Students protest mostly peacefully all over Italy - Strike as prelude to Greek austerity vote

This Roman place, shown at the end of the below "Youtube", is called Piazza del Gesù. It is one of most typical places of Rome, taking its name from the chiesa del Gesù, and owes its celebrity also to the Palazzo Cenci-Bolognetti, which was until 1994 the headquarter of the Democrazia Cristiana party. La piazza reminds me of a school excursion in 1982 with our history teacher, Mr. Zwölfer, because he had quartered us in the little hotel just in front of Il Gesù. I liked much this teacher, we had a lot of debates, and after the high school exam Mr. Zwölfer gave me as farewell present "The Greek Discovery of Politics" by Christian Meier, a book by which I was very impressed, although I do not like its recourse to Carl Schmitt and Nietzsche ...

22 dicembre - La diretta dalle città contre il ddl Gelmini (Atenei in rivolta, Italy)

22 dicembre - Cortei e scontri, blocchi stradali e azioni in decine di città, a Roma 30mila in piazza: voi soli nella zona rossa, noi liberi nella città! (Uniriot, Italy)

Napoli 22.12 - 10.000 studenti in piazza -Occupati porto e stazione (Uniriot, Italy)

Palermo 22.12 - Gli studenti assediano il Palazzo della Regione, scontri con le forze dell’ordine (Uniriot, Italy)

Italian students protest against education budget cuts (2nd Roundup) (Deutsche Presse-Agentur via Monsters & Critics)

Thousands of Italian students take to the streets (Agence France-Presse)

Italy students protest tuition cuts (Al Jazeera)

Greeks go on strike before austerity vote (Daily Times, Pakistan)

Greeks rally against 2011 budget (Reuters)

Greek lawmakers set to vote on austerity budget amid protests (People's Daily Online, China)

Greece passes austerity budget (2nd Roundup) (Deutsche Presse-Agentur via Monsters & Critics)

Greece is striking and celebrating a great molotov party against European austerity

From the Greek Streets, UK, reports this from today's General Strike in Athens :

"More than 100,000 people marched in central Athens today against the freshly-voted labour relations law and the austerity measures imposed by the government and the EU/IMF/ECB troika. One of the biggest mass demonstrations the city has seen in recent times was met by brute police violence; the police, nevertheless, proven unable to quell peoples’ anger. A former conservative minister, Kostis Hatzidakis, made the unfortunate decision to be present at Stadiou Street at the time of the demonstration and felt the anger of the demonstrators, quickly leaving the scene injured. Street-fighting erupted across the city, which saw chaotic scenes for hours. Barricades were erected across Patision Avenue, which leads to the Polytechnic School; waves of demonstrators arriving at Syntagma square, outside Parliament, fiercely fought with the police. An – eventually unsuccessful – attempt by demonstrators to occupy the building of GSEE (the country’s mainstream trade union) saw people fighting off the notorious Delta motorcycle police and two of their bikes were set ablaze.

From reports coming in so far, 23 people were detained in Athens today and of those 10 are arrested and face charges. There will be an update on the arrested tomorrow.

One of the most empowering elements of today’s demonstration was peoples’ sheer anger and their willingness to fight back at the police repression and to defend their right to be on the streets. New tactics, including the incredibly successful use of fire extinguishers in keeping police away from demonstrator blocks, is surely a legacy for the struggles to come.

A good selection of photographs on Athens IMC: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [some English picture legends here]

Apart from the spectacular images circulating around global and local media, an astonishing feeling in the streets of Athens is the rage felt by ordinary people toward authority, the police and of course, the people who have lead us all to today’s situation."

Parrhesia = Free Speech. Not all cops are bastards, if you can't beat them, talk to them ...

This man’s placard reads: “They are bringing us the [Axis] Occupation, 1940-1944″

From Free Voice Network via Europeans against the political system:

Huge protests and mass strikes stormed Greece today. Rallies and marches ran not only in the major big cities but even in smaller towns. Workers, trade unionists, anarchists and people from all kinds of political parties expressed their anger against the austerity measures of the government and the stance of the European Union. For once again what we see, is the reactionary broadcasting from the Western media. Here is a screen-shot of what the BBC has broadcasted today, definitely one of the most outrageous lies ever seen about Greece:

[Apparently the merry old aunt BBC has meanwhile elaborated her text, so I have copied this revised version:]

BEGINNING REVISED BBC TEXT

"Greek police have clashed with protesters in the capital Athens as unions stage a general strike against government austerity measures.

Demonstrators threw petrol bombs and police responded with tear gas as the violence flared outside parliament.

A former minister was chased and beaten by a mob and forced to seek shelter in a building [Reuters Video, and other here].

The day of action has grounded flights, disrupted public transport and closed schools across the country.

It is the seventh general strike this year following tough reforms needed to receive a 110bn euro (£84bn) bail-out from international organisations.

Police said about 15,000 people were taking part in marches in Athens.

Protesters started fires around luxury hotels in Syntagma Square, outside parliament, and cars were set ablaze. Riot police fired several rounds of tear gas in response.

The BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens says the scenes are some of the ugliest in a year of protests marking the country's economic crisis.

He says a lynch mob atmosphere developed as former conservative minister Kostis Hatzidakis emerged from parliament and was chased by dozens of protesters.

Former conservative minister Kostis Hatzidakis was surrounded and beaten by a crowd.

The opposition MP was pictured surrounded by a mob and with blood pouring from a head wound. Mr Hatzidakis's office said he was unable to reach hospital because of the crowds.

Witnesses said demonstrators shouted at him: "Thieves! Shame on you!"

Police said at least 10 people had been detained and three had been injured.

Roads jammed

With public transport at a standstill, major roads connecting the centre of Athens were jammed as motorists struggled to get to and from work.

Journalists were also on strike, affecting news bulletins on TV and radio.

Teacher Anastasia Antonopoulou, 50, travelled from the Ionian island of Zakynthos to join thousands marching through Athens on Wednesday.

"I can't sit on the sofa and watch my country go down. I'm here to shout and struggle," she said.

"Many of my students' parents are jobless."

On Tuesday, the Greek parliament voted through key economic reforms stipulated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Union, which are funding the bail-out.

The new legislation will cap the salaries of workers in state-run companies such as the public transport networks.

In the private sector, employers will no longer have to abide by union-negotiated agreements and can set their own wages.

Prime Minister George Papandreou said the measures were designed to keep struggling companies afloat.

But union leaders have condemned the moves.

"We need to send the government a message that we will not accept measures that lead us only to poverty and unemployment," Ilias Iliopoulos, general secretary at the civil servants' union Adedy, told Reuters news agency.

Our correspondent says opposition groups are angry with the government for taking just 10 hours to debate such major changes to employment law.

However, as a result Greece is now more likely to receive its fourth instalment of financial aid due in the New Year, he adds.

Wednesday's strike is part of a European day of action against economic reforms.

Workers have been rallying against austerity measures in countries including Spain and Belgium, ahead of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday and Friday."

END REVISED BBC TEXT

The BBC shamefully mentions only what the police claims ignoring any other source. The protesters in Athens were not only 15.000 but according to local people 100.000. Many claim that the number is much higher, close to 200.000! It is very obvious that BBC reproduces cheap pro-capitalist propaganda trying to show that the clashes between Greek protesters and the police are the actions of a minority while the majority of the people support the austerity measures which is not true at all! Only in the second major city of Greece, Thessaloniki, there were more than 10.000 protesters. In Volos it is estimated that more than 2.500 people marched. 4.000 also gathered in Patra, 2000 in Heraclio (Crete), 2.000 in Ioannina, 1.500 in Xanthi (the numbers are approximate). Rallies took place also in small islands such like Skopelos and Naxos.

The BBC instead of being focused on police brutality where repression forces attacked even peaceful protesters, spends too much of its analysis for what happened to Kostis Hatzidakis, a conservative MP who was beaten up by an angry crowd. He was nothing more but a person who belonged to the previous conservative government of New Democracy, one of the most corrupted governments in the history of Greece. He knew that thousands of angry people were gathered in the Athens city centre, he knew that all of them are very hostile towards any Greek politician but instead of avoiding the “battlefield” area decided to cross this crowded street ignoring the possible consequences.

