Thread: Greek Protests Turn Violent (Update - Not Just Yet)

Greek Protests Turn Violent (Update - Not Just Yet)


Submitted by Tyler Durden on 02/07/2012 10:14 -0500

Video at the page link

Update: it appears that the Guardian clip is from June when tempratures were a little warmer. That said, today's developments will likely not end in a very different fashion. For today's "riot" developments, follow kathimerini.

In a sad but entirely unsurprising turn of events, the people of Greece are indeed beginning to realize the dead end of their situation and what the politicians are about to do to them (sadly they also are not frontrunning the latest bevy of BS rumors out of Greece which have lifted the EURUSD by 110 pips on the same rumor rerun we have seen over and over and over and over and over and over and... so on ad inf). As the entire country strikes, the UK's Guardian notes that protesters in Athens are once again clashing with police as violence erupts outside the Greek parliament. After 30 years of Keynesian imbalance, is it any surprise that social unrest would once again erupt as austerity impositions are force-fed to a nation who recognizes the almost entire lack of benefits accruing to them from another Troika bailout.

Greek Protests Turn Violent (Update - Not Just Yet) | ZeroHedge

In The Meantime, Greece Is Under Strike Lockdown Protesting Austerity


Submitted by Tyler Durden on 02/07/2012 09:04 -0500



Not like it will make much of a difference, since whether striking or not, nobody actually pays taxes, but the symbolism of all of Greece being on strike lock down to protest austerity in a day when the latest Troika austerity ushering deal is due in "hours" is not lost on us. Here is Kathimerini (local translated edition) summarizing today's festivities:

"According to data from the GSEE, participation in refineries, shipyards, and transport ships, reached 100%, banks, PPC, OTE and EYDAP, 80%, ports and construction 70% while 60% moved to participate in metal workers. About 15,000 workers and members of leftist organizations took part in the strike gathering held at 11 am in Syntagma Square. Despite the constant rain, the protesters staged a symbolic encirclement of Parliament until late afternoon." "One in two people and one in three women are unemployed, 12% of our citizens living with zero income and 50% below the poverty line," he stressed in his speech to the concentration of SHIFT and given the President of the SHIFT Panagiotis Tsarampoulidis , expressing the opposition of the unions' betrayal of the public property, "layoffs, cutting salaries and pensions and" policies that lead to poverty and misery." More details below.

Translated from Greek

Great participation in the strike of GSEE and ADEDY. Intensity in Syntagma Square

With a large turnout today was the nationwide general strike of GSEE and ADEDY.

According to data from the GSEE, participation in refineries, shipyards, and transport ships, reached 100%, banks, PPC, OTE and EYDAP, 80%, ports and construction 70% while 60% moved to participate in metal workers.

About 15,000 workers and members of leftist organizations took part in the strike gathering held at 11 am in Syntagma Square. Despite the constant rain, the protesters staged a symbolic encirclement of Parliament until late afternoon.

At the top of the course were the protesters a common banner of two senior trade union organizations and the slogan "Social and popular resistance on income, labor relations and insurance," diadilontas their opposition to the "new mnimoniaki policy leads to poverty" and with similar slogans against capital and the plutocracy "encouraged" to resist, so "we can not xanaplirosoume the crisis."

The resolution of mobilization, adopted by the assembled to undertake the Bureau of Parliament by a delegation of trade unionists, in the end was not served because the absent members of the Bureau. This fact has led to angry withdrawal of trade unionists, who made statements to the press about "deficit dignity and responsibility of the political system."

Amongst others, workers in the resolution condemning "the hopeless and antianaptyxiaki policy has led to workers and the country to the brink of disaster" and asked to stop, because "it removes vast resources and income of the people, and enlarges the recession and the firing unemployment and debt. "

According to the general secretary of ADEDY, Ilias Iliopoulos, further escalation will be decided Thursday.

The resolution of the strike concentration delivered to the national delegations of the presidency GSEE and ADEDY, unions emphasize their opposition "to the measures included in the new memorandum which apart from the dramatic impact on workers, are deadlocked confession of economic policy and adverse effects in the realm of the real economy. " The unions also claim, "the cancellation and reversal of government policies that promote and Troika."

Address, even, "Invitational unity and struggle for all workers in the country and Europe, as" to cancel out the nightmarish, destructive cyclonic and drawings of European strengths, promoting a Europe of "markets" and the bankers and not the citizens ".

At the end of the mobilization were minor incidents, when groups of protesters hurled bitter oranges and other objects at police who were lined up in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and burned a Nazi flag. The police responded with stun grenades-use flash and later left the assembled because of heavy rain. During the episode was bringing an individual.

As pointed out by representatives of PAME 'options are chains or arms race "and noted that" it rather than another revolution waiting. The forces in favor of monopolies are ruthless."

And denounced the political parties supporting the government saying that "behind the troika" and that "they are lying when they say they are fighting to save the 13th and 14th salary, bonuses when slaughtered, the minimum wage and abolished collective agreements."

They opened the Metro stations

Is open from 13:45 all metro stations in central Athens. The police suggested the administration fails to provide the service stations, whereas there is no reason to cause episodes.

Thus, the Constitution station opened just before 12 noon, and broadcasters University and Immaculate were in circulation, just after 13:30.

Recalled that the subway, like the other two track-based modes, subway and tram, currently until 5 pm.

Thessaloniki: protest marches SHIFT - has been given, GO

Demonstrations protesting the requirements of the troika negotiations on reducing public debt and the terms of the loan agreement made in Thessaloniki.

"One in two people and one in three women are unemployed, 12% of our citizens living with zero income and 50% below the poverty line," he stressed in his speech to the concentration of SHIFT and given the President of the SHIFT Panagiotis Tsarampoulidis , expressing the opposition of the unions' betrayal of the public property, "layoffs, cutting salaries and pensions and" policies that lead to poverty and misery. "

Sent a greeting and a member of management has been given NT / John Ammanatidis ADEDY. Followed a path that led away from the main secretariat of Macedonia - Thrace.
Separate collection of the statue of Venizelos and PAME held and then follow a path that led to earlier half-hour difference in the general secretariat of Macedonia - Thrace.

Assemble at Kamara made the primary associations and private sector and public movements of extra-parliamentary left, Rallies and marches with mikroepeisodia in Heraklion
With two protest meetings and marches, one of Iraklion Labor Center and one of PAME, employees participated in 24 of the city declared a strike GSEE and ADEDY, while there were some incidents and tensions.

During the course of EKI, people from the antiauthoritarian space that had crept along the way, broke windows with stones the Palais Heraklion Avenue Justice and then the square Kornarou attacked a branch bank and pawnshops.

The concentration of the Labour Centre with the participation of the County Department of ADEDY, held outside the offices of EKI, while the concentration of GO was in Liberty Square, followed by demonstrations in the main streets of Heraklion.

The Labour Centre in a statement said that involved 24 to strike "in response to the Troika and blackmail the government for lower wages, sectoral agreements, in the 13th and 14th salary and maturity".

Further, among others, stresses that "the measures adopted these days will give the final blow to the full deregulation of labor relations, will complete the violent upheavals in the life of the Greeks and lead to despair employees and retirees of our country" .

In The Meantime, Greece Is Under Strike Lockdown Protesting Austerity | ZeroHedge