THE GREEK RIOTS: THE UNDERLYING REASONS

The death of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, a 16-year-old boy, has sparked off a wave of violent protest and rioting throughout Greece. Central Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Ioannina and many other towns and cities have become scenes of intense fighting between police and protestors. The riots are the worst civil disturbance seen in Greece for decades, and there is little sign of any let up in the proceedings. 

The rioting, whilst starting as anger over the tragic death, has quickly escalated, fuelled by disaffection and pent up aggression directed at the authorities. There is more to this than just the death of Alexandros, and a host of underlying reasons for the quick spread of the rioting. Naturally, some of the trouble is caused by militant opportunists, the same people who cause trouble at football matches. However, many of the demonstrators outside Parliament are students and workers, and the current Government is facing a genuine crisis. There are a few reasons why the protests have spread: 

Mistrust of Authority

The Greeks have an instinctive mistrust of authority, especially when it involves police brutality. The Greek police have a reputation for operating outside the law. There was the case of a couple of Albanian boys beaten in custody, a few months back, and this latest tragedy has opened the floodgates. Remember that Greece had a particularly nasty fascist dictatorship within living memory; the wounds from that brutal regime, where the police and army were tools of the dictators, have never really healed. 

Political Corruption

The Greeks have always accepted a certain amount of corruption from politicians, but recent scandals, such as the Siemens scandal uncovered by German investigators, pushed things too far. Millions of Euros found its way into the pockets of politicians on both sides, and the collective arse covering was painful to watch. The fact that most of the political parties were involved has caused a lot of disillusionment, and the Greeks feel that whichever party they vote in will be just as bad. Added to this is the pension scandal, where members of the Government and banking executives conspired to sell overpriced bonds, costing workers pension funds millions of Euros. Three Government ministers have resigned in the past year, due to scandal, and this has gradually built up insurmountable pressure upon the Karamanlis government. 

Government Weakness.

The ruling New Democrat party has a wafer thin one-seat majority and the Government has been unable to pass any meaningful legislation. As in any other country, the media have been circling for some time, chipping away at the Government. The media has been attempting to push Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis into a corner, where he has to call an election. The Greek Media, unlike the press in many countries, is still feared by politicians, and they pull no punches in their coverage. The memories of the fires last year, where the Government appeared to sit on their hands whilst Greece burned, are still fresh in the collective memory. 

Political Rights

The Greeks do not share the apathy towards politics shown in many countries, and take an active interest in who is running their country. If the Government does not listen, they will take to the streets to protest. This latest protest has taken a militant turn and is a sign of pent up aggression that the politicians do not listen. The Left and Right wing parties have sensed blood and are organizing demonstrations. The KKE communists marched through Athens, and the other minority parties threaten to follow suit. 

Student Rights

The Parliament has recently tried to cut away some of the rights that Greek students have enjoyed for many years. Whilst the trouble started amongst the Anarchists, the students have turned out in force. Their protest is helped by the fact that the Greek Police are barred, by the constitution, from entering onto University campuses. The Government is attempting to change the asylum rules, but this would bring into question the Freedom of Speech enjoyed by academics. The resistance to the Fascists began in the Universities, so the power of the students cannot be taken lightly. 

Class War

This appears to be a major factor. The Greek news is showing that expensive cars have been targeted; one report showed a burned out Porsche. Banks are also viable targets, as symbols of ultimate Capitalist greed. This may well be the knock on effect of what has been a bad financial year for individual Greeks. Tourism dropped, the fuel prices soared, and food prices have risen by 20%. People have less money in their pockets, so the rich stockbrokers and bankers are receiving most of the blame for the problems, with politicians not far behind. 

The Future

There appears to be no sign of a let up, at the moment, and the demonstrations appear to be spreading to smaller towns and cities. The Government has offered sincere apologies for the shooting, but this is falling upon deaf ears. Unless the trouble dies down quickly, there is a strong possibility that the New Democrats government will become untenable, so a snap election is on the cards. Both of the main parties are detested, at the moment, so an election could see a migration to extremes. The left wing already has a decent amount of seats in parliament, and the right wing is also growing in popularity. For a country that suffered from a bitter politically driven civil war in the aftermath of WWII, this is worrying.