Around 14:00 in Athens, members of the riot police attacked people who were standing around Sina area. There are serious witnesses that a couple was brutally beaten up by 4 policemen. In the same area, police threw tear gas against the student’s block. The atmosphere was suffocating. The block of the trade Union GSEE has been also targeted by the riot squad as well. When a group of people reached the GSEE building and opened the main door, members of the riot squad entered, trying to kettle, many of them pulling out even guns. However, at the same time another angry crowd appeared and attacked the riot squad which finally retreated due to the huge number of gathered people.

Heavily armed police forces followed strict orders to evacuate Parliament square because patrol cars and police vehicles offered help to some MPs who wanted to escape. Rumours say that the evacuation of the Parliament square happened in fear of a rebel invasion into the Parliament House.

In Athens, “everything smells like a junta” says a protester. Close to the office of “Deposits and Loans” the police arrested a 55 year-old photographer without any single reason despite the reaction of many bystanders who did everything possible to liberate him but with no success. Another has been insulted for taking pictures and there are witnesses of the arrest of a girl with a camcorder. “Suddenly, a red car appeared coming down the university. When the people realised that it was taking pictures the driver rushed with speed against the protesters! People could have been killed because of that” said another protester.

Ordinary people chased a group of about 20 police undercover forces while others were setting barricades at the Polytechnic school. When the crowd started shouting against the police, the riot squad fled. The undercover forces run away towards the area of Exarcheia but one of them who did not escape from the angry crowd, was beaten up. Later on, a girl was taking pictures while a policeman was dragging a person outside of the University and members of the riot squad confiscated her camera.

In Thessaloniki several people called for first aid in a local pharmacy while some were taken away by an ambulance. As it is estimated that they have been brutally attacked by the riot squad. 28 people have been arrested while later on, 17 of them were released. Many protesters also condemned the actions of some trade unionists, accusing them for being “sold off to the government”.

CNN Reporting: John Psaropoulos, Athens, interviewed by Charles Hodson, London, with Reuters Pictures. Or the other way round. A joint venture, I suppose ...

Turkish TV Live Reporting

Greek Video with a Street Fighting Scene

See also

La mort de l'euro, un fantasme (Jean Quatremer, Coulisses de Bruxelles)

Europe Staggers as Critical Summit Looms (New York Times)

Street violence, trade union demos cast shadow on EU summit (EUOBSERVER, Brussels)

WRAPUP 1-EU hopes to seize debt crisis initiative at summit (Reuters U.S.)

Greek finance ministry set ablaze in Athens protest (Indo-Asian News Service via newKerala.com, India)

Anti-Austerity Protest in Greece Turns Violent (New York Times)

Greece: Anti-austerity riots erupt (Photos) (3news, New Zealand)

More fotos from today Athens (Act for Freedom Now !)

Athen: Generalstreik schlägt in Krawalle um (German Reuters Video via Der Spiegel)

Ex-Minister in Athen blutig geschlagen (Iran German Radio)

Aus dem Arcor.de-Newsticker:

15.12.2010, 09:00

Massive Streiks legen Griechenland lahm

In Griechenland hat ein massiver Streik begonnen. Landesweit geht heute den ganzen Tag über praktisch nichts mehr: Flüge fallen aus, Fähren laufen nicht aus, auch Schulen sowie Busse und Bahnen werden bestreikt. Die Proteste richten sich gegen das harte Sparprogramm der sozialistischen Regierung. Gestern hatte das griechische Parlament eine Reihe von einschneidenden Änderungen im Arbeitsmarkt verabschiedet. In den kommenden Tagen soll der Sparhaushalt 2011 gebilligt werden.


15.12.2010, 13:22

Schwere Ausschreitungen in Athen

In Athen ist es im Zusammenhang mit den Streiks gegen die Sparpolitik der griechischen Regierung zu schweren Ausschreitungen gekommen. Mehrere Brandsätze wurden gegen die Beamten geworfen. Diese antworteten mit massivem Einsatz von Tränengas und Blendgranaten. Vor dem Parlament in Athen herrschte Chaos. Vermummte versuchten den Eingang des Finanzministeriums zu stürmen. Sie warfen mehrere Brandflaschen. Immer wieder waren Explosionen zu hören. Die Polizei lieferte sich regelrechte Straßenkämpfe mit den Randalierern.


15.12.2010, 16:05

Streiks und Krawalle legen Griechenland lahm

Vermummte Demonstranten haben sich in Athen Straßenschlachten mit der Polizei geliefert. Die Krawalle brachen am Rande eines zunächst friedlichen Protestes gegen das Sparprogramm der griechischen Regierung aus. Vor dem Parlament attackierten Randalierer die Polizei mit Brandflaschen. Die Beamten setzten Tränengas und Blendgranaten ein. Immer wieder waren Explosionen zu hören. Streiks gegen den Sparkurs der Regierung legten zudem weite Teile des Landes lahm.

Holy shit, Monsieur le Député ! Former Member of European Parliament and Ex-Minister Kostis Hatzidakis (45), from the conservative Nea Demokratia Party, was ambushed by protesters angry with his role in precipitating the 2010 debt crisis and beaten by a dozen of them (see Reuters Video )

Yes, we can : It's not only rock 'n' roll, so we like it ...

Greek students protest over education reform and clash with police

Athens, December 2nd: During a "paneducational rally" students try to break through a police cordon in front of the Greek Parliament. The demonstration marched also to the British embassy in Athens, in solidarity with British students who oppose plans to increase tuition fees.

From Independent Television News (ITN), UK:

"University students across Greece took to the streets in protest for the second day running on against the government's planned education cuts.

Students said they were also acting in solidarity with British students, by taking their demonstration to the British Embassy in Athens.

Greek students fear the education reform will lead to cost cuts in education and new tuition fees. Police arrested several students after clashes broke out and at least one student was injured.

Police used tear gas on the students after they charged officers in an attempt to break a police cordon in front of parliament.

This was the third protest in the last few weeks as the Education Ministry discusses reforms in the system, to be announced in the next few months.The government's planned education reforms include shrinking and merging public colleges and universities and reducing the teaching workforce.The reforms come as the government has implemented general economic measures to reign in spending, cut costs, and increase revenues to reduce their debt. Some of the measures, including wage cuts and lay-offs, have angered workers. Protests have died down since the beginning of the year but various labour groups continue to keep up the momentum."

See also

photos on Indymedia Athens: protest march - police brutality - mural slogans

Greece: Clashes at student rally (Associated Press)

Greek police clash with students at British embassy (Reuters)

Thousands of anarchists march in central Athens against state terrorism

From the Greek Streets, UK, posted on Friday, November 26, 2010 :

"On Thursday night, around 2,500-3,000 anarchists marched in central Athens against state terrorism and in support of the imprisoned comrades. Police presence was huge, with riot police deployed on both sides of the streets for the entire route of the demonstration. The apparent tactic, it seems, was of obstructing contact between the demonstrators and any passers-by. At the end of the demonstration, outside the Propylea of Athens university, there were scuffles with the police.

The next anarchist demonstration in central Athens has been called for December 11th. On December 6th, the anniversary march for the death of Alexis is taking place, while the 15th is the day of the next general strike."

Free Lunch (There Is)

A sticker circulating around public transportation (metro, buses) in Athens:

"Passengers are requested, in the name of elementary class dignity, should they have validated their ticket, to hand it over to passengers without a ticket, once they have completed their journey. In this way, possible quarrels will be avoided with those sad leeches, the ticket inspectors"

Signed, the "Conspiracy of the Equals"

A little bit of background: tickets in Athens’ public transportation are valid for 1,5 hour once validated and so, a huge impromptu movement has started with people passing on tickets to fellow passengers once they’ve completed their journey. This has prompted OASA, the transport authority, to issue “legal warnings” in the format of the sticker above, on the back side of tickets, warning that this action is illegal. And so, the sticker above has come as a response…

***

Ein Aufkleber, der unlängst im Athener Untergrund, aber auch in oberirdischen Bussen & Straßenbahnen der griechischen Hauptstadt aufgetaucht ist:

"Alle Fahrgäste, die ein Ticket entwertet haben, werden hiermit im Namen elementarer Klassen-Dignität gebeten, dieses nach Abschluß ihrer Fahrt an Passagiere ohne Fahrschein zu übergeben. Auf diese Weise können eventuelle Streithändel mit Kontrolleuren, diesen kläglichen Blutsaugern, vermieden werden.

