for lefties too stubborn to quit
This video (which comes with subtitles) shows the scale of the recent general strikes against the Troika in Greece, and also discusses the issues raised by the attacks on the PAME march.
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The Cedar Lounge Revolution
Translations, please 🙂
I watched the live streaming of what was happening at Syntagma. I don’t think I have a 100% clear view of what happened, but this is a heavily edited and partial account that denies the obvious, that the PAME physically protected the “yes” vote. On previous occasions, I’ve also seen plain evidence of police plain clothes provocateurs in action in Greece.and am not at all in favour of the tactics of the bloc. But from what I could see, the PAME kept the mass demonstration out of the Square: there were hundreds of thousands of workers backed up down the entry streets and not able to get in, while the PAME /KKE held the space in front of the Parliament. If anyone has video to show how people were prevented from entering Syntagma Square, that would help to clarify this, one way or another.
The numbers and forces were there to occupy the Parliament, PAME kept Syntagma under lock down, and kept organised workers out: The KKE member who spoke in the video, while correctly saying that the class struggle in Greece is sharpening, imo completely dismissed the 2 day general strike and demonstration (and the austerity vote) as the critical moments they were. Yes, the fight in Greece will go on, but a critical opportunity was lost and obstructed by PAME. “It won’t be resolved by events and happenings in Syntagma”, she said. Please go back to dialectics and see that at moments a leap takes place – everything isn’t gradual baby steps in social and political change.
The anarchists were clearly not in any way prepared for a mass occupation of Parliament by the protestors either but were presumably after the usual cat and mouse rioting at the front of the Parliament. I have no issue with a demonstration protecting itself from attack, but in this instanced the PAME was also preventing the demonstration from taking its course.
The question of power was posed by the sheer size and organisation of that demonstration and the mass opposition of the Greek population to “austerity” and by the inability of the EU states and the IMF to solve the economic crisis. The KKE and PAME will apparently avoid that issue and try to drag out an endless series of actions until resistance is worn out or the military steps in. And of course “don’t provoke the military” will be given as a reason for resolving nothing.
Thanks for posting this video.
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“But from what I could see, the PAME kept the mass demonstration out of the Square: there were hundreds of thousands of workers backed up down the entry streets and not able to get in, while the PAME /KKE held the space in front of the Parliament. If anyone has video to show how people were prevented from entering Syntagma Square, that would help to clarify this, one way or another.”
My reading of this is normally the KKE/PAME demonstrate quite seperatly from the rest – at the same time but spatially distinct – I think to mark themselves off from the more ‘mainstream’ Greek unions – this did not happen in the normal fashion on this occassion. Moreover Syntagma Square is the highly symbolic focal point of large protests in Athens. The KKE/PAME took over this square, prevented entry by all other demonstrators, with resulting altercations, and were quite clearly armed for a ruck. All this happened prior to the arrival of the anarchists – whose response to this (though they claim – and are probably right – it wasn’t only their reponse) seems inappropriate (and most likely was – and highly so).
Also of interest is the credulity that the KKE statement on the other thread was greeted with on this site. Frankly it could be a contender for the first entry of a new feature – the stupidest socialist statement of the week.
Firstly there is the language – see “anarcho-fascist” which sounds so much like the Trotskite-fascists of yore (see May 1968) – like did they ever think that just might make them sound less believable – it certainly does to people outside of their milieu.
Secondly the central claim that Dimitris Kotzaridis was killed by anarchists is demonstratably false – based on hospital reports which were reported on in the media at the same time as the issuing of the statement (and there is a revealing side issue here that when a member of a KKE affiliated union dies as a result of police violence the KKE choose to focus on what?).
Given that these large parts of the statement are – without much questioning – overtly wrong or suspect you would think the rest would be subject to skeptical inquiry – instead the central thesis – that KKE/PAME were attacked by anarchists (who were hijacking the march, using it as cover etc..) is accepted as given. However a little digging reveals the KKE/PAME hijacked an entire square, pissed off a load of people in the process, and got into a violent conflict with a crowd all/many/some of whom were anarchists. Point being this is a physical conflict that involved at least two protagonists (actually more) not poor innocent KKE attacked by nasty anarchists.
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Any press statements from all the other unions with a gripe,would be helpful and clear. Up a few things.
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I’m not entirely sure to say that the KKE statement was greeted with “credulity”. There were a couple of members of the diminutive Irish Stalinist parties living vicariously through the KKE and some anonymous drive by postings with much the same angle on things. A mirror image of the Irish and British Anarchists on twitter taking at face value the versions of events pushed by various Greek Anarchist factions.
For the rest of us, well the KKE are well capable of using violence against others on the left to enforce their preferences. And the Greek Anarchists also have a pretty long record of violence against others on the left (including other anarchists). It’s very difficult for people in Dublin to really get a sense of the dynamics from utterly conflicting and fairly obviously unreliable reports.
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KKE have posted photos of the disturbance on 20 October which support their version of events. As with all such things people can quibble with the emphasis, but it does seem reasonably clear that the “hooded ones” are no innnocent flock of angels:
https://picasaweb.google.com/101959523373579315851/20102011RevealingPhotosShowingTheRelationsOfGroupsWithTheMechanismsOfTheSystem
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The KKE’s version of events is made all the harder to believe when they try and claim that Golden Dawn and left Anarchists were acting hand in glove. It’s just not true!
Still though the discipline and strength of the KKE/PAME always impresses me. I wish SIPTU would take a leaf out of their books and start offering some bloody leadership and talking about ‘class-war’. These are not dirty words and just because the SIndo may not like them doesn’t mean they aren’t right to use.
ONwards to a workers Greece!
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Does anybody on here support the use of petrol bombs against the PAME demonstration.
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I very much doubt it, HAL. But there was no shortage of supporters of the KKE giving other demonstrators “a clip behind the ear” (with clubs).
Basically, both the KKE and sections of the Greek anarchist movement have something of a record of using unjustifable violence against others on the Greek left. Throwing petrol bombs at other protesters is pushing it a bit even by the somewhat wild standards of Greek anarchism however.
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