David (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} dissembly) wrote,@ 2008-12-12 15:03:00 |
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Uprising in Greece.
Below is an English translation of a post apparently originally made in Greek; copied and pasted wholesale from Slackbastard (from the post "Greece: Still the one"). I'm reproducing it just because it claims to be an eyewitness report from among the 'rioters', and is unlikely to get any sort of 'airplay' from regular media outlets. Please scroll down to have a look at it!
There is a rally being held tomorrow, outside the Greek consulate, 37-29 Albert Road, South Melbourne, 1pm.
I would post links to commercial news reports on the situation, but, quite frankly, they have a history of blatantly innaccurate and outright-false reporting whenever it comes to protests, riots, or unkempt youngsters - and the testimony below backs that up. The regular media have a very well-documented vested interest that prevents news outlets from being capable of reporting intelligently on these issues 2, 3, 4. So, you can probably find commercial media reports yourself, if you're inclined. I'm not.
Here is the Democracy Now! take on it instead: Uprising in Greece
Greek police are apparently notorious for harbouring Fascist tendencies (capital F... not just using this as a "slur"), and the Greek government is under heavy criticism for furthering a right-wing neoliberal agenda (similar side of politics to Rudd & Howard); according to what i've read, that's the context in which this stuff is now happening.
There are self-described "irregular updates" on the situation in Greece here.
I'd especially like to draw attention to this paragraph: "incredible stories from the occupation of the town hall of the suburb of Agios Dimitrios in Athens. In a previous post we reported that the town hall was occupied by anarchists. Wrong: The town hall was occupied by the locals, whose statements so far easily overcome the “toughest” of anarchist speech. “This is civil war”, they write. “Alexis, we hope that your blood is the last of an innocent to run”. We’ve got a copy of the entire statement published by the area’s employees committee, and will be translating it tomorrow."
If this is true, it wouldn't be the first time that a group of people decided to overthrow government-sponsored commercial control of their society with direct action (Spain 1936, Russia 1917 - depressingly, in both of these cases, anarchists were later beaten down by state forces; Franco, the Bolsheviks). I don't have any idea how widespread it is, but hopefully they're forming plans to hold what they have, and make something functional and egalitarian out of it. (Assuming they won't just have the crap kicked out of them by the Greek military.)
Emphases are all mine - i've highlighted what i feel are the most important points in bold:
To start with, I’d like to inform you that I’m a university student in Patras & what I report below is an eyewitness account of incidents I experienced & not somebody else’s narration/hearsay…
Unfortunately, Patras saw the resurrection of the “ghost” of ‘91, when Nikos Temponeras was murdered. In that case, the parakratikoi [the other-other hand of the greek state: the activist leg of the greek extreme right wing helping the greek state out in a time honored tradition going at least as far back as the ’50s] counter-occupied [the already occupied schools] throughout greece after they had been incited to do exactly that by then-minister of education Vassilis Kontogianopoulos.
In one of those [counter-occupations], Nikos Temponeras - a teacher - was killed [with a crowbar…] by the leader of ONNED [the youth organization of Nea Dimokratia - which party is ruling the country today, by the way] Ioannis Kalampokas.
Today, December 9, saw 2 demos in Patras. One of them at 11 in the morning with zero unrest. The other one at 3 in the afternoon. During this latter demo, extensive unrest was notable. I’d like to remark that no vandalism against small, privately-owned businesses took place. The targets were the Germanos [electronics chain store] & WIND [mobile telephony] stores. Nobody’s property was damaged.
At some point, certain members of the well-known fascist organization Hrisi Avgi (Golden Dawn), together with plainclothes agents - & not infuriated citizens, as the mass media insist [on calling them] - started throwing rocks & chasing remonstrators with their clubs. For this reason, rudimentary barricades were put together in the streets around the University of Patras department [located there]. These barricades, though, were violated relatively soon with the help of the Riot Squad which kept throwing teargas at large.
