by V N Gelis
Schools are supposed to break up this week and hopefully school students will join the ranks giving new blood to the movement. Greece isn't necessarily like Spain, where it was stated today the camps in the square were withdrawn and it is closer to Egypt. So far it‘s been peaceful, but for how long especially now that the govt cannot essentially go anywhere. A protest has been designated outsidePapandreou‘s house next Wednesday as well....
Thu 09, June 2011 @ 19:47 VN Gelissaid…
11th June
The fallout from the largest ever post-junta rally (mass media now mentions that up to 2 million Greeks may have participated in all the nations squares) has meant that the govt has now announced that the 2nd round of IMF cuts targeting all and sundry from wage cuts to pension cuts, which was to occur on 15th June has now postponed the decision till 28th June, when it was allegedly to occur next week. They are aiming in dragging out the guerrilla war with the protestors up until they give up and go home.
Papariga the leader of the KKE (Communist Party) stated last night that we aren‘t against the 300 MP‘s in Parliament as our ones contribute their salaries to their party, as if the issue is solely about what individual MP‘s do, not the system in place which has allowed Parliament to be a rubber stamping IMF institution. Instead of the Left leaving Parliament and campaigning on the streets, they are embedded to parliamentary ‗democracy‘ till the end. 2 million people have left the traditional parties and aren‘t going back in this lifetime, so when they chant ‗they must all go‘ the mass media attack them for not offering an alternative, as if one has to offer something first before making demands on the IMF. First the masses have to join the KKE before they can demand PASOK leave, in other words PASOK should stay as the masses haven‘t joined... the KKE.
Workers, unemployed and pensioners continue to go to the square daily. Sunday is expected to see large numbers again.
Sun 12, June 2011 @ 08:51 VNGelissaid…
14th June
Mass Media calls for Greek Aganaktizmenous-Indignated to Encircle Parliament at 7am The same call has appeared by those who support the alleged Popular Assemblies in the square at the bottom end of the Square– Euros and other assorted globalists. Up until yesterday i.e. for the whole of the past year, when thousands attempted to do just that they never called for the government to go. They are also calling for all the popular assemblies in every local areas of Athens to have marches and go to Sindagma. The joke with the KKE doing the rounds is that whilst Aleka Papariga its General Secretary for the last decade has called for people to go on the streets and fight, her latest call was for them to go back to the factories and fight the bosses there...
So what could be the purpose of this call by the mass media for people to encircle Parliament? To truly support the populist demands that those who are ‗thieves of public money‘ should be court- martialled like in Goudi or that people should occupy Parliament so the troika of the IMF-EU-ECB are sent packing?
Impossible when taking into account that the Greek media networks are owned by the biggest capitalist sharks that own or take most of the public sector contracts when they come up and are those who are the best lackeys of the IMF-EU. What is being played therefore? But as with every protest movement capitalism seeks to subvert it, utilise it for its own ends and move on, without uprooting the fundamentals. It‘s no coincidence that for 3 weeks the media has been absent from the square as after all the protestors have chanted 'Scumbags, Grassers, Journalists' and have chanted against two journalists from Mega TV (which has supported the IMF continuously beyond what is necessary even by their own terms) one being female calling her 'Olga Tremi Paid Whore' and Prenteri the Overturn of the System aren‘t a Media Show'. The latter threatened the protestors in an article in the main national daily Ta Nea with a provocation on the square stating that these types of protests occurred in the mid-19th century in France and when somewhere shot, causing havoc, the army came out to 'restore order' so they should watch what they wish for as the ...worst could develop.
There could be a possibility for provocation Marfin (when bank workers were burnt to death allegedly by anarchist provocateurs but most probably by the security services) style. There could also be the possibility that this government will fall and a new government of ‗technocrats‘ and ‗personalities‘ takes over to try and continue the IMF dictats but this time by ‗popular will‘ i.e. the pressure of events on the streets. Tomorrow will show.
There will be a widespread general strike tomorrow and for the first time the union federations (GSEE-TUC and KKE-PAME) will march under the background of protests which have already occurred encompassing the overwhelming majority of Greeks who have been in squares for approximately 3 weeks. Many of their members have been on the demos on their own. So will they march together or separately? Will they stay in the squares and encourage the encirclement of Parliament? Will the riot police attack to disperse the strike as they have done at least 3-4 times previously with tear gas? Will the situation spiral out of control following its own internal logic?
At the same time certain PASOK MP‘s are alleging they won‘t vote for the 2nd round of IMF cuts and Standard and Poor has downgraded Greek govt bonds to below Ecuador and Jamaica.
Tue 14, June 2011 @ 11:17
Greek Parliamentary Blockade and 3rd General Strike in 2011 – 15th June 2011
Today was the day a general strike which was organised by the Greek GSEE-TUC, Adedy-Public Sector, and KKE-PAME (Communist Party). Alongside them were the alleged ‗indignant‘ of Greece who had their usual drums and slogans ‗Thieves, Thieves‘ ‗Burn the Brothel (Parliament) Down‘. These protests have been going on for 25 days today peacefully. Today they came under attack by a coordinated plan from black hooded provocateurs and the riot police which have used teargas extensively. Once again there were 3 different points of reference, one in Omonia by the KKE one in Pedion Arios by GSEE and one in Sindagma Sq.