Gezeichnet: die Verschwörung der Gleichen"

Zum Hintergrund: Im Zuge der Wirtschaftskrise hat sich in den Athener U-Bahnen & Bussen spontan die Praxis eingebürgert, daß immer mehr Leute beim Aussteigen ihr Ticket anderen in die Hand drücken. Diese Zeitgenossen können dann bis zum Ablauf einer 90-Minutenfrist weiterfahren (falls die Fahrer nicht gerade, wie z. B. heute für einige Stunden, streiken). Auch deshalb werden in der Athener U-Bahn, trotz vergleichsweise strenger Kontrollen, relativ wenig Leute ohne Fahrschein erwischt, nämlich nur vier von hundert Fahrgästen (obwohl nach offiziellen Schätzungen 25 Prozent aller Passagiere ohne Ticket unterwegs sind). Die Athener Verkehrsbetriebe (OASA) bedrucken die Fahrscheine daher neuerdings auf der Rückseite mit Rechtsklauseln, die das Ticket-Sharing ausschließen sollen. Woraufhin plötzlich dieser Aufkleber mit dem OASA-Logo auftauchte ...

Quelle: From the Greek Streets

Greek Revolt: Update 16th March 2010

Electricity workers on strike at Alimos, southeastern Athens, with a banner "Mr Minister, what kind of social policies are these?"



Electricity workers strike threatens Greece with Black-out (Extracts from Taxikipali's report, see the entire text on Libcom.org - Spanish - German)

The 48h strike of the National Electricity Company (DEH) workers has seen 7 major power-factories shut their engines, with workers threatening to shut-down more and plunged Greece in black-out. The workers yesterday occupied the Unemployed Office Headquarters in Athens, the Company's offices in Ptolemaida and Megalopolis (both major power producing units) and a production unit in Agios Dimitrios. At the same time workers of WIND formed a demo outside the Labour Inspection headquarters in Athens in protest to the firing of one worker by the company, while workers of the textile industry ELITE blockaded the entrance of the Ministry of Labour. Meanwhile in the north of the country, ambulance workers have blockaded the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace in Salonica, and textile workers of ENKLO industries occupied two major banks of the city of Komotini, as well as the County headquarters of Imathia.

On evening ADEDY staged a central protest march against the measures in Athens. An estimated crowd of more than 10,000 people, surrounded by strong riot police forces, reached Klathmonos square on its way to the Parliament, while the tail of the demo was still at the height of Rex on Panepistimiou street. The march was concluded with protesters throwing stones at the riot police squads guarding the parliament, and the cops responding with tear gas. One man has been detained. Similar protest marches took place in Thessaloniki and in Heraklion, Crete.

Moreover, taxi drivers and gas stations have called a 24h strike for Thursday.

About the attitude of the Greeks towards the electricty strikes, Taxikipali gives the followning assessment:

At the moment there does not seem to be any resentment towards the DEH strike, as one hour black-outs are not such a huge problem for daily life. Generally people are tolerant to problems created by strikes, or simply used to them. Of course the media do their best to vilify this and any strike as burdening the people, but such neoliberalist tricks are far off the target in the present situation where so many people are seeing their salaries cut.


Strikes to cause more disruption (by Pantelis Saitas /Athens News Agency)

Greek power strike leads to electricity shortage (from DPA)

Blackouts and minor clashes in Greece (from AP)

Greek labor unions end one more day of protests (from Xinhua News Agency, China)

Lambros Fountas: DNA tests thwart terror probe (by Ekathimerini)

Two cars of the Greek Diplomatic Corps burned in Brussels (from Cemab)

***

There's only one thing left to settle: our accounts with capital and it's state by "Proles and Poor's Credit Rating Agency" (TPTG), a Greek autonomous communist group (an analytical memorandum on the working class struggles against austerity measures in Greece, published 14th March 2010)

***

Foto from Ekathimerini

Greek Revolt: Updates 12th - 15th March

" ... Mother, I will not sit on my ass to become a houseman, slave and servant, submissive of the lords. Give me the light sword and the heavy rifle, to run up to the mountains and join my comrades ..." (Greek anarchist poster)

By Carlos Marxos Indymedia

(auf Deutsch hier)

__Friday 12th March 2010__

* The trial of the fascists about the events of the past days in Chania town on Crete island started today. Among them a well-known fascist Mr Karefylakis, responsible for organizing many fascistic teams in the town who act against immigrants and people who support the immigrants. The fascists are already sure that they will not be judged after being backed up by Nea Dimokratia and LAOS (right wing and fascistic parliament parties) who are involved in para-judge cycles. (watch also older update)

* The Confederation of Blind People condemns the cops that they sprayed tear-gas in front of their faces during the General Strike demonstration in Athens, despite that the police could make out that the protestors of the certain block were blind because of the well-known white sticks they used to hold on their hands.

* The rectorship of the Polytechnical University in Athens called for a senate after many pressures from students because of the entrence of cops in the Campus of Zografou district on 21st February (watch older update). The announcement: Decision of Rectors' Senate in National Polytechnical University, Athens 12th March 2010 We are witnessing a period when the government takes a frontal assault against the rights of youth and workers. On the opposite side has already become apparent the social discontent (de: Mißfallen) which is reflected in the mass struggles and strikes throughout the latter period. The attack on Asylum is part of the government policy and it is part of the plan is to remove social achievements (de: Errungenschaften). The Asylum is a historical achievement and had an important role for the struggles after the fall of the military junta. As this is non-negotiable for the entire academic community and therefore must be condemned, from any part of the Academic Community, any police intervention in asylum areas; interventions which can happen from the police authorities after the law of Ms Giannakou. The Polytechnichal Community with full awareness (de: in Kenntnis) of the deserved political responsibility and under the fact that we have defended the Asylum during limit and critical situations, both for the building complex at Patission Street and for the Polytechnical Campus in Zografou district, after the recent events on Sunday 21st February, we state that: A. The invitation of police forces does not face the alleged (de: angeblichen) violent actions by unknown persons which take place in the Institutions. In contrast, it upgrades the feeling of fear in the Higher Educational Institutes and contributes to the upgrading of repression and debate on the need for removal of Asylum law. B. The decisions to break the University Asylum require the consent of the Senate (collective expression of the university community). The assignment (de: Abtretung) of the decisions' rights to the Rector Shapes according to the Framelaw of Ms Giannakou is a trap and must not be applied. C. The certain decision of the Rectorship on 21st February can not and also must not create a precedent. Because there is a risk to get to what was experienced recently in the German Universities, namely braking the Asylum against the student and popular movement and the free movement of ideas. D. The polytechnical community will not tolerate any discussion of abolishing or restricting Asylum.


__Saturday 13th February 2010__

* Actions on the Exarcheia square against heroin dealers and other state repression methods still go on. And to remind for one more time: after the election of the new social-democratic government in October, the Exarcheia district were occupied by special pigs' forces any single night. After the resistance of the residents to this occupation, the government decided to move the heroin dealing in Exarcheia. We shall not also forget the cases that some kilos of heroin were also found on war-ships of NATO.

* Info Demonstration through the district of Chalandri against the government's and EU's economical measures. In the action participated out-parliamentary communistic organizations and residents of the neighbourhood. Fotos

* Intervention in a speech of Anna Diamantopoulou, education minister, by unpaid and unemployed educators. The fiesta of the minister had to make with the new laws for the education stractures she wants to vote, a new stracture that gives less money for education and employes less teachers. On the video, one of her body-guards tries to push away the protestors and his gun appears on common view. (Video)

* Intervention in front of a church in Ioannina town. The protestors rised plakats asking for the church fund property to be transfered to the public sector and ceperate the churche's relationships with the government.

* Action in Thessaloniki in memory of the anarchist Lambros Fountas, killed by cops on 10th March 2010. 10 luxurious, government and private security services vehicles were looted all around the town.


__Sunday 14th March 2010__

* Free translation from anarchy press: "Crowd Management ", another name for repression.

