Greece: Direct Democracy Now
01/06/2011 | » News

Greece – Mass protests flood the country. Citizens gather in the main squares of every city, protesting and shouting anti-IMF and anti-government slogans, while hundreds of them set up assemblies that follow direct democratic procedures and freely exchange ideas regarding their next steps against the political system. Everything shows that something new is being born in Greece. As Occupied London reports:

According to corporate media and blogs, about 50,000 people participated in the rally in Syntagma Square [...] the rally surrounded the parliament and a lot of demonstrators blockaded the gates. According to corporate media, police hesitated to attack the people who blockaded the entries out of fear that riots might break out from such a large crowd of people. So several MPs who had been trapped in the parliament had to leave the building from the back door through the national garden, while others had to leave the parliament after midnight, when the gates were not blockaded any more. People who noticed the ‘escaping’ MPs started chanting ‘thieves!’ ‘thieves!’. Earlier, professors of the University of Athens gave public speeches at the Propylea of the university in front of thousands of people, supporting the rally of Syntagma. The speakers and the crowd marched from Propylea to Syntagma and merged with the ongoing rally there, while the people’s assembly of Syntagma Sq. carried on for the seventh night.

However, the presence of far-right supporters who carry flags and shout quasi anti-immigrant slogans is still strong but their influence in this mass movement is insignificant. (It should be mentioned also that the crisis in Greece is projected by the media as a national crisis, rather than an endemic capitalist crisis, unlike in Spain and other Western countries).

Consequently, most of the participants seem to be overexcited. In the article “The Wonderful Nights of Syntagma – 27 May 2011“, (initially published in Greek, in the website Sxoliastes Xoris Sinora), a protester describes his impressions…

[...] I reached Syntagma at around 7.30pm. The first impression is negative. A friend tells me that just a minute ago, a fascist attacked immigrants who were selling umbrellas. “And didn’t you tell him off?” “We did. He is no longer here”. I wonder where he found the nerve. One of the reasons that I am enraged with the absence of comrades in Syntagma is that the result of their condescension is precisely that they make easier the actions of such cowards. So it be… The immigrants are still there and I have not witnessed any such racist behaviour.

People coming as it’s getting dark. 9pm and the flow of people into Syntagma is far larger than the flowing out of it. I find a neighbour with his child whom I had never seen at a demonstration before. I come across anarchist comrades who are old timers in the streets. They are there and on the whole they like what’s going on. How can you judge negatively the occupation of Syntagma by people who have turned against the regime? They are also troubled that our comrades continue to snub the whole situation and abstain from it…

The Greek flags are again only few, but still slightly more than yesterday. There are guys who walk around wearing the Greek flag as a cape. They are very few but stand out in the crowd. The presence of their attire irritates me but the bad feeling significantly calms down when I look at the faces of the people here. Most of them are young, with beautiful, luminous faces and an air of independence. My broad impression of them is much better than that of the first day (when you were confronted much more by the petit-bourgeois, apolitical, foggy, freshly awakened of people who were for the first time on the streets among others…)

I leave the square and move to the main street in front of Parliament. Here, again my first day impression improves. You don’t just hear ‘Thieves – Thieves’ and the national anthem. Quite the opposite!

The atmosphere is shaken by slogans such as ‘burn, burn the brothel the parliament‘ and (to my surprise) ‘journalists ruffians, scum’ (both  classic anarchist slogans of prior decades). [...] The climate is festive and more passionate than that of the first day. Again you hear the national anthem but not with the frequency and passion of the first day. It is not sang by many and they only sing a segment of it. The cops look fed up and cranky. When the riot police appear on the upper part of parliament they are jeered and attacked by lasers. In front of me there is a small tent with people inside. You get the feeling that the movement is going forward, taking root, it’s not just letting off steam.

In the square the direct democracy assembly has started. For me, this assembly was a revelation. It showed that the conscious part of the Syntagma movement is far ahead, and resolute.

The meeting was attended by a large crowd, much bigger than yesterday’s. If the people who participate in the continuous mobilisation of Syntagma could match the level of thought and questioning in that meeting then we would be on the verge of an undefeatable revolution! The ideas heard would put to shame those who snub this movement, who try to make a point by abstaining in the name of self-referential ideological purity. They should blush in shame because what was heard demolished the myth of reactionary apoliticism that they believe dominates this movement.

Unfortunately, some receive the caricature presented by mass media about this movement as its reality. But reality is entirely different. What do I remember from the views expressed?

A fellow raised the issue of the Greek flag and whether such a flag should be accepted (yes, if those who hold it are just kids, or if they are fascists). The same person proposed that all flags (red, red & black, black and other) should be acceptable and that it is an act of fascist violence to ban those who want to hold them. He also spoke of the need to make a new flag that would express this movement and more generally, the need to not stick to symbols. His position was applauded.

