banks being smashed, quickly riot vans sped through the very narrow medievel streets, stopped and opened out with riot police, some including guns to shoot gas cannisters from

El PERIODICO: 2 detained in incidents in the old town after a concentration in support of the Greek youth
link is in spanish and includes 2 min video from the actions
http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=...=1022

IMC-BCN: Mes fotos mani solidaritat amb la revolta a Grecia - more photos from the solidarity protest with the revolt in Greece
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/359082

Copenhagen
32 arrests at Copenhagen solidarity action
(Report from mainstream media:10.12.2008 22:24, )

Copenhagen. Thirty-two people were arrested in Copenhagen on Wednesday night when their protest in support of Greek rioters turned violent, police said, adding that more arrests were expected, AFP reported.

"We have at this time made 32 arrests, but we're planning a lot more. There will probably be around 100 arrests by the end of the night," Copenhagen police commissioner John Hansen told AFP.

Around 150 people belonging to a Copenhagen "underground" movement took to the streets, Hansen said, "throwing bottles and paint bombs at buildings, police cars and officers."

"They wanted to demonstrate in sympathy of what has happened in Greece ... They wanted to go to the Greek embassy ... but we said no."

related link: http://politiken.dk/indland/article611172.ece via IMC-UK: https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/414640.html?c=o...09366

Bern
Action of solidarity in Bern (Switzerland)
http://ch.indymedia.org/de/2008/12/65136.shtml

GUARDIAN UK: Greece shut down by strike amid renewed clashes
• Pitched battles outside parliament
• Boy died from ricochet, says lawyer
• Country 'at a standstill' as strike deepens
December 10 2008 17.45 : http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/10/greece-riot...tests

"These protests are our answer to a government that always closes the doors in our face," said Yiannis Yiapitsakis, a student at Athens' fabled Polytechnic.

"If the root causes of our problems are not solved there will be more explosions. It's a smouldering fire, all it needs is another match."

"The killing somehow sums up everything that is wrong with Greece today: repression, police brutality and fear."

by Theoreticus Thu Dec 11, 2008 11:35

Dunk puts it in a nutshell when he concludes a paragraph with "Everyone seems angry and wants a change, how they bring that about is another thing."
Is there a Lenin heading for the railway station in a sealed train? Or will De Gaulle resign and hand over to Pompidou, who'll do a deal with the trade union leaders as in 1968? Then the soixantehuitards will slowly work their way up the professions.
Or there could be sporadic bloidy murder, arson and whatnot until the army takes over.

by Elise Fri Dec 12, 2008 14:25

I agree. Dunk pretty much sums up the cause of the people's anger in Greece.
From what i have seen and read about the situation all over Greece I strongly believe it will not be too long before the people get what they want. The Government have ways to stop this but so far they haven't. why ? Because they are running scared. The Government were forced to stand down before, and they will again.

by redjade Sat Dec 13, 2008 00:11

''Comrades in all the world, if you want to express your solidarity, which we need a lot
keep on the fights in your countries and make them stronger.

They are really afraid for us, believe us you can not imagine, here now we can see it clearly.
Resurrection, like we read in the books really exists, we can assure you , we live it... It is Beautiful!
In one night “reality”, “normality” died...
It will happen to your countries soon.
Make plans
Be ready ''

more at
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/415119.html

blogishness here: http://LMV.hu/redjade

by dunk Sat Dec 13, 2008 13:34

London, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Glasgow(UK), Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, Bremen, Cologne (DE), Bologna, Venice, Rome (IT), Bern (Swz), Copenhagen (Dk), New York (US), Toledo , Madrid, Barcelona (Sp) and Dublin, Turkey, Russia, Netherlands... (and probably many more that we dont know of or havent been reported yet)

Arising from the disturbances, actions and solidarity actions that happened around the world on Wednesday in solidarity with the people of Greece, here in Spain yesterday many of the main papers were reporting about the wider spread of anger, its origins and reasons, and what it might be leading to: LA RAZON lead with front page title: Fear that anti system violence is extening to Europe, and included a 4 page internal spread on whats going on and what might happen soon.., and European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering has stated "No country is safe".

