So yesterday was Saint Nicholas' day. I traveled to distant North (otherwise known as exotic and chilly Marousi) to attend Nikoletta's party. Upon arriving I was informed (because I have no television and am woefully ignorant of current affairs) that earlier that evening a 16-year old boy had been shot by the police in Exarcheia. Obviously Exarcheia, where else? Exatcheia, the most unstable area in central Athens. The traditional haunt of leftists, anarchists, students, junkies and alternative culture. A stone's throw from the Polytechneio (National Technical University). Exarcheia being the area of Athens accumulating the majority of the police force. Ever since the Olympics the situation has been ridiculous. Every street corner in the area has a policeman or two (all done up in combat gear) loitering. Loitering being the operative word, because they have never been seen to do an anything constructive or useful even if asked to. They just loiter and smoke and hit on girls.
Yesterday evening things got out of hand and a young boy was shot and killed. The nation was shocked (this is Athens, not New York or Mexico City!) and riots ensued. Molotov cocktails were thrown, storefront windows were broken. Storefront windows are always broken in Exarcheia. The riots stopped and no one thought all that much of them.
Nikoletta's party winded to a close and we got a taxi home. Passing by the center we realise all the roads into the center are closed off and all the roads out of the center are jammed with cars fleeing outwards. It is four o'clock in the morning Saturday going for Sunday. The riots started again and this time it's the whole of the center, they say.
Once in our lovely semi-central neighbourhood of Koukaki, all is quiet. I get home and go on the net to see what's up. Ermou (the main shopping street) has been burnt, they say. Students and demonstrators have barricaded themselves in the University buildings. Riots have broken out in other greek cities, notably Thessaloniki. The police are absent.
Strike one to the BBC over CNN and Euronews. The BBC never sleeps. It's the only non-greek news-site I find mentioning the riots last night.
Yesterday evening things got out of hand and a young boy was shot and killed. The nation was shocked (this is Athens, not New York or Mexico City!) and riots ensued. Molotov cocktails were thrown, storefront windows were broken. Storefront windows are always broken in Exarcheia. The riots stopped and no one thought all that much of them.
Nikoletta's party winded to a close and we got a taxi home. Passing by the center we realise all the roads into the center are closed off and all the roads out of the center are jammed with cars fleeing outwards. It is four o'clock in the morning Saturday going for Sunday. The riots started again and this time it's the whole of the center, they say.
Once in our lovely semi-central neighbourhood of Koukaki, all is quiet. I get home and go on the net to see what's up. Ermou (the main shopping street) has been burnt, they say. Students and demonstrators have barricaded themselves in the University buildings. Riots have broken out in other greek cities, notably Thessaloniki. The police are absent.
Strike one to the BBC over CNN and Euronews. The BBC never sleeps. It's the only non-greek news-site I find mentioning the riots last night.
Today - the next day - there were demonstrations in many Greek cities. More fires, more clashes with police, more people in hospital. But not more dead, yet. Will this change things? No. Unfortunately it never does. Obviously the riots are part anger over the killing of the teenager, part frustration and anger against the police and the state in general. The state has a lot to answer for, but it never does. The riots will stop and everything will go back to normal, because the people in power never listen.
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