#25mgr
Photo: from Eleftherotypia
From last night's protest / assembly at Syntagma square. Over 100,00 people this time.
This has been going on, non-stop, since 25th May (following the example of the protests of Puerta del Sol in Spain from 15th May onwards).
There are large turn outs in other Greek cities, too.
I maintain a degree of scepticism about where this might lead but for now, I highly approve. There are general assemblies taking place every day, where ordinary people get to speak their mind, and decisions are being made collectively. This is very good, although nothing concrete has yet come out of it. I don't want all this to fizzle out in vague aphorisms.
Side note: I was very disappointed that Kiki Dimoula, one of my favourite poets, signed an open letter together with 31 other Greek intellectuals, essentially calling for people to 'sacrifice themselves' for the reform of the country. I have nothing against the idea of making sacrifices for a better future for everyone, but this call completely ignores the fact that right now, there is an enormous gap between rich and poor (who are being made poorer) that needs to be addressed; not only in Greece, but in the rest of the world as well. I would far rather these intellectuals wrote an open letter to the very rich Greeks, asking them to bring back the billions of euros, mostly illegally obtained, that they have deposited in Swiss banks to help their country. No such luck, however. It is fairer to impose new taxes on people earning as low as €6,000 per year.
Bonus: Loukanikos ('Hot Dog!') stands vigilant before the Parliament, after the people disperse in the early hours of the morning (29th May). I still have nasty bruises from the bites, but I can't bring myself to dislike these dogs! XD
Links:
- Official site of the movement: Real Democracy Now! Greece (Greek, some posts in English)
- News coverage: ThePressProject (Greek)
- Debtocracy: Documentary film on the causes of the Greek debt crisis in 2010 and possible future solutions that could be given to the problem that are not currently being considered by the government of the country. (English subtitles available) - Glenys, yes, that's Palamas on the cover!
- On twitter: @realdemgr; hashtags: #greekrevolution, #25mgr (and on a funnier note, #oust)*
* 'oust' = 'shoo!'