[greece] The fire this time…

Yesterday a new labour law passed urgently from the Greek parliament. It
annules several fundamental labour rights as we knew them in Greece for
decades.

So after London and Rome, today, in Athens, Greece, at the General Strike, we had wild clashes between protesters and police.

See also: http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2010/12/15/451-images-15102010/

Striker arrests police

Yesterday a new labour law passed urgently from the Greek parliament. It
annules several fundamental labour rights as we knew them in Greece for
decades.

For example:
– Each business can make a special contract-agreement with it’s own workers,
*paying them less that it is required by the contract-agreement between
businessmen and trade unions of workers of a whole sector*. Practically the
agreements between businessmen and trade unions of each sector are annuled.
Practically there will be unions only (apart from the general confederation,
of course) at a level of each single enterprise (where the workers are fewer
and less powerful, than the total of workers in a whole sector of economy).
This will have an immediate effect at wages in the private sector.
– The provisional period of work is raised from 2 months to 12 months, 1
year. That means that a boss can fire a worker after 1 year without giving
hin any redundancy pay.
And several other harsh neoliberal changes both at the private and the
public sector.

They are maybe the wildest clashes since the “troika” lenders (IMF, European

Comission, European Central Bank) took over the control of the economy of
the country, this spring, because of the debt crisis. Although the
participants in the demonstration were probably less, the clashes were
harsher than those at the 5th of May demonstration (when 3 employees of a
bank were accidentaly killed by rioters).

Molotov bombs were thrown to the anti-riot policemen guarding expensive
hotels, close to the parliament. Similar attacks occured in many places in
the center of Athens. 2 police motorbikes were
destroyed<http://athens.indymedia.org/local/webcast/uploads/img_0248.jpg>.
An ex-minister (of the opposition right-wing party that ruled from 2004-2009
and destroyed the economy, while changing the statistics to deceive the
people and the E.U.) was beaten

by people who saw him in a street in the center of Athens. Workers and anarchists, returning from the demonstration, tried to occupy the offices of the General Confederation of Workers (which is controlled by well paid professional “tradeunionists” affiliated to the ruling “socialist”, but extremely neoliberal party), but were prevented by the anti-riot policemen.

The police made extensive use of chemical gases. (bought by Israel). Lots of people have been beaten.
Till now we don’t know the exact number of people arrested and injured.

You can see some images and videos here:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1237676

http://www.babylonia.gr/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1296%3A%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%B1%CE%B4%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE-%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%B3%CE%AF%CE%B1-15-%CE%B4%CE%B5%CE%BA%CE%AD%CE%BC%CE%B2%CF%81%CE<http://www.babylonia.gr/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1296%253A%25CF%2580%25CE%25B1%25CE%25BD%25CE%25B5%25CE%25BB%25CE%25BB%25CE%25B1%25CE%25B4%25CE%25B9%25CE%25BA%25CE%25AE-%25CE%25B1%25CF%2580%25CE%25B5%25CF%2581%25CE%25B3%25CE%25AF%25CE%25B1-15-%25CE%25B4%25CE%25B5%25CE%25BA%25CE%25AD%25CE%25BC%25CE%25B2%25CF%2581%25CE>

These were the second clashes of this week. Residents of Keratea, an area
outside Athens, are clashing with anti-riot policemen for 4 consecutive
days, protesting against a new waste dump in the area. Not only molotov
bombs but also gunfire (at the air) was reportedly used by the local
residents. The Greek Police *for the first time made use of a water-cannon
vehicle:

*.
Some photos ot these clashes here:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1236686
Meanwhile scores of prisoners are on hunger strike in Greek jails because of
the conditions there.

Please spread the word. Greeks (at least some ones) are resisting in different ways.