12/15/2010

Note- Yesterday and Today

Yesterday a new labor law passed urgently from the Greek parliament. It annules several fundamental labor rights as we knew them in Greece for decades.
For example:
- Each business can make a special contract-agreement with it's own workers, paying them less that it is required by the contract-agreement between businessmen and trade unions of workers of a whole sector. Practically the agreements between businessmen and trade unions of each sector are annuled. Practically there will be unions only (apart from the general confederation, of course) at a level of each single enterprise (where the workers are fewer and less powerful, than the total of workers in a whole sector of economy). This will have an immediate effect at wages in the private sector.
- The provisional period of work is raised from 2 months to 12 months, 1 year. That means that a boss can fire a worker after 1 year without giving him any redundancy pay.
And several other harsh neoliberal changes both at the private and the public sector.

So after London and Rome, today, in Athens, Greece, at the General Strike, we had wild clashes between protesters and police.

They are maybe the wildest clashes since the "troika" lenders (IMF, European Commission, European Central Bank) took over the control of the economy of the country, this spring, because of the debt crisis. Although the participants in the demonstration were probably less, the clashes were harsher than those at the 5th of May demonstration (when 3 employees of a bank were accidentally killed by rioters).

Molotov bombs were thrown to the anti-riot policemen guarding expensive hotels, close to the parliament. Similar attacks occurred in many places in the center of Athens. 2 police motorbikes were destroyed. An ex-minister (of the opposition right-wing party that ruled from 2004-2009 and destroyed the economy, while changing the statistics to deceive the people and the E.U.) was beaten (video) (photo) by people who saw him in a street in the center of Athens. Workers and anarchists, returning from the demonstration, tried to occupy the offices of the General Confederation of Workers (which is controlled by well paid professional "tradeunionists" affiliated to the ruling "socialist", but extremely neoliberal party), but were prevented by the anti-riot policemen.

The police made extensive use of chemical gases. (bought by Israel). Lots of people have been beaten.

Till now we don't know the exact number of people arrested and injured.

You can see some images and videos here:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1237676

http://www.babylonia.gr/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1296%3A%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%B1%CE%B4%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE-%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%B3%CE%AF%CE%B1-15-%CE%B4%CE%B5%CE%BA%CE%AD%CE%BC%CE%B2%CF%81%CE


These were the second clashes of this week. Residents of Keratea, an area outside Athens, are clashing with anti-riot policemen for 4 consecutive days, protesting against a new waste dump in the area. Not only molotov bombs but also gunfire (at the air) was reportedly used by the local residents. The Greek Police for the first time made use of a water-cannon vehicle.
Some photos ot these clashes here:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1236686

Meanwhile scores of prisoners are on hunger strike in Greek jails because of the conditions there.


12/04/2010

One @ http://www.sotoso.org/a/a/imgboard.htm



I was not offended when you looked at me and I realized that there was no one in my place to look at you back. I comprehend. Seriously, I have strange feelings about the different wars that are going on in the universe and I am ready to take some action, very serious action. No jokes. This is not some kind of whatever mechanism that you find in a shopping mall or you fish from the pockets of extremely annoying weirdos while they’re sleeping. Flowers in the middle of the unspeakable, caramelized news behind curtains in front of other curtains and all of them become layers and some kind of onions that all my friends talk about; it’s over for my cup of tea. It is empty talk. We got used to talking with our fingers or pretending that if I wink, you will get what I mean, but I want you to get something and if you think this is a problem then you have an issue, which a dentist can take care of. First of all it is about the dogs. Something went wrong with the dogs in the mastermind cities and all of them have their own leashes. The parks are brighter, too many lights to keep any secrets, the smoking is not permitted and all of us we have one particular something to take care and especially ourselves. Then, I missed all my friends in a well-established university. I’m bored and I don’t know why. I never have enough money to go up and down anywhere. The issue here is that no one, I’m telling you no one, is going to take care of you. Just think about it when you look at me;


Georgia Sagri

One

Opening and Performance Dec 11th 2010 8-10pm @ SOTOSO, Brussels http://www.sotoso.org/a/a/imgboard.htm