Practical and immediately began to be expressed the solidarity of Chancellor Merkel and the German state to Georgey (Greek priminister) and the Greek state. That's why today departed for Berlin the head of Greek Police Mr E. Oikonomou and the director of Special Violence Crimes' Treatement Division (anti-terrorist division) Mr Alkiviadis Tzoitis, in order to meet in the base of German Federal Police for Crime's Prosecution with their counterparts there "to exchange experiences and lessons for dealing on topics about models of big cities' policing, the organization and function of police units for searching and investigating serious forms of organized crime and terrorism, the protection of VIP's, as well as best practices regarding the management of a large number of protests and demonstrations". What seems to be in their immediate priorities, is directly related to the "management of the crowd" of the oppressed people and they are well aware that soon they will be kicked away by this crowd ... But the plans always fail as the people's wisdoms say and especially when these plans are published shamelessly ... Also this visit can not be considered as irrelevant by the analysis of the staffs of those in power, which show that the confrontational mood of the people is already in high levels. It would be wise from the side of the managers of powers to know that it will not be possible to "manage" the crowd and to suppress the anger of the oppressed people, when the anger will explode ...


__Monday 15th March 2010__

* The fascistic attacks on Creta island still go on. Early in the mourning fascists looted immigrants' cars.

* Workers of Public Electricity Company squatted symbolically the offices of OAED (public job office) in Alimos district of Athens, Ptolemaida town and Megalopoli. The workers condemn their wage and pensions cut-outs, stating also that the government dismisses workers while the working hours of employes get more and more. The workers also announced a 48-hours on 16th and 17th of March.

* The building of Imathia Prefecture in Veroia town squatted since early in the mourning from workers of United Textiles who are not paid for the last 12 months of their work. They also ask for the factories to start functioning again condemning the bosses that made profits against them and then shut down the business. The workers will also squat the building tomorrow. Meanwhile their co-workers of ELITE shoe factory are unemployed for four months now despite the government's promises that the shoe factory would not be closed.

* The doctors of Aglaia Kyriakou Children's Hospital in Athens and University Hospital in Larissa town under job retention since today. The doctors are not payed since November for their extra hours, when the hospitals are open during nights etc. They also condemn the lack of doctors, nurses and equipment in the hospitals which get under danger the lives of patients. On 24-hours strike tomorrow the nurses all around Greece against the cut-outs of their wages and condemning the lack of nurses in hospitals all around Greece.

* The Federation of Benzin-stations Owners announced a 24-hours strike on 18th of March.

* Wine producers and wine traders blocked the Corinthe - Tripolis Highway at Nemea town condemning economical facts of their sector and the lack of state support to farmers.

* 5 persons of the 11 arrested during the General Strike demonstration in Athens are accused with heavy crimes. One of them must stay in pre-jail custody according to the "hoodie-law" which was voted by the last government. The judge authorities decided to pre-jail him despite the fotos which prove that on the time of his arrest his face was not covered. (Fotos of the arrests, the guy with the rasta, scroll down; video of the certain arrest, 2'32" - 2'46")

Farewell to our comrade Lambros Fountas

Our comrade Lambros Fountas fell dead from the bullets of Greek police on early Wednesday morning in the suburb of Dafni (south Athens). He was 35 years old. The circumstances of his death are far from being clear. The police reclaims that he was shot during a gunfight, but it seems rather to have been a cold-blooded killing, because there are reports that he was hit on his left shoulder blade (which means he was hit from the back). Moreover, the police speaks now of three suspects allegedly surprised to steal a car in Dafni and prepared to carry out a "terrorist attack" on that day, but so far they weren't able to prove these conjectures. According to the police the two other comrades could escape during the alleged fire-exchange and are still at large. (An article about the events from the Greek newspaper Epochi, weekly aligned to SYRIZA, the Coalition of the Radical Left, is here, in English and German).

After Lambros' killing many houses around Attica have been searched by the police, while the Greek anarchists plastered the streets of Athens with posters to his honor. The Anarchist Archive, one of the oldest, most traditional and best-known anarchist groups in Greece, has published a farewell-text in the memory of Lambros Fountas, and also the revolutionary Giorgis Voutsis Voyatzis, imprisoned for bank robbery in Athens, has communicated a short letter of hommage to the killed comrade.

*Giorgos Voutsis Voyatzis, "A few words from the prison" (translation by Libcom.org; in German here)

Comrade Lambros was a true exemplar of a struggles for all of us. A real revolutionary, sworn enemy of apraxia - idleness or lack of praxis. Simple, sober, eclectic and decided. UNTIL THE END, LEADER OF HIS OWN SELF. Besides, he made no contract with life so that he cheated on it. A contract with life is signed by those who divorce from the choice of just-praxis or dikaiopraxia. Consider these not so big-phrased but honest words a last farewell to a comrade and combatant of freedom. Let praxis and actions speak ...

*Anarchist Archive of Athens, "Lambros our comrade"

(Translation from Act for freedom now - Spanish translation here & here - French - German)

The struggle of those who fight against all forms of power, who are anxious that each moment should not be wasted and who stubbornly maintain the belief that we are capable of creating a free and non-authoritarian world, is as distant from any kind of mythology or fiction as the earth is from the moon.

This struggle has had, has and will have countless casualties; dead, captured, and people who desist because they lose hope or compromise themselves because the powers that be have found the low or high price to buy them off.

Those seeking saints, martyrs or messiahs, or heroes and mythical beasts, are ultimately no different from those who do not miss the opportunity to point the finger at the scoundrels, the black sheep, the criminally suspect and those who politically have already lost. Both the superior beings depicted by one side and the extremist creatures from the other are equally expendable. In either case the purpose is to keep everyone sedated and docile, despite what the proponents of either side might claim.

Some ecstatically speak of those 'sacrificed', while the others piously try to measure the political loss. It is of little importance whether this convergence is achieved due to fanaticism or delusion, ignorance or expediency, for reasons of political visibility and survival or practising dogmatism. Those who are supposed to object shout to convince everyone that they have unfinished business with them, but this fraud is difficult to conceal. But so be it. This scenario is true and played to death, but the beaten path is always the most secure. Always? Or maybe it is not?

The following words, and those preceding them, are not the product of an obligation or sense of duty. Nor are they part of any revolutionary obituary. They are far away from and hostile to any attempt to mythologizing, ownership, engaging or disengaging, against the mud slung and the depreciation, which authority is already trying to spread after the disclosure of the identity and photograph of a dead "terrorist" following a gunfight with cops in Daphne. Lambros Fountas, who fell dead in a shootout with the crew of the police squad car in the area of Daphne is known for his anarchist activities.

From his years as a high school student he was socially active and would later join the anarchist group MAVRO AGATHI (Black Thorn), who issued the DROMI TIS ORGIS (Streets of Rage) 'zine/pamphlet/serial. He was active and participated in marches, rallies, social conflicts, demonstrations, flyposting, discussions and social events.

He was one of the thousands of young people not enrolled at the time with any political youth party involved in the student occupations, demonstrations and clashes prior to and after the murder of Professor N. Temponera in Patras. Those young people were inspired by the insurrectional events of January 1991 as well as anarchist ideas and practices that they appropriated with a vitality which words are incapable of describing. The anarchist group Black Thorn, until its dissolution, participated in the Co-operation of Anarchist Groups and Individuals for Social Solidarity and Diverse Action.

During the occupation of the Polytechnical University of Athens in 1995 for the anniversary of the 1973 Uprising, Lambros Fountas was among the 504 who were arrested by the repressive state forces that invaded the university grounds on the morning of November 18th. He was, therefore, among so many young people of a generation that the politically correct were quick to describe as lost. Among all those who chose their partners' hand and travelled the 1990s from protest to protest, from roadblock to roadblock, standing in solidarity with passion in every social aspect, who chose to confront power with their rights and their wrongs, their differences amongst themselves and their stubbornness, confounding the authority that wanted them to simply be passers by in the social struggles. Not that there weren't any such people. Quite the contrary. Since then I have met up with Lambros and been side by side many times in marches, roadblocks and clashes.

We solemnly believe that what the people who fight leave behind them, is what they really contribute and is not superficial to the liberation process from the shackles of oppression and exploitation. This is a legacy that transcends any needs, decisions and choices.