Alongside the ‘Indignant’
Many demonstrated gathered 7am in the morning trying to enforce the blockade round Parliament which is a very large area as on one side is the national park and on the other is the Presidential Palace. There were probably only around 5,000 at 7am and alongside a hundred or so we marched to block the entrance that would be the main focal point of the parliamentarians would use to get in. The actual entrance from the side of Sindagma Sq. was sealed off by police using a heavy metal barrier which had been placed on the road alongside two massive police buses. It was impossible to pass this route and as it was blocked by the police the parliamentarians couldn‘t get in. There were 32 police d ivisions in total 10,000. The largest for years and both Papandreou‘s car was attacked and the Presidents who are now meeting to decide whether he resigns and they go for new elections or a government of ‗national unity‘. So a section of the demonstration agreed to march round the other side of Parliament passing the national park and heading round the far end of roads which eventually will lead to Parliament. Despite there being only a couple of hundred the side roads were blocked but slowly more police started to arrive and a cat and mouse game occurred whereby the police created lines but they were outwitted by the demonstrators who went behind them at both points and continue to blockade the side roads. At some point riot police arrived with tear gas and they attacked the blockade picking on the vulnerable and those who tried to defend them arresting half a dozen. But in the meantime a couple of MP‘s cars were attacked and the police were criticised vehemently by what was said by protestors that they are defending ‗traitors‘ and ‗quislings‘ and that what happened in Keratea (where they were withdrawn after two months of struggle by the locals).
KKE Parliamentary Parade
On returning to Sindagma Square and going on to the KKE march one noticed that they were around 10,000 chanting the same old sterile slogans. This time they couldn‘t go round the front of Sindagma as it was occupied so they went down one side stayed outside the Ministry of Economics for a bit and the moment they st
arted to leave the riot police at the other end of the square started to use tear gas. This type of gas is so powerful most people can‘t breathe but because many Greeks are well prepared people help each other with special sprays and lemons. Onecan‘t rub one‘s eyes with this type of tear gas even when onecan‘t see.
Black hooded police provocateurs make their reappearance For 25 days the demonstrators have been peaceful and now it appears the plan is to disperse the square violently as they have teargased everyone. Conflicts have now emerged amongst the indignant and the black hooded protestors thus giving an excuse that the demonstrators are all violent hoodlums to justify police attacks. So far there hasn‘t been one general strike which hasn‘t been dispersed by tear gas. Fires have started in the square where people are camped. But up till 4pm around 10,000 remain outside the main Sindagma Sq.and they haven‘t dispersed. What will happen over the next few hours and what the government will announce is still fluid...
Evening
In total there must have been around 70-100,000 throughout the day on the streets in Athens. Three times attempts were made to disperse those on the main square and the battles raged from around 1.30pm till 5pm. Until 9pm one‘s eyes could still hurt from the teargas. After 7pm thousands started to arrive and by 9pm three quarters of Sindagma Sq. was full once more.
Throughout the day Papandreou met the leaders of all the main parties 5 in total (incl. the KKE) trying to unblock the political impasse of not being able to go forward to new elections (as the parties may get wiped out or end up 'governing' on such a small mandate to make it impossible) being unable to get agreement for a coalition government and Papandreou announcing that he would resign if some type of agreement could occur.
So he has now asked for a vote of confidence to form a 'new' government with him still as leader to gain some time to try and sell the 'new' appointments to pass the 2nd round of IMF measures on 28th June. His health minister Loverdos, who plans to cut the 140 hospitals for the IMF dictats stated that a bunch of hoodlums in the square can‘t dictate govt policy or the democratic nature of Parliament.
Having failed to throw out the protestors from the square with the use of known provocateurs many of which came directly out of government ministries and a couple were caught with their police ID on them by protestors and paraded on the internet, the govt has essentially fallen, the issue is what is to replace it and how can it sell IMF measures when everyone knows why it has fallen.
Some of the slogans heard tonight on the square: -We aren’t leaving the square the whole of Greece should become Keratea
-We will keep the ports and the Electricity company but sell the Parliamentary Brothel
-We will stay in the square take your provocateurs and Go Resign Resign Resign
-Bread Education Freedom the Junta didn't Die in 1973
-George (Papandreou) you are a Traitor and an American
-Resistance Resistance National Resistance
-Hellas Hellas Hellas
-Leonidas had 300 who had a soul we have 300 thieves, throw them in the sea so we have a Party
-Fxxx the IMF, where did the Money Go?
-Papulia Papulia (President) go tend to your vegetable garden They chanted also against the Economics Minister
Papakonstantinou to do one correct thing in his life and jump off a balcony, against Pangalos stating he should sell himself (as he is very fat) so we can pay off the debts
-We Owe No Money, We Aint Paying, We Have no Money
-The People United will Never be Defeated
On the Police:
-If you have Honour and you are Greek turn your police shields the other way to help us storm Parliament
-You get paid Peanuts to Beat People Up
-Police, Pigs, Murderers
The Deeper Meaning of the Victory in Sindagma Sq.
