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[GIO] Report on Greek protests
Griekenland is overal! - 15.12.2010 18:01
Today, it is the day of a national strike in Athens. Yesterday, the parliament voted for the abolishment of practically all collective employment agreement and practically made legal any violation of workers' rights. The first info on the strike is that it was very successful, with hundreds of thousands of people not showing up for work today.
In Athens a huge demo took place. The first estimates refer to more than 200.000 demonstrators in Athens and many thousands in other cities all around Greece. The main characteristic was that people were against the official union confederations and did not follow their demonstrations. Again, the communist party and it's unions (PAME) marched alone and very quickly. They didn't even pass next to the parliament house.
The blocks of the work-floor trade unions and the student unions were massive. Riots broke out during the demo with demonstrators attacking the police and the police attacking as well and beating brutally demonstrators. It is clear that any sense of democratic principles have stopped to hold in this country. The question is not 'whether' but 'when' people are going to be killed by the police. The police in Athens attacked particularly fierce against he massive blocks of the work-floor trade unions and the student unions. No matter the fierce attacks and the injuries, the blocks did not dissolve and fought back the police.
2 video-links follow:
BBC: You can see the police attack against the block of the work-floor trade unions and the resistance of the people
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12000605
Telegraph with riots close to the parliament and in the center
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/8203636/Greek-chaos-amid-general-strike-and-austerity-protests.html
The demonstrators did smth very smart. This time they did not initiate riots in front of the parliament house but they continued the demo with aim to occupy the building of the national union confederation GSEE that has made an agreement (betrayal) with the government and the employers. According to the greek indymedia, when the work-floor trade unions reached the building of GSEE the police attacked hastily with motorcycles attacking the crowd and policemen pulling out their guns. The occupation attempt did not succeed. However, the police was attacked from another side by another block (according to the greek indy: the anti-authoritarian movement). The result was a riot-police van and several police-motorcycles burnt. The police is gone mad because suddenly the parliament house was left naked of protection and some demonstrators went there again. The story is still ongoing.
In the last 3 days the people of a suburb of Athens (Keratea) are fighting with the police against the creation of an illegal (but very profitable for some known companies) waste-dumping place. The riot police is using (for the first time since the '70s) armoured water canons. The resistance of the people there (just locals, not a single anarchist in the area...) is remarkable. They are fighting the water canon with a local water canon (used for fires), they bring trucks full of stones to throw to the police. 3 days ago, they trapped a unit of the riot police in a field and the beated them up. Some locals went to an overlooking hill and fired warning shots to the police with rifles used for hunting.
A video from Keratea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBBfSPSi0qo
For more, see: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1237676
 Website: http://griekenlandisoveral.wordpress.com
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| supplements | | Eyewitness report from a demonstrator today. | GIO - 15.12.2010 19:14
As I walked through the streets of Athens around 11:00 I was initially disappointed. As time when by the numbers of people gathering for the demonstration increased dramatically. I think that the numbers of demonstrators today was bigger than the demonstration that had taken place on the 5th of May as the demonstration extended from Korai square to junction of the leoforos Alexandras and Patision.
One of the first groups that demonstrated was the association of the “extended families” i.e. the association represented the families that have more that three children and which are poorer on average in Greece. The budget cuts have ho hard these families. They demonstrated from Zappeio to parliament square. Many had their children with them which actively participated in the demonstration. There was much anger in the air.
The Greek Communist (KKE) party carried out its own demonstration. In its own world. The demonstration of the trade unions of the KKE, amounted to many thousands. They marched towards the parliament square and turned right towards the Zappeio, without stopping even for a minute in front of the parliament of the IMF and the EE – and of course not of the Greek people.
The demonstration of multiple thousands organized by the trade union federations and the “Initiative of the Work Floor Trade Unions” as soon as their demonstrators started pouring into the Synhtagma square that is placed in front of the parliament building, were meet with a barrage of tear gauss and chemical gauss by the riot police. The excuse for the unleash of this chemical warfare by the police against the demonstration was supposedly the smashing by demonstrators of a Chiriquí zip and van that were parked in front of the ever expensive Hotel - Great Britain. In this hotel the criminals of the IMF and EU gang are sheltered.
The police force was everywhere, deeply provocative and unscrupulous/ devious.
One of the most neoliberal MPs of Greek parliament and member of the Conservative party Xatidakis, was beaten up by angry protesters. Simple people, which can not believe how their lives are rounded by the thievery political and economic elite of the country, they could not even bear seeing him walking smiling arrogantly around the streets of Athens will they are denied everything.
The one point that I would like to emphasis is the DEEP ANGER that every demonstrator had towards the government the IMF and the EU. This ANGER was expressed by everybody, inconsiderably to which block of demonstrators he or she participated or from his or hers previous political orientation. ANGER has everywhere, indispensably of age group or any other characteristics that might have differentiate people in the past.
I herd old age women shouting with passion “arm yourselves and rebel”, massive blogs of demonstrations chanting constantly “this is a junta/ dictatorship” “Down with the junta”. While the slogan “Thieves, thieves” addressed to the political and economic elite of the country was become the slogan that captures the spirit of the struggle against the rich Greeks, the IMF and the EU.
The “Initiative of the Work Floor Trade Unions” and the “Antiauthoritrian Movement” managed to march under the constant barrage of the tear and chemical gas attacks of the riot police from Syntagma square towards the Politexnio University of Athens and from there to the central offices of the official Trade Union Federation (GSEE) that I set at the Pedion toy Areos square. The building of the trade union federation was guarded by masses of riot police. Guarded against whom? Against, the very people that the official trade union federations supposedly represent?
The demonstrators of these two blocks which amounted to a couple of thousands tried to occupy the building and were meet with the violence of the riot police. The responded in kind, and as the riot police lines started to break, the police officers pulled out their guns and threatened the demonstrators with their guns. So, it is the second time during the last 20 days in Greece that the riot police have pulled their guns against striking people, demonstrating workers and trade unionists. The first time was in the harbor of Piraeus were the special forces of the police threatened with guns the sailors that were denying to obey a civil mobilization order which had been issued by the current government ion order to break their very successful strike. Today it was the second time. The leadership of the official trade unions federation (GSEE) was nowhere to be found in these demonstrations. And probably better for them that they were in hiding in there villas in Politeia, the most expensive suburb of Athens.
Anger. Much anger. This was the dominant emotion of the day.
I will upload photos and videos as soon as I get my self together again.
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