Because the means are not an end in themselves and don't differentiate those fighting, but rather reveal possibilities, they don't sanctify those who choose one or another form, nor do they put anyone on a pedestal. There are no unknown comrades who have been unfairly lost. Nor is the point principally, in these situations, the search for operational errors.

Equally, however, we do not agree with the logic that explanations are the privilege of priests, initiates or those well-educated in internal affairs or with those who deal with cases and craft scenarios all the time, that the answer may begin and end with motto: loss is a necessary evil. Our position must be straightforward and outspoken.

We close, saying goodbye to Lambros with an Indian wish (and certainty): The next time (we meet) will be better!

Anarchist Archive of Athens 11/3/10"

Θερμα συλλυπητήρια, Άνκελα Μέρκελ

The day before the Panhellenic General Strike of Thursday 11th March, Municipality workers protested in Athens against the Greek government's new economic austerity package by holding a mock funeral that included a coffin to mark the "death" of their benefits. The protesters marching behind the coffin were holding a great banner with the slogans “Οχι στη λεηλασία του εισόδηματος μας – No to the plundering ouf our income !” and “ Κάτω τα χέρια απο τα δικαίωματα μας – Down with the attack on our (pension) rights !”

A protester in front of the coffin held a standard decorated with a mourning wreath of white roses porting the inscription “With heartfelt sympathy, Angela Merkel “ (may be also an allusion to the legendary song "White Roses of Athens" by Nana Mouskouri, the hellenic singer who recently announced, in a gesture of constructively intended protest, to forgo her pension as euro-parlamentarian). Similar mourning wreaths were coming from Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, Nicolas Sarkozy …

The British Guardian has a short video roundup of the Strike Day and a picture gallery showing that also policemen on strike were in solidarity with the demonstrators.

"After the Greek Riots" shows photos taken by the photographer Fil Kaler in the streets of Athens on Thursday, and a report from China's Xinhua News Agency is here.

Greek Revolt: Update 11th March 2010

Ich habe viele Väter. Ich habe viele Mütter, und ich habe viele Schwestern, und ich habe viele Brüder. Meine Väter sind schwarz und meine Mütter sind gelb und meine Brüder sind rot und meine Schwestern sind hell. Ich bin über zehntausend Jahre alt, und mein Name ist Mensch! Ich bin über zehntausend Jahre alt, und mein Name ist Mensch! Und ich lebe von Licht, und ich lebe von Luft, und ich lebe von Liebe, und ich lebe von Brot. Ich habe zwei Augen und kann alles sehn. Ich habe zwei Ohren und kann alles verstehen. Wir haben einen Feind. Er nimmt uns den Tag, er lebt von unserer Arbeit, und er lebt von unserer Kraft. Er hat zwei Augen, und er will nicht sehen. Und er hat zwei Ohren und will nicht verstehen. Er ist über zehntausend Jahre alt und hat viele Namen. Er ist über zehntausend Jahre alt und hat viele Namen. Ich weiß, wir werden kämpfen, ich weiß, wir werden siegen, ich weiß, wir werden leben, und wir werden uns lieben. Der Planet Erde wird uns allen gehören, und jeder wird haben, was er braucht. Es wird keine zehntausend Jahre mehr dauern, denn die Zeit ist reif. Und es wird keine zehntausend Jahre mehr dauern, denn die Zeit ist reif !

Rolf Pohle citing Ton Steine Scherben "My name is human being" in front of a judgeman

Dedicated to Lampros Fountas, killed by the police on 10th March 2010

By Carlos Marxos & Indymedia Athens

(auf Deutsch hier)

Third Panhellenic General Strike Day against the austerity measures in a month - Demonstration in Athens; strong clashes with the police; 16 people detained, nine will face charges - Demonstrations in Siteia, Veroia, Irakleio, Volos, Lesbos, Ioannina, Naxos, Thessaloniki - Flyer of the group "agents of chaos"

* Gathering - Demonstration in Siteia on Crete island. Workers of public and private sector, doctors, builders, farmers, teachers, pupils, students, self-employed, unemployed participated in the protests against the government's and EU's economical measures. 95% of the private companies around the area were closed for the day, participating in one of the biggest mobilizations during the last years. Fotos

* Demonstration in Veroia town. The syndicalist leaders for one more time under the target and the slogans of the demonstrators.

* Demonstration in Irakleio on Crete island. Around 1000 persons, base's unions, students, workers, anarchists, out-parliamentary communists demonstrated through the center of the town. Also, many slogans against the leadership of syndicalists. "Plaisio" company got blocked from the demonstrators because the bosses did not let the workers to strike. Many banks in the central street also smashed. Two teams of special police forces tried to attack the block but were pushed away by the people on the streets.

* Demonstration in Volos town (Thessaly). The protestors gathered at METKA factory (watch older update) and blocked the entrances, so the workers could participate in the actions despite the bosses' tactics to forbid the right for striking. The syndicalist leadership demonstrated with 50 persons ceperatly from the main block of the protestors. Some hundreds of students, pupils, workers, out-parliamentary communists, anarchists demonstrated through the town against the government's and EU's economical measures. Two cameras were smashed on Iasonos street and the cops tried to attack but they were pushed away and many slogans were shouted in front of the offices of PASOK and Nea Dimokratia while undercover cops were following in the near. Many multinational companies which forbid the workers to strike were also blocked from the protestors.

* Two demonstrations in Mytilini on Lesvos island, one from PAME (bureaucratic syndicalists) and one with independent base's unions, students, etc. The second demonstration, behind a plakat on which was written "Capitalism is not to be reformed, only to be destroyed", directed through the centre of the town, posters were rised up on banks, leaflets were spreded to people, walls of government buildings were sprayed and attacked with colour-bombs.

* Demonstration under rain in Ioannina town (Epirus, northwestern Greece) with participation of 1500 persons and heavy presence of special police forces.

* Gathering also on Naxos island (Cyclades) against the economical measures.

* Demonstration in Thessaloniki with more than 7,000 people [14,000 or 15,000 according to Guardian or BBC]. Basic needs products were expropriated from two super markets and given to the people around. One camera burnt and many eggs, stones and paint were thrown against government buildings and ministries. Also smashed the offices of church institution, Vodafone company, cash machines from banks, fast food companies. Fotos

* 150,000 people participated in the three different gatherings at Athens to demonstrate against the government's economical measures. The city full of undercover cops and special police forces who attacked the protestors with teargas before the beginning of the demonstration trying to brake the body of the demonstration into several different small blocks. The police started attacking also in many different parts around the downtown with teargas, by beating up people but also in many cases driving, for one more time, against protestors with their motorcycles. It seems that the masses of people on the streets made them afraid, so they used tones of teargas and sound-flash granades since the beginning in order to terrorize any single person who resists. Strong clashes all around the centre of Athens, many protestors were heavily injured by cops but also in many cases the cops lost their motorcycles and other equipment. Many multinational companies, banks, street cameras, luxurious cars were also smashed by protestors. According to Occupied London 16 people were detained, nine of them face charges. Fotos -- Fotos & Videos -- Chronological Live Updates -- Fotos -- Videos of arrests -- Fotos by red contra-journalists -- Fotos -- Fotos -- Video (residents of Exarcheia chase away the cops from their neighbourhood) -- Fotos

* Flyer, today in Athens (auf Deutsch zunächst hier & komplett hier):

Democracy

There’s no escape.

The big pricks are out.

They’ll fuck everything in sight.

Watch your back.