A woman proposed that we should not pay for anything. Not for public transport, not for the banks, nothing. Others emphasised the need for this movement to expand into workplaces and to universities. Others pointed out the need to self-organise even better in all respects (information, cleaning, food and housing in the square).

Great applause was given to an immigrant who demonstrated the universality of this movement. He was brought in by a comrade who openly declared his political position (anarchist). Prior to that, the crowd shouted down a guy who started talk racist slants, while an astonishing intervention of a guy from OYK [Underwater Demolitions Unit] ended with “those little cops are joke to me. Bless Koufodinas and his hands!” [Koufodinas was a member of the '17th November' urban guerrilla/terrorist group]

A fellow from Barcelona also spoke, raising the need for the movement to take root in the square and to deal with practical matters seriously. The meeting was interrupted by a sudden storm, but started again when it stopped. Around that time, I also spoke.

I made three points: a) that television is an enemy of this movement and it represents it misleadingly and deceitfully. Especially Alafouzos and Sky TV are the worst hypocrites, worth spitting at. The same TV channel that supported the IMF and the memorandum now has the nerve to make recommendations for this movement, which is clearly against the IMF. b) I criticised our comrades and friends who have rebuffed this movement, considering it not worthy of participating in, as barren and with a dangerous outlook. c) I raised the issue about the fascist who tried to beat up immigrants and emphasised categorically that such behaviours cannot be acceptable (in fact they deserve a kick). The unity of this movement does not include fascists. This movement is universal to all of humanity, it was inspired by resistance movements in other countries, and it can in turn inspire other countries. I have to admit what I said was received enthusiastically, and was another clue to the kinds of ideas espoused by the conscious core of the movement.

Generally, the atmosphere in the assembly was friendly and pleasant. There were some tensions (especially surrounding the question of livestream coverage of the meeting) but this is inevitable in meetings where living, breathing people participate.

Towards the end some guys made their appearance, showing in their way that there was a chasm between those politically conscious and those who were unrefined and apolitical. One of them proposed that we sing (those who know it, as he said!) the national anthem. I answered that he should sing, if he knows it, the Internationale. There followed taunting, sarcastic remarks that he should learn more songs and not just those he learned when he was five, and he was asked if some people’s obsession with the national anthem leads them to sing it after defecating or after sex!

We did not threaten them but tried to make them understand that they should get unstuck from a song that makes local fascists feel proud.

At that point I saw one of the guys who was wearing the greek flag as a cape and could not resist talking to him. (as I mention below, one of the great achievements of this movement is the ease with which you can talk to people who you did not know before.)

The dialogue was delightful:
-“Sorry mate, excuse me, but you are wearing something that’s hanging from a pole on the building you are shouting against, isn’t this a bit of a contradiction?”
-“It’s them who betrayed this symbol.”
-“What symbol was betrayed? The one brought here by a Bavarian king?”
-“Yes, but this embodies the soul of a people”
-“The soul of a people can exist in many things and different symbols. Some of them can even be more universal than a national symbol that represents an apparatus of torture and death.”
And suddenly the whole conversation takes a different turn. The dude is proven to be far more open minded and educated than I had thought. He accepts that all symbols are ambiguous and can potentially be turned into an excuse and justification for mass murder. He is against borders (!!). He mentions disapprovingly that after WWI passports were introduced that obstructed free movement. He is far from being a fascist. This example shows that we should not judge people so easily only on the basis of the symbols they hold.

Time has passed. It’s way past midnight. People are still on the street and in the square. There are small discussion groups everywhere. People discuss about everything. You can participate in any group or make your own.

I have met more people than I have ever met before in a protest. Linux geeks talking about how crap Windows is. Others with whom we discuss the meaning of words and whether we can invent a common conceptual code. An ex war correspondent tells us terrible stories about Kosovo and Haiti. A student draws parallels between this situation and May ’68 and the need for students to ignore exams and come out to the streets. A wonderful older man who has given up all substances (coffee, cigarettes etc.) is obsessed with inviting Glezos to give us his regards [Manolis Glezos is a left-communist activist & politician, famous for taking down the fascist flag from Acropolis in 1941 behind the backs of German guards]. There are discussions about what this movement can lead to. About its peacefulness and violence. We are aware that the establishment has not yet repressed us, not because, as TV news claim, falsely, there are no “familiar strangers” [literally, 'known unknowns' - this phrase has been used by the media for decades to refer to anarchist groups that cause property damage] – and so why did they recently quash two peaceful sitting protests? – but because the establishment feels that if it represses us there will be a backlash, as in Spain. In this phase, they are counting on this movement deflating on its own, and we are aware that this tolerance has an expiry date, if the movement does not give up. There is a hunch that a great face-off is coming in the next few days…