Greek Uprising: Protests, Riots, Strikes
On Democracy Now 2 days ago, day after Amy Goodman winning her "alternative" oscar, the top story, title above, led with following sum up:

Protests, riots and clashes with police have overtaken Greece for the sixth straight day since the fatal police shooting of a teenage boy in Athens Saturday night. One day after Wednesday’s massive general strike over pension reform and privatization shut down the country, more than a hundred schools and at least fifteen university campuses remain occupied by student demonstrators. A major rally is expected Friday, and as solidarity protests spread to neighboring Turkey, as well as Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, Denmark and the Netherlands, dozens of arrests have been made across the continent. We speak to a student activist and writer from Athens...

There is much discussion on a second IMC-IE thread, link below, about all these goings on, whether in fact we are seeing the first steps of a revolution first in Greece, and now in Europe, US and beyond, possibly sparked by ANGRY reaction to the economic crisis, or whether whats happening in Greece will just die out with a change in government there. Time will tell. But for the moment, as the BBC report after the 24 hour national strike shows, see vid below, the governement is not in control, the people on the streets are. Fire burns now right outside the Greek Parliament, running batteles between police and violent youth exists, some dont support the violence, many do, nearly all feel the anger and desire for change. Many people in Greece do feel that they "are experiencing moments of a great social revolution”, many beyond Greece have already shown their solidarity, more are doing so. See the accompanying photos to just get a taste from the rest of the wider world.

In finishing, lets return to that other IMC-IE thread and ponder on what History - Non nicely reminded us: that if Shelley was in greece he might say:

Rise like lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number
Shake your chains to earth like dew
which in sleep had fallen on you
Ye are many they are few

DN! :Greek Uprising: Protests, Riots, Strikes
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/12/11/greek_uprising_p...enter
and on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4CFgpekgns

IMC-IE: Greek Uprising disappearing from International news
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/90173

BBC: Greek police clash with protesters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDfr4HFouUY

In Related to those Spanish ponderings...

REUTERS: Spain protests over Greek death turn violent
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4BA2I32...81211

LA RAZON
(all in spanish use translator from http://translate.google.com )
Europa teme un estallido a la griega
http://www.larazon.es/noticia/europa-teme-un-estallido-...ega-2

«Ningún país está a salvo»
http://www.larazon.es/noticia/ningun-pais-esta-a-salvo

Los radicales se organizan en la Red
http://www.larazon.es/noticia/los-radicales-se-organiza...a-red

Izquierda violenta y antisistema
http://www.larazon.es/noticia/izquierda-violenta-y-anti...stema

Barcelona, «capital antisistema»
http://www.larazon.es/noticia/barcelona-capital-antisistema

Los antiglobalización llevan las protestas de Grecia a Madrid, Barcelona, Copenhague y París
http://www.larazon.es/noticia/los-antiglobalizacion-lle...paris

Flames of angry Greek revolt spread to NYC (new york city)

Flames of angry Greek revolt spread to Barcelona

Flames of angry Greek revolt spread to Madrid

Flames of angry Greek revolt spread to Bologna

Flames of angry Greek revolt spread to Cologne

Caption: Video Id: J4CFgpekgns Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video

Caption: Video Id: vDfr4HFouUY Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video

by Papadopoulos & Sons Sat Dec 13, 2008 15:17

Is Greece headed for an action replay? Here's what happened in 1967:-
"On 21 April 1967, (just weeks before the scheduled elections), a group of right-wing army officers led by Brigadier Stylianos Pattakos and Colonels George Papadopoulos and Nikolaos Makarezos seized power in a coup d'etat. The colonels were able to quickly seize power by using surprise and confusion. Pattakos was commander of the Armour Training Centre (Greek: Κέντρο Εκπαίδευσης Τεθωρακισμένων, ΚΕΤΘ), based in Athens. The coup leaders placed tanks in strategic positions in Athens, effectively gaining complete control of the city. At the same time, a large number of small mobile units were dispatched to arrest leading politicians and authority figures, as well as many ordinary citizens suspected of left-wing sympathies, according to lists prepared in advance. One of the first to be arrested was Lieutenant General Gregorios Spandidakis, Commander-in-Chief of the Greek Army."