Harold Pinter (He already said it on February 2003)

We are now in the historic point where the contradiction (de: Widerspruch) of capital is becoming increasingly clear worldwide. Throughout the length and breadth of the world proletarians are in ebullition (de: Wallung) while their own reproduction (de: Fortpflanzung) becomes increasingly difficult. As for the proletarians is difficult now to continue their lives, it is the same chapter as an exploitative relationship (de: Ausbeutung) which is in crisis of reproduction. The modern struggles of the proletarians is the expression of the modern form of this exploitative relationship:

During the last years in China where the economy still grows very quickly all kinds of contradictions are rising. Clashes of workers with the police is common for a number of reasons: asking for increases of still very low wages (on which is based the economical rising), to prevent fencing the remained land in the villages, to pay compensation (de: Reparationen) to dismissed workers, against the inadequacy (de: Unzulänglichkeit) of the health system resulting a high number of dead children. In America where appearing a historical record low level of workers' contentious strikes, thousands homeless and unemployed people occupy the uninhabited houses which were seized (de: pfänd) by banks and students occupy the universities in California and New York writting on their plakats: We have decided not to die, asserting (de: beanspruchen) this way for what was until recently a court (de: selbstverständlich), namely, simply the ability to continue being students. The reproduction of their own life (of course from a much worse position imposed by the hierarchy of capitalist states) assert also the proletarians in South Africa and Algeria when they clash with police because they still do not have water or electricity and are forced to live in shacks (de: Baracke); and in India because the price of bread suddenly rises and they do not have to eat. Last year in Spain the workers in shipyards which are shut down loot police cars, in South Korea dismissed workers also occupy factories and clash with police for two and a half months; in Bangladesh, dismissed workers again, clash with the police and loot factories. In France and Belgium the dismissed workers kidnap their bosses, placing explosives in the factories and threatening to blow them up if not compensated for their dismissal. In India and China they are killing their boss during the conflicts for the thousands of upcoming dismissals. In this historical phase the proletarian struggles are objectively struggles for the assert of life reproduction itself.

At the same time the working relationships get reconstructed very fast and the precariousness (de: Bedenklichkeit) is the predominant (de: souverän) situation for everyone now. The precariousness is expressed now in the worst conditions: with the 43 suicides of employees in France Telecom in two years but also with 1,000,000 unemployed in USA waiting anxiously to see if Obama will lengthen for second time their unemployment money support ending again in April or if they will keep living without anything. Unemployment in most countries is ejected and grown in rates higher than any other historical period.

We are located in the historical stage when the proletariat is left over for the capital. The capital can not exploit enough the proletariat, namely, it can not produce the profits needed to put a part of the profits back into profitable investments. This is the essence of any capitalist crisis regardless of the form in which it appears. The present crisis puts objectively the reproduction of proletarians in the center of the contradiction. The crisis which first appeared as debt crisis of the proletarian households in America has already become a countries' debt crisis and it is possible to become a monetary crisis, a debt crisis of large countries with strong currency or whole blocs of capitalist states like the European Union. The debt crisis is the one leading the capital to its only choice at the moment, which is to continue the strategy that created this crisis, namely to further reduce wages and benefits in every possible way. This is the only choice of the capital because the debt crisis is the result of the restructuring and glabalization of the capital from which there is no return. From the standpoint of the proletariat: "Trapped in the stranglehold of competition which is leading to price cuts by reducing the wages and to working for the debt which has become equally necessary for the income to enable the people to live, employees have only the 'choice' of tyranny which already pay themselves while the strengthening of cash-in-market is a process without end and the money always come from their own savings" (Le Monde diplomatique, March 2008). From the standpoint of the capital it is a relentless pursuit of the lowest possible price of manpower across the planet, but which has a limit that is the existence and reproduction of labor power as this is socialy defined in any capitalist state.

The capital is forced to try to resolve the crisis by destroying fixed capital (buildings, machinery, infrastructure) and variable capital (human) to recreate the conditions of its reproduction, without being still clear if doing this with their only directly effective manner: the widespread, global war. Thus, at present, the restructuring inevitably grows. The payment cut-outs are rising up to the point that the lowest payment and unemployment state support tend to be equal, event that results the explosive growth of debt for a larger part of the proletariat. The privatizations of reproduction sectors (health, education, social insurance) multiply, the unemployed have less and less money support and get forced into slave working with wages below enough than the level of reproduction. The present historical period reaches its limits. That's why state places teams of fully armed policemen outside of schools in France and enforces cops inside schools in America to capture the unruly students. Capital's only way out today is repression, namely it has absolutely none way out of the crisis. This is obvious in cases of natural disasters such as in Haiti and Chile. In such cases the capitalist system gets directly under questioning by the proletarians, who in order to survive, while temporarily they can not be a working power, orginize the expropriation of goods and use them according to their needs, and the only way to maintain the capitalist system of property rights is by using the military violence. Walking on streets during the night gets forbiden, straight asassinations (Haiti) or imprisonings without trial (Chile) take place and suddenly life turns into prisoners' life in concentration camps such as the life of undocumented migrants who in thousands live imprisoned at the borders of each capitalist state.

The attack of the capital against the part of the working class living in Greece is an expression of this crisis of reproduction of capitalist relations. Greece today is in the eye of the storm of the debt crisis for many reasons. The most important is that the risky part of the proletariat rose up in the way we all know in December 2008. Greece is the experimental lab of the new phase of the forced global restructuring. The bourgeoisie class in Greece, as is often done in the past, requests the help of more powerful bourgeoisie classes to impose a new form of exploitation (the government immediately announced a higher national debt than the one announced by the ex-government to accelerate the introduction of the Stability Program) but also the bourgeoisie themselves are in the centre of the global crisis. The entire international economical press wait to see the reaction of the proletariat here in Greece and then have an overview of the situation internationally. The biggest stores of loan sharks are competing over who will lend, so control in the future the Greek state beside the control of the shape and intensity of the local proletariat's exploitation. The creation of the European Monetary Fund to IMF standards clearly shows that the contradiction of competition between capitals can now be solved temporarily but also shows that it does not matter who is the boss of the proletariat. Any attempt to present the situation in a better way than it really is just falls in a meaningless gap.

Any attempt to present the restructuring as an attack by the Germans in Greece is suitable only for B-class TV-stations, even if SYRIZA tries to zip it forward with nonsense statements about the "sacred money" for reparations of German Nazi occupation. It gets necessarily enforced an orwell type propaganda of mass media that present the restructuring as a natural disaster. At present, this propaganda was partly successfull. Several officials and workers in the private sector welcomes the reductions in salaries of employees in the public sector. The public sector's employees are divided on the basis of who is "truly privileged" and who is not. But all these have an expiry date. If someone wonders what means to be privillaged he can ask the employees of Olympic Airways who squatted the State General Accounting Office even if before 15 days they were recognizing "the difficult and quite heavy program of the certain Ministry" when the step-minister was ignoring them while they were begging him for a meeting. Also about the impacts on daily lives because of the attempted restructuring, someone can ask the workers at the National Printing Office who after reading the text of the economical law and realized that 30% of their income is cut, decided to squat the building they work inside in order not to print the Gazette! Someone can also ask them about the role of their leader syndicalists who ended the occupation because they were orally "promised by the government" a circular amending the law!

There is nothing that can improve the situation. The ceremonial demonstrations called by parliamentary leftists, as long as they remain as ceremonial, do not have any result but only show up the dead-end. We are in front of the undressing of reality from the clothes of policy. The thrown stones that hided the sky during last Friday 5th are not enough to make them listen to us. When more and more unemployed people will occupy buildings and police would suppress them, when more and more precarious (de: bedenkliche, prekäre, unterbezahlte & ungesicherte) workers/unemployed will clash with the forces of repression at any slightest opportunity, when the social chaos will tend to organize itself on its own and takes the form of class revolt, then the smile of the presenters of the TV-news will freeze on their faces and the match (de: die Bemessung, das Kräftemessen, power contest) will be on similar levels of the violence accumulated for many years because of the accumulation of capital and the expropriation of the proletarians' lives.

"What will happen in history, tomorrow, it can only be compared with the major geological disasters who change the face of Earth ..."

-Victor Serge

agents of chaos

*****

Photo: Athens on 11th March 2010 / By ENDIAFERON; see his whole gallery & also the photos by ORHAN_TSOLAK from Thessaloniki, both on "Demotix News By You"

Anarchist Lambros Fountas killed by the police in Athens

35 year-old anarchist comrade Lambros Fountas was killed by the police on Wednesday morning at 05:40 in the suburb of Dafni (south Athens). According to a report from "Occupied London", the police is claiming that he was a “terrorist” and that he was shot while trying to steal a car, and that was carrying firearms. Fountas was one of the over 500 anarchists arrested at the Polytechnic riots of 1995, in Athens. (Photos from the place of shooting; updates on Lambros here, in the commentary section).

