Protests and strikes are leading to a growing radicalisation and increasing the pressure on the Greek government, writes Matthew Cookson
Greece's right wing government is facing a hot new year. The mass movement that rocked the country after the police killing of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos on 6 December is to take to the streets again on Friday of this week.
Alexandros's killing has become a focus for the general discontent in society and people are calling for the government to go.
In the days following his death, school students walked out to protest at police stations, university students occupied their faculties, workers struck and people held huge demonstrations.
A general strike of workers over the government's austerity budget shut down the country on Wednesday 10 December.
Panos Garganas is the editor of Workers Solidarity, Socialist Worker's sister paper in Greece.
He said, “The teachers' unions, university students and school students have called a demonstration against the government and police brutality in Athens, Greece's capital, for Friday of this week.
“The civil service workers' union has called a stoppage for the afternoon in support of the teachers and the students. This strike will affect hospitals, local authorities and the civil service.
“The unions striking and protesting this week are set to discuss a 24-hour strike at a meeting on Monday of next week. They are planning more action.
“This puts the pressure on the other unions to call strikes too.
“Saturday will see a demonstration, called by the Greek Stop the War Coalition and Palestinian groups, against Israel's assault on Gaza. The unions are backing this demonstration.
“Both protests are expected to be massive.
“The anger at the attack on Gaza has meant that people have stayed on the streets over the holidays. Greece conducted joint air exercises with Israel last year and people are demanding the government breaks the alliance.
Solidarity
“Over 10,000 people protested in Athens in solidarity with the Palestinians last Saturday. People threw a hail of stones at the Israeli embassy.
“The government remains under a lot of pressure. There is lots of talk that prime minister Costas Karamanlis is going to reshuffle his cabinet in an attempt to relieve the tension.
“But he is yet to do it, and will probably wait until after this Friday's demonstration to gauge the continuing strength of the movement.
“Karamanlis also faces major problems with the failing economy. A number of prominent politicians have said that the country's economic woes are so deep that it will have to go to the International Monetary Fund for help in repaying its debt.
“We expect that the main universities will be occupied again from next week. The occupation movement could then spread.”
The Thursday before Christmas saw strikes by hospital workers and teachers, who joined a mass protest of students in Athens.
Panos said, “Tens of thousands of people joined the demonstration.
“The bulk of it was made up of university and school students, but there was a large number of strikers at the head of the march.
“The hospital workers had called their strike over understaffing, wages and other issues, before the killing of Alexandros.
“The march was very successful and was peaceful until it arrived at parliament. That was when the police attacked it, and there were clashes until the evening.
“The Greek TUC also demonstrated against the government's budget plans, which give billions of euros to the bankers.”
Over 2,000 people protested in Athens on Saturday 20 December against the Greek state's attacks on migrants.
“The march connected the issue of anti-racism with the new movement that has broken out,” said Panos.
Victim
“Protesters held a picture of the latest victim of police attacks on migrants, who is still in hospital. Representatives from the Pakistani community followed, with the university and school students behind them.”
The growing radicalisation is having a beneficial effect on Greece's far left.
“The Anti-Capitalist Left and the Front of the Radical Left, who both stood in the last election, have called a mass meeting on 31 January.
“This is the first time there has been a joint meeting on this basis. The last time such a meeting would have taken place in Greece was in the 1970s.
“Every event is leading to more radicalisation.”
~ Socialist Worker ~
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