The events in Sindagma on 15th June constitute an undisputable fact. A fact that what has been born is a new subjective, which for the first time since November 1973 shows that with the aid of the proper moves and discussions, the time and experience to form a new deep and radical popular movement. For more than 5 hours, the broad popular masses of the ‗indignant‘ of Sindagma Square, the new sans culottes of Athens, fought with persistence against all: the quisling government, its praetorian guards who didn‘t hesitate in throwing tonnes of teargas, even when they were just receiving sporadic plastic bottles and the black hooded goons who wanted to impose their own fetishism of violence against the broad masses of tens of thousands of people, trying to achieve what the govt wanted: For the squares to become empty, for people to go home and for the road to open towards the absolute sell out of the country. It didn‘t pass! For the first time since 1973, the people on their own, with the weapon being patience, with resolve and vigour, confronting the praetorians and armed black hooded dudes, imposed with its will and frightened all types of power. For a start they frightened the European partners, who saw in the militant Greek people the danger that it will provoke a broad pan-European domino of strong populist movements which will doubt the new Holy Alliance which they have set up. That is why they tried to transform – even after the events their stance -to stop even in the final moment this forceful revengeful mode with which they aimed to cripple our country irreversibly.
This shows that the popular movement with persistence and decisiveness can open the road to an essential and just negotiation for the future but not by these traitors and enemies of the people who represent us today. Secondly it frightened the occupying, quisling govt of Athens, That is why in a hurry and in a state of confusion which becomes ridiculous George Papandreou moved towards moves regarding ‗compromise‘ in their ridiculous plans and did a rushed restructuring of the govt. A restructuring which brought out into the open the ‗intensive care govt‘ to appear to be seats for right or left-wing seats to the alleged ‗indignant‘ PASOK MP‘s, is aiming to silence their mouths and dampen down the rebellion inside PASOK to avoid the immediate dissolution of the party. From Wednesday onwards we have a PM whose back is up
against the wall and we are the ones who have achieved this. As he knows that voting for the IMF Pt. 2 he will not have to do with the establishment and oppositionists inside Parliament but the solid wall of popular anger which does appear to be going calm. We have said it and we will say it again: the indignant, this broad popular mobilisation which one month now has convulsed the squares in Greece is a movement that comes from the future. It places a final gravestone to the misery of the establishment politics that have dominated since the end of junta. Either the establishment with ties which have sat on our necks and are openly selling our enslavement, orthe ‗establishment‘ doubters who for a long time had degenerated the last weapon of the people, a circus of pseudo-movements which were placed in the forefront due to their cosmopolitan world views and attacked the nation itself, its identity and its interests. The road to no return has started.
In Sindagma, in the White Castle (Thessaloniki) and in the other squares of Greece young old and all the INVISIBLE people of the Greek nation, we who for so many years had not voice and representatives anywhere to express our national and social issues for justice, our aims against this rotten world without morals and values are coming out of darkness and the remnants of the postjunta world. We are placing the Greek flag in the forefront and WE WANT IT ALL: A new Greece and an independent society a proud people‘s national liberation social control ecology and direct democracy
ARDIN magazine
RixisNewspaper
Ardin is one of the organisations that are involved in Theodorakis movement Spitha....
One of the main banners in the square was Vote for the IMF you win a Hanging (Goudi-area where in history traitors of the Greek state were hanged!)
Continuous Eyewitness Account = 48Hour General Strike– Part One
When the Greeks demonstrate peacefully they dissolve him with teargas-State and Paramilitary state in alliance– Greek security services, Mossad, CIAbanner in t
he square ripped down…
Over the past week the situation has developed nightly with many people expressing their desperation at the situation and calling for more precise forms of direct action i.e. the storming of Parliament. From unemployed truckers to unemployed warehouse workers the desperation is seen on people‘s faces when they gather nightly to chant slogans and debate issues amongst speakers or themselves with other people in the square. Alongside this the govt via its Vice President declared a vote for the 2nd round of IMF measures has to occur or tanks will hit the streets‘ in the Spanish press El Mundo alongside a statement that all those who call for an exit from the Euro or a return to the Drachma are totally stupid.
The 4th General Strike this year has kicked off, with a shutdown in the ports, most of the public sector, timed electricity blackouts and the traditional two different demos starting from two different points. The KKE had left Sindagma Sq. by 11.30am this morning and they are supposed to come back this evening in order to repeat the same tomorrow when the vote goes through Parliament.
There is much confusion over the past week as to whether they will participate in the vote or if they withdraw they will hand the govt a victory as it will need less votes to pass through its IMF measures. The public sector unions around the Greek TUC and ADEDY have marched as well and many have stayed in Sindagma Sq. but so far it appears there are less people than last time as everyone has agreed to return in the evening. There have also appeared what appears to be black hooded characters who have massed at the bottom end of the square and last night an attempt was made by various parties to bring down the tents that have been there for one month now allegedly for health and safety reasons but most people have ignored them and aren‘t leaving.