Greece : Still the One

“When you pull on that jersey you’re not just playing for a football club, you’re playing for a people and a cause” ~ Tommy Burns (1956-2008)

Huh. Apparently, Andreas / Alexandros was a Panathinaikos fan; if he hadn’t been murdered by police, he’s have been celebrating his team’s 1:0 win over Anorthosis. Other Pana fans have not forgotten him, however, and despite UEFA’s refusal to endorse a minute’s silence in his memory at the match, Gate 13, well known Pana fanatics, held a minute’s silence anyway, and when they started chanting, the first chant was an old favourite: POLICE PIGS MURDERERS. At the end of the match, there was also a standing ovation for the murdered teenager:

In Istanbul (Turkey), a rally was held outside of the Greek Embassy by a crowd of (perhaps) 100. Red paint was thrown on its doors and windows, and more on the ground outside (photos).

Interestingly, according to the Occupied London blog, “Reports on indymedia this morning claim that Alexandros’ murderer was a member of the nazi group “Golden Dawn” in the late eighties/ early nineties (without cutting his ties since) and that his family was active in the nazi collaborationist forces.” Fancy that: a Greek policemen possibly being a former member of a neo-Nazi group.

Speaking of fascists, still unreported by the (English-language) corporate/state media, an eyewitness account of Greek police and fascist collaborators has been published, in addition to photos of the system’s little helpers joining the swinish herd. Thus on the one hand:

“On Tuesday, rioters also fought with the police for the fourth day in a row in Salonika, the second-largest city in Greece, while in the port city of Patras, citizens trying to protect their shops came into conflict with rioters.” ~ As riots continue, Greece faces political crisis, Rachel Donadio and Anthee Carassava, International Herald Tribune, December 9, 2008
“Local media reported early Wednesday that groups of civilians had begun taking matters into their own hands, confronting looters in the western city of Patras and the central city of Larissa.” ~ Riots, Strike Paralyze Greece, Wall Street Journal (AP), December 10, 2008
“And in the port city of Patras, 215km west of Athens, a crowd of shop-owners is said to have turned on rioters and forced them to stop a wave of destruction, our correspondent says.” ~ Strike adds to unrest in Greece, B92, December 11, 2008 (Source: BBC)

While on the other:

To start with, I’d like to inform you that I’m a university student in Patras & what I report below is an eyewitness account of incidents I experienced & not somebody else’s narration/hearsay…

Unfortunately, Patras saw the resurrection of the “ghost” of ’91, when Nikos Temponeras was murdered. In that case, the parakratikoi [the other-other hand of the greek state: the activist leg of the greek extreme right wing helping the greek state out in a time honored tradition going at least as far back as the ’50s] counter-occupied [the already occupied schools] throughout greece after they had been incited to do exactly that by then-minister of education Vassilis Kontogianopoulos.

In one of those [counter-occupations], Nikos Temponeras – a teacher – was killed [with a crowbar…] by the leader of ONNED [the youth organization of Nea Dimokratia – which party is ruling the country today, by the way] Ioannis Kalampokas.

Today, December 9, saw 2 demos in Patras. One of them at 11 in the morning with zero unrest. The other one at 3 in the afternoon. During this latter demo, extensive unrest was notable. I’d like to remark that no vandalism against small, privately-owned businesses took place. The targets were the Germanos [electronics chain store] & WIND [mobile telephony] stores. Nobody’s property was damaged.

At some point, certain members of the well-known fascist organization Hrisi Avgi (Golden Dawn), together with plainclothes agents – & not infuriated citizens, as the mass media insist [on calling them] – started throwing rocks & chasing remonstrators with their clubs. For this reason, rudimentary barricades were put together in the streets around the University of Patras department [located there]. These barricades, though, were violated relatively soon with the help of the Riot Squad which kept throwing teargas at large.

When the barricades were torn apart, the people started retreating little by little. In the front, street fights between antiauthoritarians & neonazis-ONNED members. Behind them, members of student collectives formed an outer shell [typically called a “chain” & made up by people holding on to each other & to banners, with the rest inside it; much like a fence] in order to protect themselves. The neonazis were running with clubs & knives towards the demonstrators, while at the same time they were hurling rocks [at them].

When, eventually, the neonazis together with the ONNED members got way too close to the people, those people started running panic-stricken. The “infuriated citizens” were yelling slogans against immigrants, anarchists, & leftists. Slogans such as “Anarchists, sons of whores” etc., together with the fact that, later, they took to the direction of the immigrant shanty town & took out knives (a well-documented way of attack, as far as Golden Dawn members go) made it clear once & for all who these “infuriated citizens,” as they are called by mass media, are.

There are even photos in indymedia patras proving that those damaging stores are the same with those chasing after the demonstrators. Here, I’d like to emphasize that those committing arson & causing damages have no relation whatsoever with either the antiauthoritarian circles or any left wing factions. They are mpahaloi [a specific subclass of people subscribing to some vague nihilist ideology – if they subscribe to any ideology at all – & in it for the excitement of wreaking havoc], agents provocateurs, & hooligans…

According to certain information (I haven’t crosschecked it), a demonstrator was stabbed & carried to the hospital. As I’m writing this (3 in the morning), the center of Patras is chokefull of armed neonazis & plainclothes agents. Personally, I’m not sleeping at home tonight, because I can’t get there…

For one more time, the shadow state acts with the police’s blessings. Naturally, it’s the government who’s behind all this & who’s the sole one responsible for this parade of shadow state antics & violence.

The only way to crush terrorism is mas demos… The government’s aim is plain to see: to keep the people away from demonstrating by using violence & terrorism. If they wanted to catch the “hooded ones” they’d done it! The mass media play the role of the sycophant repeating inaccuracies…

To the streets, then, to crush terror…

[Original: translation by way of @-Infos

Finally, tomorrow afternoon, the SUWA show on community radio 3CR will be airing a special episode dedicated to the recent uprising in Greece, from 5:30 – 6:30pm Melbourne time (8:30 – 9:30am Greek time), hosted by Liz and Anja. Among other things, they will be interviewing Lia, an activist / musician / academic from Thessaloniki, Greece. The show will include talk-back (although while they may love to claim it, it’s doubtful Liz and Anja will be bragging that ‘they’re the ones that led this charge’).

More riot vids here c/o BloqueNegro.