They done it then and they might do it again.

Greece is a member of Nato. What role is it playing in the Afghan mess?

by dunk Mon Dec 15, 2008 21:28

Here is brief report from IMC-ATHENS from Spanish person, brief update on how things are growing in many parts of Spain. To add to that, many of the University buildings are presently occupied by many 100`s of students, who are taking this action against the Bolonya plan.

A call out has been made from Greece for an international day of solidarity this saturday:

“We don’t forget, we don’t forgive” - day of international action against state murders, 20.12.2008
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/90228

Solidarity actions with the revolt in Greece and against all police are happening all around Spain. Here are some of the actions

BARCELONA: (Catalunya)
-On Wednesday 10th there was a demo in the center of the city. The main banner said "Solidarity with the revolt in Greece" Some banks were injured. Two people were arrested, but they are already out.
-On Friday 12th started more than 40 fires at the same time in different points of the city in garbage containers.
-On Saturday 13th during an antifascist demo (about one comrade that was killed by the nazis 4 years ago) there was an attack to the police that was keeping one of the city hall buildings. A lot of shouting and painting about Greece and Alexis. After that, some banks were injured. There was 1 arrestation.

MADRID:
-On Wednesday 10 there was an attack to a greek turistic office, that ended full of red paint with some computers and furniture on the ground, and painted with phrases supporting the revolt.
- That afternoon a demo started in the center of the city. A police station was atacked and some banks broken. 7 people were arrested and they were putted in jail (they are still there)
- In the night there were 2 attacks in banks in the suburbs supporting the riots and against police.

GRANADA:
-The "Center of Neo-greek studies" was squatted. They put a banner with the phrase "Greek brothers, your fight is our fight" and give propaganda.

BILBAO/CORUÑA: (Basque Country)
- Concentrations in both cities in front of the Greek consulate

SEVILLA:
- There was a demo that went to the police station

keep up to date with spanish goings on here:
http://www.lahaine.org/index.php?p=13019

Revuelta poplar en Grecia - Whats going on in Spain

by Dunk Thu Dec 18, 2008 13:57

2008 Greek riots - http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/12/2008_greek_rio....html
followed by heated long thread about the riots, greece, US etc

good general round up from INFOSHOP NEWS:
Greece: Protests and Unrest Enter Second Week
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=2008greece-u...pdate
including:
Fears of unrest spreading across Europe
http://news.scotsman.com/world/Fears-of-unrest-spreadin...69.jp

AUDIO: Anarchy NOW!: Chicago, Greece, Riots Coming To A Town Near You!
(12 min audio show, also looks at things in US)
conact: [email protected]
listen to MP3 below

VID: Greek TV station occupied
see youtube below of BBC report from 2 days ago

Caption: Video Id: gagXjNyFprQ Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video

http://www.radio4all.net:8080/files/[email protected]/3701-1-anarachy_now_1.mp3

Embedded audio: http://www.radio4all.net:8080/files/[email protected]/3701-1-anarachy_now_1.mp3

by RW Thu Dec 18, 2008 16:05

Why is there no mention of the mass movement in Greece? You have all talked about the anarchists rioting and put up links for vids showing this, but these riots are a sideshow. Millions of workers and young people have been involved in strikes including a general strike in the last week, why are you ignoring this mass movement. This is were the real struggle is taking place, the skirmishes between middle class anarchists and the cops are irrelevant except they are damaging the mass struggle of the working class.

by yawn! Thu Dec 18, 2008 17:31

"Why is there no mention of the mass movement in Greece? You have all talked about the anarchists rioting and put up links for vids showing this, but these riots are a sideshow. Millions of workers and young people have been involved in strikes including a general strike in the last week, why are you ignoring this mass movement. This is were the real struggle is taking place, the skirmishes between middle class anarchists and the cops are irrelevant except they are damaging the mass struggle of the working class."

Where to begin? First of all, indymedia Ireland isn't the only place that discussion of what's currently taking place in Greece is going on, also, apart from links to mainstream media coverage (for visual purposes and ones which are obviously going to overly concentrate on the rioting) try clicking on some of the numerous other links provided that go into other web pages and forums where the developments are being covered in some detail and with commentary.

