Pensioner protesting - Thessaloniki, Greece

Pensioner protesting - Thessaloniki, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

The sign reads

"Cuts in pensions.
There's no euros for taxes.
We are the tax dodgers.
You can arrest us.

SHAME

The pensioners association

Sysperiosi"

Protesters outside Applebee's - Thessaloniki, Greece

Protesters outside Applebee's - Thessaloniki, Greece, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Applebee's describes itself as a "neighborhood grill and bar" but I'm not sure what kind of neighborhood thinks it's OK to leave people unpaid and short of money in the lead up to Christmas.

Protesters gathered outside a branch of the Applebbe's restaurant chain in Thessaloniki, Greece last night to draw attention to the fact that employees have not been paid for November despite Christmas being just two days away.

Eventually, a representative of Applebee's talked to demonstrators and promised that all salaries would be paid though not till 6th January.

Greeks protest over government austerity measures

Greeks protest over government austerity measures, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Thanks once again to Eleni for lending me her Canon E40 - Here's hoping I don't drop or lose it.

High school students in protest for more funding for education - Thessaloniki, Greece

High school students in protest for better schools - Thessaloniki, Greece, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Greek police march in protest ahead of PM's keynote speech

Greek police march ahead of PM's keynote speech, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

"Members of Greece's police force and other emergency services took to the streets of the country's second city to demand better pay and conditions from the government.

Even as the Greek prime minister was arriving in Thessaloniki for perhaps the most important speech of his career police officers, fire fighters and members of the coast guard demonstrated in the streets.

The city is bracing itself for a wave of marches and protests that are expected to accompany Costas Karamanlis's keynote speech during the annual international Thessaloniki trade fair after recently announced snap elections for the 4th October."

Demotix.com

Apparently, the police think that their contributions to Greek society have gone unrewarded. Don't ask me I'm biased.

When words fail us

The Greek protests of the last few weeks set to music. Sometimes a song can tell much more than a bookcase full of essays and articles. Music by Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name of... The song is raw and angry, a perfect description of many people's feelings over the death of 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos at the hands of a police officer on 6th December. His crime - bad mouthing a cop.

Days of Rage

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

News from ten minutes ago

I was just about to sit down 10 minutes ago and start preparing my lessons when I heard the familiar sound of protesters chanting anti - cop slogans. I grabbed my camera and followed the noise until I caught up with a small group of marchers heading towards the centre.

I think that this indicative of what has happened over the last few days in Greece. The protests over the death of Alexis Grigoropoulos have mutated and fragmented. There are now thousands of smaller demos which have moved out of the centres of the big cities and migrated to the suburbs in the form of occupations of schools and local council offices. Less dramatic than previous outbursts but new for the country.

There also seems to be a glaring disconnect between the version of events being offered on much of national TV and that being seen in the rest of the world. For much of the foreign press the events in Greece are being seen as a form of rebellion against the present political establishment and the deep rooted ills in Greek society whereas the local media is offering their own interpretations based on pre-existing ideological formulas.

For the supporters of the conservative New Democracy party the violence and protests are simply the actions of a criminal minority hell bent on mayhem and theft. For others such as the Greek Communist Party (KKE) the violence is part of an orchestrated plan to distract people's attention from the government's economic woes. Others see the hand of foreign intelligence agencies guiding the protesters, who are seeking to undermine the independence of the government.

What they fail to see is the real rage felt by those protesting at the failure of the current political system to offer hope to young people faced with an economy heading into recession and the total lack of accountability of politicians to those the supposedly serve.

Greek riot police tear gas peaceful protest in Athens

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

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

I include the text which accompanies the video on Youtube.

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

Translation

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

More protests planned for tomorrow and on Thursday in Greece

Seventh today of protests in Greece over murdered teen, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Tomorrow and on Thursday mass demonstrations have been planned by high school students in Thessaloniki and other Greek cities. This looks like it is set to run and run.

For more info on what is happening check out these links;

1. On the Greek Riots
2. Indymedia Athens: front
3. Indymedia Athens: local news
4. Indymedia Athens: newswire
5. twitter: #griots
6. Infoshop News
7. All “Greece” posts on this blog
8. Blogs on WordPress with posts tagged: Greece, Greek riots, Athens, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, Kostas Karamanlis
9. Updated videos on the Greek riots from OA
10. ¡Amor y Resistencia!
11. Teacher Dude’s Grill & BBQ (no, seriously)
12. 1D4TW on twitter

Courtesy of Open Anthology.

A week of living dangerously

This week has been one of the most intense I ever experienced and I don't know where to begin as far as my personal feelings are concerned. I feel that I've crammed six months of memories into the last six days. Today I was ready to take a break from participating in marches and just stick to my day job. I was exhausted both physically and emotionally by the last week but when I woke up I read that the ballistics report on the death of the 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos had supposedly vindicated the cops version of events. I was so filled me with anger that there was no way I wasn't going to demonstrate.

The sheer brazeness of the cover up and the outrageous statements made by the defendents' lawyer concerning the victim fuelled me today. I went to the centre in between lessons and came across a group of high school students demonstrating outside the central police station in Aristotelous square. I pulled out my camersa and almost immediately some guy came up and threatened to beat me, accusing me of being a journalist. "Roufianos" was the term he used which roughly translates as "snitch" or "lackey" in English though neither term conveys anything like the odium the word carries in Greek.

I've lost count of the number of times I've been threatened in such a manner over the last few days but I think that the pictures are important as they tell a story that the official media either ignores or does not have access to.

Later on once I'd regained my composure I went on a rally which wound its way peacefully through the city and ended up at the Ministry of Northern Greece. At least this time it wasn't tear gassed by the riot police.

If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will be Next

Manic Street Preachers

The future teaches you to be alone
The present to be afraid and cold
So if I can shoot rabbits
Then I can shoot fascists

Bullets for your brain today
But well forget it all again
Monuments put from pen to paper
Turns me into a gutless wonder

And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next

Gravity keeps my head down
Or is it maybe shame
At being so young and being so vain

Holes in your head today
But Im a pacifist
Ive walked la ramblas
But not with real intent

And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next

And on the street tonight an old man plays
With newspaper cuttings of his glory days

And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next

Tonight's news from Greece

Although the situation in Greece is gradually fading from the international news scene, the protests have not died down. In some ways there are mutating, spreading, taking different form. In Athens there are a 100 schools under occupation according to the Greek ministry of education.

There were also protests outside 15 police stations in the capital, some were peaceful while others ended up with school students going up against the police.

Here in Thessaloniki about a couple of thousand people marched from the centre to the suburbs without incident and despite provocation from the MAT (Greek riot police). I saw local residents cheer them on from their balconies.