Thousands but no as many as organizers had hoped gathered in downtown Athens and marched towards the Greek Parliament to protest new austerity measures and poverty, while lawmakers have been voting on Budget 2018. A peaceful march on general strike day – except for the total destruction of tickets machines at a metro station in the city center – by anarchists.
#Greece: Thousands protest in Athens against further austerity and the continuing impoverishment of the greek population during a 24h general #strike. pic.twitter.com/F5fRWpzgcf
— Savvas Karmaniolas (@savvaskarma) December 14, 2017
According to estimations, some 12,000 unionists participated in the protest against austerity, poverty and over-taxation.
Αυτή είναι η απάντηση των εργατών! #ΠΑΜΕ #ΠΑΜΕ_14Δεκέμβρη #ΑΠΕΡΓΙΑ_14ΔΕΚ #apergia #palestine pic.twitter.com/e3RJPRR92S
— Τόνια Παπακώστα (@toniapap93) December 14, 2017
Impressive as always was the participation of communist party KKE, the only political party that manages to send hundreds of unionists to the streets.
The protest march was peaceful and no anarchists manged to turn the streets of the city center into a battlefield.
Private union GESEE banner: We Resist
Banner with Santa on strike: Permanent Work For All
This time anarchists did something else. They raided the Metro station <Panepistimio> and smashed all the machines that validate the new tickets.
A police squad arrived when the group with hoods had left the area.
According to some unconfirmed reports, a shop window or two was also smashed on Panepistimiou street.
Protest marches were held also in other Greek cities.
#Ioannina – Following order of the businessman/employer, a bunch of bodyguards and fascists tried to attack the strikers outside a super market chain. #Greece #Yannena #Strike #MarketIn #απεργια pic.twitter.com/rcHgfS6PQ4
— In Def. of Communism (@id_communism) December 14, 2017
The general strike on 14. December was the 42nd since Greece surrendered to the lenders’ bailouts in 2010.
The strike has paralyzed the country, has disrupted transportation in Athens as workers joined with work stoppages. Train workers and seamen joined the mobilization with a 24-hour strike, forcing trains to remain parked and ferries to be docked.
Lol free metro time!
Quite frankly, the Greek state invited this violence against barrier machines. I have the same opinion as the anarchists, although I would not engage in physical violence. It is an outrage to block passengers, under the pretence of checking for valid tickets, when it is near-impossible to buy tickets. The first priority is actually to sell the tickets, the second is to check (or enforce) that people are buying them in accordance with the terms of service.
The whole story is typical Greek maladministration — putting the cart before the horse, and generally failing to follow Aristotlean logic. Perhaps this is clear evidence that there is no connection between Ancient Greek minds and contemporary ones.
To be honest, @syrizee, I was a little stressed as when I use the Panepistimiou station, or others there is such a long line that I have on occassion just not paid, and said OK if the inspectors catch me, I’ll just be honest, pay the 50 euro fine and tell them the line was too long. Maybe the inspectors willl give me a break as once I was speeding in my car and I told the Greek policeman i was sorry and he was right i was speeding and he let me go without a fine. I think Greek authorities if you are honest with them, sometimes give you a break?
I took it free many times and I think many others do. If I took the metro every day I would buy the monthly pass, but for now at least it seems impossible to enforce the checks so they are letting passengers get away with it.
They think that Iwill go to a train station just to buy a ticket for a bus? They are having a laugh!
@syrizee, I have found a kiosk that had bus tickets so bought about 20 there ha!!! hope I can still use them.