Also, what do you think the numerous solidarity actions taking place throughout the globe have been with and mentioned explicitly in their propaganda and press releases? The general strike, the occupations, the assemblies, the social struggle, the riots and of course the death of Alexandros. No one is ignoring "the mass movement", except for maybe in your head.
Btw, nice to know that you don't see struggle taking place in the streets, deary me.

I'll choose to ignore the rather haggard, empty and oh so passe jibe of 'middle class' (borrrinnnggg!, try coming up with something new and substantive, eh?) and point out that anarchists are an important part of the occupations, assemblies and "mass struggle of the working class" and not seperate, as well as the fact that any of the communiques coming from the assemblies and workers have explicitly supported the rioting, but hey, lets not let this great false dichotomy and a highly creative (if not slightly cynical) imagination of yours get in the way of the facts.

http://libcom.org/library/letter-students-december-2008...22008

A letter to students, December 2008

An open letter to students by workers in Athens, against the background of the social upheaval following the police shooting of a young boy.

A letter to students

Our age difference and the general estrangement make it difficult for us to discuss with you in the streets; this is why we send you this letter.

Most of us have not (yet) been bald or big-bellied. We are part of the 1990-91 movement. You must have heard of it. Back then, and while we had occupied our schools for 30-35 days, fascists killed a teacher because he had gone beyond his natural role (that of being our guard) and crossed the line to the opposite side; he had come with us, into our struggle. Then, even the toughest of us got to the streets and riot. However, we didn’t even think of doing what you easily do today: attack police stations (although we sang “burn police stations…”).

So, you’re gone beyond us, as always happens in history. Conditions are different of course. During ‘90s they passed us off the prospect of personal success and some of us swallowed it. Now people cannot believe this fairy tale. Your older brothers showed us this during the 2006-07 students’ movement; you now spit their fairy tale to their faces.

So far so good.

Now the good and difficult matters begin.

We’ll tell you what we’ve learned from our struggles and our defeats (because as long as world is not ours we’ll always be the defeated ones) and you can use what we’ve learned as you wish:

Don’t stay alone. Call us; call as many people as possible. We don’t know how you can do that, you will find the way. You’ve already occupied your schools and you tell us that the most important reason is that you don’t like your schools. Nice. Since you’ve already occupied them change their role. Share your occupations with other people. Let your schools become the first buildings to house our new relations. Their most powerful weapon is dividing us. Just like you are not afraid of attacking their police stations because you are together, don’t be afraid to call us to change our life all together.

Don’t listen to any political organization (either anarchists or anyone). Do what you need to. Trust people, not abstract schemes and ideas. Trust your direct relations with people. Trust your friends; make as many people as possible in your struggle your people. Don’t listen to them when they’re saying that your struggle doesn’t have a political content and must seemingly obtain. Your struggle is the content. You only have your struggle and it’s in your hands to preserve its advance. It’s only your struggle that can change your life, namely you and the real relations with your fellowmen.

Don’t be afraid to proceed when confronting new things. Each one of us, as we’re getting older, has things planted in their brains. You too, although you are young. Don’t forget the importance of this fact. Back in 1991, we confronted the smell of the new world and, trust us, we found it difficult. We learned that there must always be limits. Don’t be scared by the destruction of commodities. Don’t be scared by people looting stores. We make all these, they are ours. You (just like we in the past) are raised to get up every morning in order to make things that they will later not be yours. Let’s get them back all together and share them. Just like we share our friends and the love among us.

We apologize for writing this letter quickly, but we do it swinging the lead from our work, secretly from our boss. We are imprisoned in work, just like you are imprisoned in school.

We’ll now lie to our boss and leave work: we’ll come to meet you in Syntagma sq with stones in our hands.

Proletarians

http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/

http://libcom.org/tags/greece

by yawn again! Thu Dec 18, 2008 17:40

The historic central offices of the General Confederation of Greek Workers in Athens have been occupied by militant workers

The action forms part of a strategy to counteract the designs of the union bureaucracy to distance its membership from the current revolt, and protest its management and mediation of workers' struggles in Greece. The occupants aim to create a space in which to facilitate a grassroots and self organised workers response to the crisis, and bring the wider working class into the events unfolding on the streets of Greece. Town halls in Athens and Thessaloniki have also been occupied in order to hold general assemblies.