When the barricades were torn apart, the people started retreating little by little. In the front, street fights between antiauthoritarians & neonazis-ONNED members. Behind them, members of student collectives formed an outer shell [typically called a “chain” & made up by people holding on to each other & to banners, with the rest inside it; much like a fence] in order to protect themselves. The neonazis were running with clubs & knives towards the demonstrators, while at the same time they were hurling rocks [at them].
When, eventually, the neonazis together with the ONNED members got way too close to the people, those people started running panic-stricken. The “infuriated citizens” were yelling slogans against immigrants, anarchists, & leftists. Slogans such as “Anarchists, sons of whores” etc., together with the fact that, later, they took to the direction of the immigrant shanty town & took out knives (a well-documented way of attack, as far as Golden Dawn members go) made it clear once & for all who these “infuriated citizens,” as they are called by mass media, are.
There are even photos in indymedia patras proving that those damaging stores are the same with those chasing after the demonstrators. Here, I’d like to emphasize that those committing arson & causing damages have no relation whatsoever with either the antiauthoritarian circles or any left wing factions. They are mpahaloi [a specific subclass of people subscribing to some vague nihilist ideology - if they subscribe to any ideology at all - & in it for the excitement of wreaking havoc], agents provocateurs, & hooligans…
According to certain information (I haven’t crosschecked it), a demonstrator was stabbed & carried to the hospital. As I’m writing this (3 in the morning), the center of Patras is chokefull of armed neonazis & plainclothes agents. Personally, I’m not sleeping at home tonight, because I can’t get there…
For one more time, the shadow state acts with the police’s blessings. Naturally, it’s the government who’s behind all this & who’s the sole one responsible for this parade of shadow state antics & violence.
The only way to crush terrorism is mas demos… The government’s aim is plain to see: to keep the people away from demonstrating by using violence & terrorism. If they wanted to catch the “hooded ones” they’d done it! The mass media play the role of the sycophant repeating inaccuracies…
To the streets, then, to crush terror…
Below is an English translation of a post apparently originally made in Greek; copied and pasted wholesale from Slackbastard (from the post "Greece: Still the one"). I'm reproducing it just because it claims to be an eyewitness report from among the 'rioters', and is unlikely to get any sort of 'airplay' from regular media outlets. Please scroll down to have a look at it!
There is a rally being held tomorrow, outside the Greek consulate, 37-29 Albert Road, South Melbourne, 1pm.
I would post links to commercial news reports on the situation, but, quite frankly, they have a history of blatantly innaccurate and outright-false reporting whenever it comes to protests, riots, or unkempt youngsters - and the testimony below backs that up. The regular media have a very well-documented vested interest that prevents news outlets from being capable of reporting intelligently on these issues 2, 3, 4. So, you can probably find commercial media reports yourself, if you're inclined. I'm not.
Here is the Democracy Now! take on it instead: Uprising in Greece
Greek police are apparently notorious for harbouring Fascist tendencies (capital F... not just using this as a "slur"), and the Greek government is under heavy criticism for furthering a right-wing neoliberal agenda (similar side of politics to Rudd & Howard); according to what i've read, that's the context in which this stuff is now happening.
There are self-described "irregular updates" on the situation in Greece here.
I'd especially like to draw attention to this paragraph: "incredible stories from the occupation of the town hall of the suburb of Agios Dimitrios in Athens. In a previous post we reported that the town hall was occupied by anarchists. Wrong: The town hall was occupied by the locals, whose statements so far easily overcome the “toughest” of anarchist speech. “This is civil war”, they write. “Alexis, we hope that your blood is the last of an innocent to run”. We’ve got a copy of the entire statement published by the area’s employees committee, and will be translating it tomorrow."
