From the Acropolis once again; the West’s democratic reclamation

Written by Newropeans Magazine   
26 Dec, 2008


Amidst wave after wave of gruesome news for the world economy came the curious headlines of riots in Athens and throughout Greece. While initial reports concentrated on ramped vandalism and street battles between hooded youths and riot-control police, the real headline emerged the days that followed.

Insiders of Greek society understand that the nightly exchanges of Molotov cocktails and teargas canisters around the Athens Polytechnic occur with a regular frequency and are almost ceremonially executed. Rather, what was unprecedented in these December events happened in daylight and encompassed mainstream Greek society. The shocking death of fifteen-year-old Alexandros Gregoropoulos by police fire in a bohemian neighborhood of the capital on the festive night of St. Nicholas was the ultimate signal to many that the state was running itself in spite of the people. Together with the organized protests, spontaneous displays of civil disobedience could be observed in the most unlikely of places. In one instance, Athenians in business suits crowding downtown cafés got up from their cappuccinos to hiss and boo away a police patrol that happened to be passing by.

The shear breadth and common acceptance of the demonstrations leave no doubt that the unrest has been kindled by long running discontent in Greece. The current government, voted into power on a pledge to fight corruption that plagued previous administrations, has itself been marred by scandal. With the financial crisis staring them in the face, Greeks see the economic platforms of the major parties becoming indiscernible with conservatives and socialists blaming each other for lacking a plan. At a time when creative alternatives are needed, economic policy increasingly appears adrift on globalized market forces, while directives come from a source that is yet farther from the people: EU bureaucrats. This has made even the prospect of an early call to the polls seem more like a pseudo-dilemma for the electorate. Greeks don't feel they have a say in a future vision for their society. It's no wonder that the reaction came Athenian-style; citizens converging onto the 'polis' to voice their discontent.

The factors behind the unrest though are not characteristically Greek. Discontent over politics offering merely a choice of administrators rather than a choice in the substance of policies resonates throughout the western world. The message came from the Acropolis where a banner draped at its foot called for “resistance” in different languages. The symbolism given by the backdrop of the monument embodying the origins of democracy and western civilization was hard to miss. On December 20th, demonstrations, albeit unimpressive in size, were planned in over forty cities across Europe and America in response to this call. The “Mileuristas” of Spain, the “Generation Praktikum” of Germany and the “Generation of 700” in Greece, recognizing themselves as the same social unit of graduates with high qualifications and mediocre prospects, have joined students to express their discontent.

It won't be the first time that Greece erupts as a symptom of a wider crisis. The Greek civil war was one of the first violent conflicts of the cold war. So, could these Greek demonstrations be a manifestation of an ensuing global surge to reclaim democracy? Don't expect the world to blow over in solidarity protests. Rather, public expressions of discontent from mainstream social groups, indeed groups that form a political majority and can have their way through the democratic process, comprise a recurring motif that can be expected to intensify.

Early examples are the 2005 referenda where discontent in France and the Netherlands derailed the ratification of a European constitution. In the United States, mounting discontent coincided with elections driving masses to the ballot to bring on the anticipated radical change in US policies promised by a future Obama administration. There too, hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Chicago and other cities, albeit in celebration, but with the spirit of uprising.

These events signify a new period where activists and the mainstream alike gear towards the reclamation of democracy from runaway autopilot administrators and governing institutions distant from the people. The financial meltdown came to painfully exemplify what can happen when these are left without checks. As was the case in Greece, the economic crisis can surely function as a powerful catalyst for popular unrest.

In a world of increasingly complex institutions, it is difficult for the layman to propose policy. There is, however, some vision for the future that even non-participating groups share. What exactly this vision entails may be ill defined. What it does not is often clearer, and regular cycles of growth and recession, for one, are probably not it. When the mayor of Athens fervidly relit the Christmas tree in replacement of one turned into a bonfire during riots, groups of students interspersed with would-be holiday shoppers were incessantly chanting “wake up”. The next day found the tree with garbage bags replacing the gift-wrapped boxes underneath. The message was clear, business as usual just won't do.

Alexandros Poulopoulos
Göttingen - Germany

~ Newropeans Magazine ~