The communique of the "General Assembly of Insurgent Workers" follows below:

DECLARATION

We will either determine our history ourselves or let it be determined without us

We, manual workers, employees, jobless, temporary workers, local or migrants, are not passive tv-viewers. Since the murder of Alexandros Grigoropoulos on Saturday night we participate in the demonstrations, the clashes with the police, the occupations of the centre or the neighborhoods. Time and again we had to leave work and our daily obligations to take the streets with the students, the university students and the other proletarians in struggle.

WE DECIDED TO OCCUPY THE BUILDING OF GSEE

-To turn it into a space of free expression and a meeting point of workers.

-To disperse the media-touted myth that the workers were and are absent from the clashes, and that the rage of these days was an affair of some 500 "mask-bearers", "hooligans" or some other fairy tale, while on the tv-screens the workers were presented as victims of the clash, while the capitalist crisis in Greece and Worldwide leads to countless layoffs that the media and their managers deal as a "natural phenomenon".

-To flay and uncover the role of the trade union bureaucracy in the undermining of the insurrection -and not only there. GSEE and the entire trade union mechanism that supports it for decades and decades, undermine the struggles, bargain our labor power for crumblings, perpetuate the system of exploitation and wage slavery. The stance of GSEE last Wednesday is quite telling: GSEE cancelled the programmed strikers' demonstration, stopping short at the organization of a brief gathering in Syntagma Sq., making simultaneously sure that the people will be dispersed in a hurry from the Square, fearing that they might get infected by the virus of insurrection.

-To open up this space for the first time -as a continuation of the social opening created by the insurrection itself-, a space that has been built by our contributions, a space from which we were excluded. For all these years we trusted our fate on saviours of every kind, and we end up losing our dignity. As workers we have to start assuming our responsibilities, and to stop assigning our hopes to wise leaders or "able" representatives. We have to acquire a voice of our own, to meet up, to talk, to decide, and to act. Against the generalized attack we endure. The creation of collective "grassroot" resistances is the only way.

-To propagate the idea of self-organization and solidarity in working places, struggle committees and collective grassroot procedures, abolishing the bureaucrat trade unionists.

All these years we gulp the misery, the pandering, the violence in work. We became accustomed to counting the crippled and our dead - the so-called "labor accidents". We became accustomed to ingore the migrants -our class brothers- getting killed. We are tired living with the anxiety of securing a wage, revenue stamps, and a pension that now feels like a distant dream.

As we struggle not to abandon our life in the hands of the bosses and the trade union representatives, likewise we will not abandon no arrested insurgent in the hands of the state and the juridical mechanism.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF THE DETAINED
NO CHARGE TO THE ARRESTED
SELF-ORGANIZATION OF THE WORKERS
GENERAL STRIKE

WORKERS' ASSEMBLY IN THE "LIBERATED" BUILDING OF GSEE
Wendesday, 17 December 2008, 18:00

General Assembly of Insurgent Workers

A banner handing from the facade of the building reads:

From labor "accidents"
to the murders in cold blood
State - Capital kill

No persecution
Immediate release
of the arrested

GENERAL STRIKE

Workers' self-organization
will become the bosses' grave

General Assembly of Insurgent Workers

by dunk Thu Dec 18, 2008 20:16

Update Thurs 18th: Last night, another 16-year old student was shot and injured in the area of Peristeri, Athens.

Last night, a 16-year old student was shot and injured in the area of Peristeri, Athens, close to his school. The 16-year old was sitting with about ten more students, discussing future mobilisations. The shot came from a person unknown, though it is near-certain that this would be either an undercover cop or a fascist. The police only issued a statement hours later. When the 16-year old’s co-students returned to the point of the assault to collect the bullet’s shell, another bullet was shot at them.

http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2008/12/18/26-1150-s...tart/

Statement from TV station occupation:
ABOUT THE INTERRUPTION BY PROTESTING CIVILIANS OF THE NEWSCAST AT THE GREEK NATIONAL BROADCAST STATION, 16 DEC, 2008, 3:10PM

Our action is a response to the accumulated pressures that ravage our lives, and not simply an emotional outburst in the wake of the murder of Alexandros Grigoropoulos by the Greek police.