The flier reads "HONOR TO THE ANARCHIST LAMBROS FOUNTAS"

Greeks Occupy Printing House, Offices and Banks to Block Austerity Law

Κατάληψη (katalipsi) – “Occupation” is written on the door of Greece’s National Printing House which prints the government gazette. For any voted law to come into force, it would have to get printed in the gazette first. For this reason, dozens of civil servants occupied Saturday the building to block the print publication of the austerity law. Despite the government's announcement that the law would come into effect even without getting printed, the occupation continues. Employees have also occupied the country’s General Accounting Office.

Meanwhile, in the northeastern city of Komotini (Thrace), hometown also for a sizeable Turkish-speaking population, employees at the troubled textile-company ENKLO have, impressively, occupied two bank branches of the National Bank of Greece.

Building up for the Panhellenic General Strike on Thursday 11th March, employees across the country’s solid waste disposal areas (XYTA) have declared a lock-down until that day.

From OCCUPIED LONDON.ORG

Greek Revolt: Updates 5th & 6th March

Athens, 5th March, in front of the Parliament: Anarchosyndicalists & militants overrunning a riot police unit and collecting their shields & other stuff - as did Apostolos Santas & Manolis Glezis in 1941 with the Nazi flag or the Gauls with Roman helmets ...

(The whole series of photos on Occupiedlondon.org & L'Agitateur)

By Carlos Marxos

Summary of events:

- The workers who should print the new law on measures still strike and occupy their working place. Unless the law's not published it's not legal and the capitalists will love that Friday the 5th

- 4 hours stoppage / Demos with 10000/ Three hours of clashes with police / Lots of helmets and shields bbq'd

- Vyronas district: Information action after the murder and the attack of the moto-bike-cops

- Occupied Park in Exarchia, anarchist neighbourhood in downtown Athens

- 9 weeks of Egyptian fishworkers strike and soli-demo in Thessaloniki

_Friday 5th March 2010_

* Gatherings and demonstrations all around Greece against the Greek government's and EU's austerity program. In Athens more than 10.000 people in the gathering of PAME and almost the same number in the gathering of out-parliamentary organizations to express their opposition to the new slavery plans. Mr. Panagopoulos, the head of GSEE (General Confederations of Workers Greece) was attacked with yoghurt, coffee and water when he tried to make a speech among the protestors; the anger of the workers rised up and some clashes with him and his bodyguards took place. Just to remind about him, this pimp of the workers' rights, has refused during the last days to announce an official General Strike for today, day when the governors voted for the austerity program. The special police units sprayed also teargas on the face of Manolis Glezos, 88 years old, when he tried to take a youngster away from the cops' hands and avoid this arrest. Manolis Glezos took down the German Nazi flag from Acropolis in May 1941 and now in 2010 was attacked by the servants of Deutsche Bank, Siemens and other multinational criminals. After the attack against Glezos, many people moved against the riot cops in front of the parliament and took away their shields, helmets and other "democratic" equipment of them. Many clashes with cops also in front of Arsakeio school and at Propylaia area. The government gave order to evacuate the Labor Ministry, where people tried to brake the front door, but the police deffended the building. The General State Accounting offices squatted for one more day with strong clashes in front of the building. Many banks, street cameras, luxurious cars and shopping malls also smashed down. The National Printing bulding squatted by workers of the Inland Ministry to stop the printing of the new economical laws and condemn that the government keeps also a secret agenta. In total, 5 arrests in Athens; 2 persons accused with heavy crimes and 3 with light ones. (Video of one of the arrests)

Others photos & video (on the video, the time of the attack to Panagopoulos, the "syndicalist" of GSEE who is payed with 130.000 euros per year and prefers to defend the rights of industrialists instead of the workers' rights); Scenes at the Parliament (Photo 1, Photo 2)

*On 11th March, one more Panhellenic General Strike ...

__Saturday 6th March 2010__

* Motorcycle demonstration in Thessaloniki under cold and rain in solidarity with the Egyptian fishermen workers who strike for almost 9 weeks now. The protestors informed people in the streets and in the local fish market about the fishermen's strike and the fascistic attacks against them. (watch older updates)

* Demonstration in the neighbourhood of Exarcheia among the 3 days mobilization actions of the self managed park of Navarinou street which was squatted by citizens in December 2008 and is still squatted without any comercial use or involve of the government. Video and photos

* Information action in Vyronas district of Athens, where Nikolas Toddi was killed by pigs on 16th February 2010. The demonstration that took place on 27th February in the district to condemn this event was brutally beaten up by cops and many people are accused by law for their decision not to remain silent to the state's murders. (watch older updates)

* CGT (CONFEDERACIÓN GENERAL DEL TRABAJO), the anarchosyndicalist union in Spain, in solidarity with the Strikes in Greece. As they announce, they see on the struggles in Greece an example for the movements that have to take place all around Europe and the rest of the world.

- News from germoney

*not sure if it makes sense to post this article also at indymedia germany because the censorshit started again (point 3 p.m. german time)
there are two german articles about the last days in athens and as readers had some questions it was impossible to answer.
also english comments with links get hidden while the silly counter comments stay.
may be one of the mods is a greeks-hating "turk", hahaha
for me it's time to quit that shit.
nobody in germany will print it out and bring it to the streets

*only some friends of KKE made a rally in front of the greek embassy in Berlin some time ago there was a FAU-demo of 600 in Berlin and also no word about on indy

*Citybank Germany changed it's name into Targobank - finding that new name took them 350.000 €
money machines are from now own filled with paint-bags to defend against the increasing breaches with looting filled in gas

- Land and water gave Georgey to Merkel ...

During the press conference of Papandreou and Merkel, a question to both of them was stated by journalists about the issue of selling the islands of Greece, for the debt reduction. Merkel did not answer, but Gerogey said: "... it is not a solution to sell our islands. WE LOVE THEM and in some years even with the help of Germany may become ideal examples of green development ..." (!!!) In short, the islands have already been sold so they can firstly be destroyed by wind factories and other renewable energy sources and later we can think again if we will sell them because after the destruction of wind factories we will not love them anymore. It is well known that in the business of wind factories are also active German companies such as the famous Siemens. It is also known that where the green development goes, the destruction of nature is irreversible and complete. Because the green development concerns not only the local energy needs, but transforms whole areas in factories of giant generators and distributes electric energy to enormous distances. It is also known the residents' reactions such as the recent events in many parts like the citizens' reactions in Kandanos, on Naxos island, the sabotage against already existing wind factories on Karystos island and elsewhere. The new roads that get constructed, the tones of cement that is used, the uprooting of trees are just some small examples. Many green companies are also subsidiaries and active in oil business, briefly they exploit resources such as water, air and sun that until now were common and free for all, so they can enslave more and more people since the occupied land and the roads for the installation of wind factories, belong to the companies after this plunder. This way, they are even depriving the people's natural shelter that was always the mountains, in periods when the repression of the dominant was growing. Nature and life just get murdered, after the air-streets of the birds are occupied by huge wind turbines that kill them, the trees get uprooted and large areas get surrounded by fences and in reality get stolen from the local communities. The destruction and the cost is so huge that none production and consumption of energy produced by wind turbines during a 15 years life-time can recoup them; if we will also mention the tons of networking cables, the millions tons of cement, equal to the miles of dug land for the networks (especially Greece with the mountain-ridges, use which is prohibited even in the countries where the turbines are manifactured) it is easy to realize the magnitude of a disaster of the so-called green development ... And of course, not for helping tourism that as they like to say it is Greece's heavy industry, but not even goats will be able to survive in these areas, because the nature gets destroyed and the land goes to private companies' profit interests. We must not forget the economic disaster that is resulted for taxpayers of EU, after each such wind-pole costs about 4 million euros and is subsidized for free for more than 50% of the cost; that's the reason of the authoritans' ecological sensitivity. As for the energy production, the ideal days with 5 or 6 beaufort winds are very few in compare with no wind or gale force winds days when the function of the wind-poles is unable or even they can be destroyed. So, after the statement of Georgey it was like signing the destruction of nature and the further enslavement and extermination of this place and its inhabitants after the new economical measures, together with the stealing of natural resources. What comes next is the modernization of the state and the growth of repression, issues about Merkel said that the German state is still willing to lend its knowledge and expertise, generously ... and ... without any will for profit. We wait for them with our hands full. (translation from anarchy press)

Greek Crisis: News from today (8)

General Strike (im)mobilizes Greece, Street Clashes in Athens (by Taxikipali, Libcom)

The general strike in both private and public sectors has seen mass protest marches across the country and extended clashes in Athens with dozens of shops and banks destroyed and one man arrested.

