Greece

Youth Revolt, Rebellion and Uprising

December 6th -9th 2008 (so far…)

A collage with themes from various Greek newspapers, Greek blogs and UK newspapers…

Protests against govt scandals and corruption, anti-immigrant laws, the banking “bail out”, economic crisis,

collapse of free market ideology

Theme 1

Greek youth protest their Bail Out with “Anti-capitalist, no to the bankers”

Greek parliament xmas tree ablaze.

Athens in flames, burning cars, teargas…

Protests against police brutality and the murder of 15 yr old Alexandros

Theme 2

Alexandros, the 15 year old youth murdered by Greek police (caught on cell phone video)

...από το πρωί. Παιδιά από όλα τα σχολεία. Στον Πολύγυρο. Στα Μουδανιά. Μαθητές Γυμνασίων και Λυκείων. Σπουδαστές των ΤΕΙ. Ξεκίνησαν αποχή από τα μαθήματα. Εκατοντάδες παιδιά. Μαζί τους δάσκαλοι και καθηγητές. Οχι αποχή-χαβαλές. Κανείς δεν πήγε στις καφετέριες και στα internet-cafe. Εμειναν μαζί στους δρόμους. Διαδήλωσαν έξω από τα αστυνομικά τμήματα. Η οργή ξεχειλίζει από τη μια άκρη της Ελλάδας μέχρι την άλλη...

 

... of the morning. Children from all schools. POLYGYROS. In Moudania. High School students. Students of TEI. Began abstaining from the courses. Hundreds of children. Together the teachers and professors. No abstinence-chavales. Nobody went to cafes and internet-cafe. They stayed together in the streets. Demonstrated outside the police stations. The anger overflowing from one end of Greece to another ...

Text message and Web sites used for mobile organizing.

“Now I will show you man!” Govt

Rebellion against state power, police power and a popular revolt led by a left coalition of youth (not

just anarchists)

Theme 3

No calm in the third day of chaos…

Warning: The police can be hazardous to your health.

Greek youth seize the Greek Embassy in Berlin.

“We are the blossoming of the Greek new society…”

Myths

• That the govt and police don’t support the protests (thugs vs. govt).

• That it’s a bunch of anarchists and hoodlums.• That the protests have no background, its just

spontaneous chaos.• That the protests are just about the death of

Alexandros.• That the revolt is just in Athens (thugs in

Athens).

Reality• Everyone (police, govt, citizens) were outraged at the

murder of Alexandros.• The state is caught in a bind between force and enforcing

law and order.• The revolt is taking place in 10 cities as well as all smaller

towns and even on the islands (Crete and Corfu).• The country is feeling a crunch from the collapse of failed

free-market ideology and a right-wing govt who benefits most.

• There have been 3/12 ministers resign due to political corruption and scandal (bribes and kick-backs).

• Greek and foreign corporations are caught up in huge corruption scandals (Siemens was Greece’s Enron this past summer 2008).

• A coalition progressive political movement is growing and young people are at the fore-front.