If this is true, it wouldn't be the first time that a group of people decided to overthrow government-sponsored commercial control of their society with direct action (Spain 1936, Russia 1917 - depressingly, in both of these cases, anarchists were later beaten down by state forces; Franco, the Bolsheviks). I don't have any idea how widespread it is, but hopefully they're forming plans to hold what they have, and make something functional and egalitarian out of it. (Assuming they won't just have the crap kicked out of them by the Greek military.)
Emphases are all mine - i've highlighted what i feel are the most important points in bold:
To start with, I’d like to inform you that I’m a university student in Patras & what I report below is an eyewitness account of incidents I experienced & not somebody else’s narration/hearsay…
Unfortunately, Patras saw the resurrection of the “ghost” of ‘91, when Nikos Temponeras was murdered. In that case, the parakratikoi [the other-other hand of the greek state: the activist leg of the greek extreme right wing helping the greek state out in a time honored tradition going at least as far back as the ’50s] counter-occupied [the already occupied schools] throughout greece after they had been incited to do exactly that by then-minister of education Vassilis Kontogianopoulos.
In one of those [counter-occupations], Nikos Temponeras - a teacher - was killed [with a crowbar…] by the leader of ONNED [the youth organization of Nea Dimokratia - which party is ruling the country today, by the way] Ioannis Kalampokas.
Today, December 9, saw 2 demos in Patras. One of them at 11 in the morning with zero unrest. The other one at 3 in the afternoon. During this latter demo, extensive unrest was notable. I’d like to remark that no vandalism against small, privately-owned businesses took place. The targets were the Germanos [electronics chain store] & WIND [mobile telephony] stores. Nobody’s property was damaged.
At some point, certain members of the well-known fascist organization Hrisi Avgi (Golden Dawn), together with plainclothes agents - & not infuriated citizens, as the mass media insist [on calling them] - started throwing rocks & chasing remonstrators with their clubs. For this reason, rudimentary barricades were put together in the streets around the University of Patras department [located there]. These barricades, though, were violated relatively soon with the help of the Riot Squad which kept throwing teargas at large.
When the barricades were torn apart, the people started retreating little by little. In the front, street fights between antiauthoritarians & neonazis-ONNED members. Behind them, members of student collectives formed an outer shell [typically called a “chain” & made up by people holding on to each other & to banners, with the rest inside it; much like a fence] in order to protect themselves. The neonazis were running with clubs & knives towards the demonstrators, while at the same time they were hurling rocks [at them].
When, eventually, the neonazis together with the ONNED members got way too close to the people, those people started running panic-stricken. The “infuriated citizens” were yelling slogans against immigrants, anarchists, & leftists. Slogans such as “Anarchists, sons of whores” etc., together with the fact that, later, they took to the direction of the immigrant shanty town & took out knives (a well-documented way of attack, as far as Golden Dawn members go) made it clear once & for all who these “infuriated citizens,” as they are called by mass media, are.
There are even photos in indymedia patras proving that those damaging stores are the same with those chasing after the demonstrators. Here, I’d like to emphasize that those committing arson & causing damages have no relation whatsoever with either the antiauthoritarian circles or any left wing factions. They are mpahaloi [a specific subclass of people subscribing to some vague nihilist ideology - if they subscribe to any ideology at all - & in it for the excitement of wreaking havoc], agents provocateurs, & hooligans…
According to certain information (I haven’t crosschecked it), a demonstrator was stabbed & carried to the hospital. As I’m writing this (3 in the morning), the center of Patras is chokefull of armed neonazis & plainclothes agents. Personally, I’m not sleeping at home tonight, because I can’t get there…
For one more time, the shadow state acts with the police’s blessings. Naturally, it’s the government who’s behind all this & who’s the sole one responsible for this parade of shadow state antics & violence.
The only way to crush terrorism is mas demos… The government’s aim is plain to see: to keep the people away from demonstrating by using violence & terrorism. If they wanted to catch the “hooded ones” they’d done it! The mass media play the role of the sycophant repeating inaccuracies…
To the streets, then, to crush terror…