Nearby people are sleeping in tents and couples kiss. I learn over the phone that fascists have again attacked on Epirou street. it is the implementation of the Chrysi Avgi* line that rebukes any members who turn up at Syntagma, disobeying its directive, calling them to focus their struggle on Athens neighbourhoods… Disgust… [*Chrysi Avgi - The Golden Dawn - is the largest and most violent fascist organisation in Greece]

The people remaining in the square this late are on the whole ‘alternative’ types. Nose rings and laid-back attire. A friend and I go back up to the main street, which is still vibrating with demonstrators’ slogans. They are few but completely undaunted. I see another Greek flag. I go near to talk to the guy holding it. He’s an immigrant! [...] There is drumming. Some have started a conversation with the cops (not the riot police hominoids but the blue ones, who are able to hold one). One question gets them embarrassed. “We are here peacefully and don’t swear at you, but if you are ordered to quash us, will you do it?” What could they answer? “Well, you will quash us. But why are you then bothered when they call you cops, pigs, murderers?”

At some point the cops just left! We were still there without them. We laugh. “We persuaded them! They have changed jobs! The parliament is left unattended. Let’s go take it!” It was a joke but still the people moved closer to the parliament. And the cops come back.

They push us. Some more zealously, some more relaxed. But they are pushing and are hostile. “Do you know what space you have entered?” says their leader. “A brothel we want to burn” I thought. Some resist the push but we know that we have no hope of winning. Back to the pavement. The road is open again and the traffic is back. Cars pass by honking their horns in solidarity. Very few people left by now. There are no greek flags but there is dancing and drumming. The dawn comes and we are on the pavement in front of parliament, around 30 of us. The rest are in the square. An immigrant is playing the drum. We are all chatting, and although we were strangers we have become like a group of friends. I meet a young guy who says he used to be in DAP. “Up to now, I used to go out in Keramikos*, I was a hipster and all I cared about was Facebook and football. Now I’ve been on the street for two days until dawn and for the first time I won’t go out in Keramikos on friday, but will stay here!” [*Keramikos is a gentrified trendy nightlife area of Athens]…

Below: Decisions of the Popular Assembly in Syntagma, (May 29)

Upcoming mobilisations and call-outs

Monday, May 30th at noon, Stadiou and Sofokleous str: Support of the workers at the Post Bank against its privatisation
Monday May 30th, Mars Field (Alexandras and Patision Ave):Demonstration through neighbourhoods to end up at Syntagma square
Tuesday May 31st, Karaiskaki square, Piraeus: Support of the dockworkers fighting against the sell-out of the port
Call for popular assemblies in neighbourhoods aiming at the spread of the people’s rising up and coordination of assemblies. Monday June 1st, cooking pan demonstration toward Syntagma square.
Thursday June 2nd, Klauthmonos square, 11 am: Support of the Telecommunications workers who have a strike and national protest.
June 2nd, Propylea: At the same time, education demonstration
Saturday June 4th, 11 am, Klauthmonos square: Worker demonstration and support of ATHENS PRIDE
Call-out to the assemblies of students in schools and universities on Tuesday and Wednesday for their demonstration to end at Syntagma square
Sunday June 5th, call for the repetition of the European-wide day of rising up, or if possible, a global one.Call for the creation of a banner of the popular assembly and its placement in front of parliament.
Call for participation in all workers’ mobilisations in the coming days.
Call to everyone and all groups for the organising and coordination of anti-fascist action in the following days.
Call for actions at the Syntagma metro station.
DIRECT DEMOCRACY NOW
EQUALITY JUSTICE DIGNITY
The only defeated struggle is the one never fought

While things seem to be somehow unsure, regarding this mass movement,Yiannis Kafkas, the demonstrator who has been seriously injured by riot police, at the General Strike demonstration of 11nth of May, and was hospitalised for more than 2 weeks will exit the hospital this Tuesday.

War against blogs and interdependent networks

Meanwhile, the Greek government has taken legal action against the anonymity of blogs. According to an article published in Capital.gr, Greek Internet Service Providers will be forced to give information of any individual who publishes “illegal content” in order to be prosecuted.

The anonymity of blogs has become a serious issue in Greece as the regime tries to stop mockery publishings against (mainly) politicians or famous clergymen. The idea was initially proposed last year, by the PM of the far right Popular Orthodox Party, Georgios Karatzaferis. He supported that the current system, which allows everyone to spread an opinion completely anonymous by creating freely a blogsite (wordpress, blogspot, livejournal etc) is a threat for other politicians as it “promotes slander and unlimited mockery, so that we should take action in order to protect the people who belong to a certain political society from the anonymous bloggers. Everyone should be allowed to have an opinion but not anonymously” he also stated.

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