We've had enough: Greece Government in Panic

On Sunday the 12th of February, the Greek parliament approved the deeply unpopular austerity bill to secure a second € 130bn bailout and avoid a default. All polls show that a 70-80% of people living in Greece are against the "bailout".
A majority of the non-elected government didn’t hesitate to pass yet another unpopular austerity package, despite the fact that over 300.000 people were protesting at the same time outside the parliament against the new loan deal, while another 150.000 were violently "denied" by the riot police to reach the square. Huge protests took also place in every major city. This weekend’s massive demonstration had all the characteristics of a rebellion and proclaimed one strong, simple message: We‘ve had enough.

Most of the protesters are unemployed, while others are facing steep cuts in pensions and wages. The EU demands a 32% cut in the private sector’s minimum wage for those under 25, a 22% cut for the over 25s, the sacking of 150.000 public sector workers, wholesale privatization of state assets and cuts to public services including health, social welfare and education. Added to the pain of 5 years of recession, sky-high unemployment and lower wages, one should not feel surprised if this outrageous mixture finally explodes.

An Underdog’s Coalition
All rhetoric and media propaganda about mobs, looting and extreme violence just proves the obvious: The regime that governs the country, this non-elected parody that defies the people’s voice is in complete panic and realizes that the tables have turned. The crowd’s diversity of ideologies, ages and backgrounds made it clear that the rage against its oppressors is now the driving force. The violent clashes broke out when the riot police attempted to brutally attack the crowd once more by throwing excessive amounts of tear gas. But this time the chemical warfare and state-sponsored violence just couldn’t intimidate the crowd. On the contrary, people fought back every way they could. 60-year-olds and housewives stood hand in hand with leftists and anarchists, cheering every time stones were thrown against police squads, chanting songs against banks and politicians. More than 40 banks, malls and pawnshops were set ablaze, and while this surely sounds "disturbing", everybody felt that some kind of much-needed justice was finally being served. Banks and pawnshops are the symbols of this regime, the temples of this "state of emergency". 


A war has been declared to the society, and people have come to the realization that fighting back at every cost is the only option left for them. This independent, autonomous movement can be unpredictable, both chaotic and creative, but either way it can’t be described with old-school analysis, convenient stereotypes and aphorisms.

Media Coverage brought by Corruption
Most Greek media obtained their profits from the state by undertaking the implementation of government contracts, loans and government advertising. This is why the media in Greece are a propaganda tool. They present events that have never occurred or present them as if they have occurred while the reality is quite different. But this time they outdid themselves. 
Reports that no more than 40.000 people where on the streets (followed by footage showing empty streets and burning buildings), presentation of the violence as if a handful of gangsters suddenly decided to destroy the city, unprovoked, without a reason, completely detached from the fact that at the same time a hideous loan deal was being voted inside the parliament, the riot police was spraying the protesters like they were insects and the subway and metro weren’t working in order to discourage people from joining the demonstration. 
Having watched some of the last news coverage of the Egyptian television before Mubarak’s "resignation", I can safely say that the resemblance is striking.



Desperation of a people
What seems to be at stake right now is the very essence of democracy, the value of human lives. We are far beyond economic dilemmas. It’s not at all about "euro or drachma" anymore, people are in defense of human rights, dignity and self-determination. Every analysis about bonds, stock-markets and rates has lost its meaning. This week a civil servant at despair, was threating to commit suicide after the organization she and her husband were working for (OEK) was dismantled rendering about a 1.000 people unemployed. The woman, mother of a child with special needs, and her husband, are now both unemployed. This is our everyday reality, not a reality show. How could anyone have any interest discussing "the much needed sacrifices in order to save our banks"?

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Guest-Editorial-Disclaimer: Evi Papa ist griechische Juristin, war über die vergangenen Monate aktiv in der Protestbewegung in Athen engagiert und macht zurzeit ein Master's Degree in International Human Rights an der Lund University.


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