The first general strike as a response to the austerity measures in Greece has met with huge success as the country has been immobilised by the strike with no boats airplanes buses or trains moving within or from and into the country. The media strike which is part of the general strike means there are no news broadcasts or newspapers which limits the extent of our information gathering on the strike and its protest marches. According to a German newspaper report, there had been demonstrations and manifestations in almost 70 Greek towns.

In Athens the protest march is expected to have gathered around 40,000 people and had a very dynamic character. The first incident occurred when a plain clothed policeman was stopped and beaten by protesters. Later riot police tries to side the numerous anarchist block but was deterred by large numbers of protesters. Before reaching Syntagma square several corporate shops and banks were smashed by protesters. In syntagma square extended clashes between protesters and riot police forces unfolded with use of tear gas on the part of the cops and rocks and molotov cocktails by the protesters. During the clashes Giannis Bardakos, a member of a socialist opposition party DIKKI, was arrested. DIKKI has published a communique condemning the arrest and the "policy of occupation forces' imposed poverty and underdeveloped applied by the State of oppression and violence" adding that "anti-people's terrorism will not pass". The encircling methods of the police at the corner of Phillelinon street however failed, two workers who the cops had arrested were rescued and the two riot police squads were encircled by protesters and heavily beaten with many riot shield broken. The clashes continues across Panepistimiou street where the posh Zonars cafe was invaded by large numbers of enraged workers and teachers who smashed it. The protesters then moved towards the Polytechnic which is under occupation by students in response to the breach of campus asylum in Zografou a few days ago, with many shops across Patision avenue destroyed. The general feeling is one of great success with the forces of repression humiliated and the working class having proved its will to struggle against the state onslaught.

For a good commentary on the Strike Day, see also David Broder in The Commune

For round-ups from international corporate media, see AP, WSJ, Der Spiegel (English) and DPA (attention, the latter report is confusing 'Spiegel' and 'Focus' magazine)

Fotos: Radikal (Turkey), Monsters & Critics and Reuters

Videos: BBC, Reuters, Reuters (German), MSNBC

Banks Bet Greece Defaults on Debt They Helped Hide (see New York Times)

European Statistics Agency Seeks More Power (see Wall Street Journal)

Standard & Poor's May Downgrade Greece Within a Month on Risks to Budget Plan (see Bloomberg)

Athens Goes on Strike - Protest Against Cutbacks Turns Violent (from Indymedia Germany)

Despite the state's repression methods in the demonstration at Athens participated around 100.000 people. One bank entrance was built with bricks from a builders' team. The riot police started attacking the independant blocks and try to seperate them from the main body of the demonstration. The people responded immediately and attacked back by smashing the cops' shields, chasing them away and defend against any new special riot police team that was arriving. In the clashes also 45 years old people were engaged against the cops. One undercover cop had also to visit a doctor after people found out he was a cop. Also the masses of people chased away the police by shouting against and forbid them to come close to the demonstration. Many multinational companies were smashed down. The riot police attacked with tear-gas and sound-shine granades at Syntagma Square in front of the Parliament and people responded with some mollies, stones and wooden sticks. On Stadiou Street a special police forces team tried also to attack. The response from anarchists, syndicalists, independents, workers, people of any age was again one and the same: stones, bottles and whatever could be found on the streets flew on the heads of the cops. RAGE and RAGE can be two words to describe the situation! Attack also at 'Zonars' Burgeois Cafe (9 euro per coffee) when the people spontaniously entered the cafe, stole everything from inside and smashed down the front-glasses. People also entered in Papasotiriou Bookshop, took many books in zero price and gave it to demonstrators. Also clothes from a multinational company were taken away in zero price and given to people. All the actions above happened spontaniously.

Also, the anarchist/antiauthoritarian/libertarian communistic block was bigger than the rest of the others. Participation also from many refugees (Foto, Foto) . Many 50 year old people joined also the radicals (Foto, Foto).

As far as the antifascist counterdemo planned for today afternoon in Amerikis Square, both the fascist gathering and the antifascist counterdemo were declared banned by the district attorney. As a result, antifascist marches were prevented to reach the square by strong riot police forces, so around 800 antifascist gathered instead at Kyprou & Patision self-managed park and demonstrated through Kypseli district. Two fascists tried to reach the park with their van which was smashed down. Two other shitheads had to say goodbye to their motorcycle and their greek army t-shirt. Around 30 lovers of military junta gathered in the church of Agios Panteleimonas district. Just to remind: In the certain district are active many members of Golden Dawn (nazi party) as prostitutes' pimps and members of the mafia. Before some days two nazis were caught by the cops with a gun but they were released. (With elements from Taxikipali's report, Libcom)

On the evening before (Tuesday) a motorcycle demonstration took place in the center of Athens to call the people for participation in the General Strike. For two hours on all the streets of the centre and Kypseli neighbourhood the voice of the strikers was heard loudly. The first surprise of the people around was easily turning into happiness. The demonstration used to stop only to give info flyers at bus stations, squares and super markets. On the dozen thousands of flyers that were spread it was written on them: "On Wednesday everybody join the strike, everybody on the streets", "Warning: On TV speaks the European Commission", "Let's make them feel afraid, down with the stability program", "This strike shall be only the beginning", "The Germans occupy us again?" (Fotos).

People Take to the Streets in Thessaloniki (from Indymedia Germany)

The demonstration in Thessaloniki city went smoothly with the participation of many people. At the tail of the demonstration the anarchists' block with a plakat that was written on it "War Against the Bosses' War". Also a block of Libertarian Syndicalistic Union with a plakat writting "Capitalism is not in Crisis, Capitalism is the Crisis Itself". In the last block a lot of people participated together with Antiauthoritarian Movement. A lot of flyers and press stuff were spread and slogans were sprayed on shops' walls that did not participate in the General Strike. People threw garbage in Hondos Centre (multinational perfume company) so the company had to join the strike after this action. A street camera was smashed, a European Union's flag was burnt and slogans were sprayed on government buildings.

After the end of the demonstration, students in Aristoteleio University started smashing control bars at the entrences of the Campus. Police entered the campus and started chasing the people. More people joined the events after the police attack, smashed more bars and chased the cops away. The rectorship building is squatted and an assembly will take place during the evening.

Mass Protests and Actions in Other Greek Towns (from Indymedia Germany)

Demonstrations in Naousa and Veroia towns (Macedonia). In Veroia on the top of the demonstration anarchists/antiauthoritarians instead of the parliamentary communists. Comrades with flyers, slogans, flags, plakats started demonstrating after the gathering in the town's Working Centre. Spontaniously people who were on the spot joined them. Anarchists' presence also in "the dinosaurs' nest" (frozen parliamentary syndicalists) at Naousa town.

Demonstration in Volos town (Thessaly). The bosses of METKA factory (watch older update) tried to stop workers to participate in the strike by announcing that the building was needing 32 persons inside for fire safety. Striker Workers gathered early in the mourning around the building, blocked the entrances and allowed this way the workers to participate in the strike. 500 people decided to participate in the independent demonstration and 120 joint the official syndicalists' gathering. Participation also from Matsaggou Squat, libertarian communists, out-parliamentary organisations. (Fotos from Volos Town, Worker Newspaper).

Demonstration also in Heraklion and Chania of Creta island. In Heraklion town around 2000 people participated after the call of parliamentary left parties, out-parliamentary communists, independent organisations, anarchists etc. (Fotos). In Chania town around 450 people gathered for an out-parliamentary and independent organisations demonstration. We do not have a number of the parliamentary communists' demonstration.

Demonstration in Patras city (northern Peleponnese). Around 1300 people joined the demonstration of out-parliamentary communistic organisations; anarchists have not make a call for today. A higher number of protestors in the parliamentary communists' gathering.

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Foto: Mass Demonstration at Central Athens today (from Radikal, Turkey)