Tree bad, fire pretty

[ishtar79]

Season’s Greetings from Greece
(Now that’s how you wage “war on Christmas”! Bill O’Reilly, take note.)

Some of you might have heard about Greece basically becoming riot central, following the murder of a 15-year-old boy by police on Saturday (naturally, the root of the riots and discontent is deeper and a hell of a lot more complex, but I won’t bore you with my ramblings on it: to sum it up, corrupt government, even more corrupt cops, an educational crisis and oh yes, that pesky economy).

I figured I’d do a post following a couple of messages to clarify I’m fine: yes, I tend to go out in the very area the riots originated. No, I haven’t been there the last couple of days, for obvious reasons. Some of the worst rioting damage reached shops literally five minutes from where I live, but I’m doing fine. Pretty calm about it all, said calm further reinforced by the media monkeys and their dramatics and my poor mum calling me from abroad every two hours to at turns remind me not to go out in the center and yell at me to switch on the news.

I keep my TV watching to a bare minimum. I’m at turns angry at a bunch of professional rioters (just as likely to smash and burn stuff after a football game than a genuine political rally) co-opting the anti-government sentiment to just smash stuff and the media for their appalingly sensationalist and simplistic coverage (not to moron journalists: not all ‘extreme elements’ are monolithic, not all rioters are politically motivated, and not all protesters are rioters), angry at our lovely cops/hired thugs who sit around basically scratching their balls faced with the looting but the next day proceed to intimidate and attack a rally consisting mostly of school kids (I guess a bunch of teens are easier to take on than actual looters) and almost getting the urge to go downtown and possibly throw some rocks myself.

By the way, my ex called from Thessaloniki, and said that rioters had torched most shops with the exception of snack shops and patisseries (McDonald’s was, of course, burned to a crisp again. One wonders why they bother reopening after all the times that’s happened). Whoever said the violence was mindless?

Comments

[kryptyd.livejournal.com]

Great post! It's nice to hear the views of someone actually there.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I figured I'd try to give a more level-headed projection, since news coverage is making it look so much more dire than it is. Don't get me wrong, it's bad, but not unprecedented-protest, including the violent kind, has a long history here.

What grates me is that the ones doing most of the damage are not the actual 'anarchist groups' the media keeps mentioning, but mostly some bored rich kids who yearned for a chance to burn shit. Yes, there is some genuine rock throwing at the police stations, and you know what, I can't exactly be outraged about that.

I can only hope this leads to some early elections, it's definitely time for a change.

[kryptyd.livejournal.com]

Oh the newspapers just love ker-azy anarchists!

[helkamaria.livejournal.com]

I've possibly been living under a rock, since I heard about the riots only this morning from my friend. *headdesk*

I'm glad you're okay.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Heh, that's fine. I hardly expect this to be big news abroad.

[helkamaria.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I think it has been big news -- or at least news -- here. I'm just living in my own cocoon.

[artystone.livejournal.com]

Oh thanks for checking in--I was thinking about you last night while watching the news. Stay safe!

:( Christmas tree!

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I'm resisting the urge to go downtown myself. I feel guilty just staying home, but a)I don't really have any people to go with and b)I run like a girl and am bound to get my head bashed in by the cops.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you are safe... and please resist the urge to throw rocks (believe me, I'm right there with you... but we need you to stay safe!). I cannot believe how the news people simplify everything, until I remember that they are owned by corporate over-lords with an agenda to promote!
*sigh*

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I'm resisting the urge-for one thing, I have no one to go with. For another, I'm bound to get my ass kicked, at best.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Yes, getting your own ass kicked would be counter productive!
Boy, that photo in your post blows my mind: violent, disturbing, and beautiful (almost festive) in the combination of holiday image and public riots.... Amazing. Thank you for posting it.

Things are kind of quietly mundane here.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Good to hear from you!

And no, it's totally not surprising that rich kids who want to burn things figure prominently. Idiots.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Right now I'm more angry at the media idiots. And some of the comments on BBC and Youtube...why do I persist on abusing my brain by clicking on these threads?

[olympia-m.livejournal.com]

it's pretty confusing here - it feels like ten different views (if not more) and opinions on the whys of this story...

I'm glad you're okay :):)

also? I LOVE the title of your post with the image - it makes me LOL (and it's the first thing to make me LOL since this mess began...)

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Having read some of the reporting on UK sites, your confusion is understandable. Mind you, the TV coverage here makes me want to bash my head against the wall...or even better, the journalists' heads. Melodrama at its highest.

Of course I'm fine. You know how those things look worse from the outside.

And heh, I can always find some dark humour in the worst situations. After all, the alternative is freaking out which, um, no thanks.

[go-back-chief.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear you're alright. *hugs*

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

*hugs back*

It's not as bad as the media make it sound. I pity the people who live near the worst of it, because the tear gas in the air alone must be insufferable.

The riots got to about 5 minutes from where I live, but I live in a little out of the way side street, so I'm fine.

I avoid the street not because of the protesters, but to avoid getting my head randomly bashed in by a cop, to be honest.

[q-spade.livejournal.com]

We were discussing this at work yesterday – My boss was all "FUCK THA POLICE!", my Greek co-worker was all "FUCK THA FAKE ANARCHISTS, Y0!", and I was all "OH SHIT, ISHTAR!!!11!". So thanks for checking in and letting us know you're OK.

McDonald’s was, of course, burned to a crisp again. One wonders why they bother reopening after all the times that’s happened

This reminds me of a Starbucks I passed by during my first visit Glasgow in 2000, which was completely trashed – broken windows, strewn furniture, the works. I returned to Glasgow in 2003 to find this same Starbucks was given another once-over, with bits of glass, plastic & steel everywhere. I bet if I go back next year, it'll still be around, and STILL be in a state of utter devastation!

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

OMG, I want to work at your office.

And yeah, I'm fine. The media is making it look so much worse than it is-I mean, it IS chaos, but hardly a war zone. There's some looting, some fires, but honestly, the cops scare me, not the protesters.

Heh. Those multi-national chains don't know when to give up, do they?

[chicklet-girl.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear you're okay!

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's really not so bad, we have a loooong protest tradition here.

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

Oh no... I hope you'll be safe!

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I'm fine, thanks. :)

Mostly pissed off, because the area where the riots originated is where I usually go out, and now I'm denied access to my favourite bars.

(Ok, that was mostly in jest...though I *could* use a drink right about now)

[bloodrebel333.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the information! I'd wondered how people over there were experiencing/viewing current events.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

You're welcome.

It's hardly a complete account, but some of the news coverage these days, both here and abroad, makes me almost as angry as the incident itself.