We are yet another spontaneous collective that forms part of the social uprising in progress.

In a symbolic move to prevent the media from subduing us, citizens & civilians, we interrupt the newscast of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (NET). We believe that the media systematically cultivates a climate of fear, promoting misinformation as information, and portraying a multi-faceted uprising as an outburst of reckless violence.

The explosion of civil unrest is explained in criminal rather than political terms...

http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_...48843

IMC-ATHENS: Wednesday (12/17): reports from Greece
It's more than 10 days since the murder of Alexandros and despite the government's wishes for the protests to stop, they are increasing!
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=en&article_...49322

LIBCOM: Greece unrest: the story so far - TPTG
http://libcom.org/news/short-presentation-recent-events...g-co-

Occupied Greece - Updates

by Darren C Fri Dec 19, 2008 09:59

As the movement in Greece against police violence grows and the Greek government is in danger of being toppled, the League for the Fifth International looks at how a victory for socialism could come out of the recent events.

Full article: http://www.fifthinternational.org/index.php?id=14,1470,...0,1,0

by DC Fri Dec 19, 2008 18:33

Greece
Second shooting provokes new wave of mass anger

Mass movement comes to the forefront
Nicos Anastasiades, “Xekinima”, CWI – Greece

http://www.socialistworld.net/z/bin/pf/pf.cgi?url=%2Fen....html

by Peoples of Europe - RISE UP Thu May 06, 2010 12:22

A year and a half year later, a global financial crisis a whole lot worse, IMF "austerity measures" being imposed on Greece and Athens is in flames again...

2 days ago the Acropolis was again taken over, with a banner calling for "People of Europe Rise Up"

Yesterday RTE said about Athens: "the cradle of democracy looks like its in the throws of a civil war". 3 people were killed in a bank, there were petrol bombs and cops on fire in the streets, stone throwing, tear gas, stun grenades, general violence...

But there is huge anger from normal working people in the streets, "not only the stone throwing anarchists" said one old man. Angry that IMF will impose such changes that there will be no future.

"All of us are angry, very, very angry," bellowed Stella Stamou, a civil servant standing on a street corner, screaming herself hoarse, a block away from where the bank had been set alight." You write that – angry, angry, angry, angry," she said, after participating in one of the biggest ever rallies to rock the capital... since the return of democracy in 1974. "Angry with our own politicians, angry with the IMF, angry with the EU, angry that we have lost income, angry that we have never been told the truth."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/05/greek-bailo...eaths

We wait and see how things unfold, if the crisis spreads. Spain, Portugal, Ireland are being talked about as the next to fall in the "greek domino effect", if this happens, what will Europes response be? Already there has been solidarity actions with yesterdays day of revolt in Spain and elsewhere.
http://www.demotix.com/news/322609/demonstration-suppor...trike

Ireland is a far different place today than it was 18 months ago, has anything changed there? Yesterday in the streets of Athens they were chanting - "We are not Ireland - we do not sacrifice ourseves for the rich". Is there anger rising in Ireland at Bail outs, Anglo and the rest. If so, is it being directed, if so to where and what and how?

Regarding the 3 people were killed in a bank:
It has been said that they were forced to work during the 48 hour general strike, that they were locked in and that their boss had not sufficient fire escape measures in place, a co worker has written about it at http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2010/05/05/an-employ...hens/
A response to it can be found at http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2010/05/06/281-names...hens/

Greece Acropolis_"People of Europe Rise Up"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGxq0XPm3-Q
article - http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/04/markets-...ption

"People of Europe Rise Up" May 4 2010

A day later and Athens is in flames, again (18 months after murder of Alexandros Grigoropoulos)

Caption: Video Id: mGxq0XPm3-Q Type: Youtube Video
Greece 2010 callout - "People of Europe Rise Up"