Greeks at a financial dead-end following a series of measures.

During the past months Greeks have seen a reduction on their income or even its complete disappearance due to the growing unemployment. The financial strength of Greek families is shrinking at a fast pace while a recent series of economic measures and new taxes are also added to the list of nightmares Greeks are faced with, bringing them at the edge of financial catastrophe.

Public servants are faced with cuts of 20%, over and above the previous 15% reductions, employees in the private sector with 15% while pensioners are preparing for an additional 4% cut, in addition to the previous 10% reduction. The non-taxable income gradually fell to 5,000 euros, from a previous 12,000 per annum, automatically increasing tax charges for all.

A special tax charge was added to the recent unexpected household expenditure, with almost immediate effect, as it is due to be paid by the end of September. Property owners are also expected to pay an additional levy, which will initially be charged on their electricity accounts. Let us also not forget the recent VAT increase on a series of consumables, the increase on the price of heating oil as well as that on the annual vehicle license fees.

Strikes and demonstrations are now a daily occurrence in Athens and other Greek cities while the battle for survival is becoming a reality for many.

Greek indignants return

A new gathering of the Greek indignants took place on Saturday the 3^rd of September at Syndagma square. The call was for 18:00, at which time an estimate of 2,000 people had gathered in the area - some in front of the Parliament and others at the square - a number which rose with time reaching an estimated 10,000.

Walking through Amalias street, you could witness a rather striking silence and a discrete police presence with no sign of the usual barricades around the Parliament building. A large Greek flag was held horizontally by four people, in an area previously closed to access, while Loukanikos, the riot dog, was enjoying the attention from the crowd and photographers. This time the air was clean of chemical gasses, however most had a surgical mask in their hands.

Just after 21:00 the regular peoples’ assembly commenced. About an hour into the meeting some noise was heard from the top of the square coming from the Parliament. The noise sounded like people shouting, and was almost instantly followed by two stunt grenades.

Having no visual of the situation, I started walking towards Amalias street, where I realised that the riot police had now formed a line at the top side of the square. I assumed that people were moved from the area, as the road previously accessible was now guarded and the crowd had gathered closer to the square.

And than I heard a priest chanting! I instinctively turned to my left to locate the source of the sound. A priest was standing in front of the Parliament with a loudspeaker, later also asked to move away. I could sense a kind of tension in the atmosphere and moved further down the street, trying to maintain visual contact.

Minutes later the riot police entered the square, where the assembly was still taking place and people started moving to the surrounding streets. It was later published that seven arrests were made for obstructing the flow of traffic and three for attacks on police. 

Fires - the annual environmental sore

It is somehow almost expected that high temperatures, negligence and even arson are the cause of destructive fires each summer. This expectation once again sadly materialized this August, with a series of wildfires reported in several parts of Greece. August is a difficult month, as strong north winds evident at this time of the year, build the grounds for adverse weather conditions which can rapidly spread flames.

I can still recall August 2007, when a stream of fires ravaged a significant portion of forest, left thousands of people homeless and claimed human lives. It is rather hard to forget the night flying over the Peloponnese, on the way to the island of Kefalonia. Although the high altitude had diminished the size of the raging flames, one could easily imagine the size of the disaster. One of the most affected regions that year was the Peloponnese, displaying perhaps one of the largest disasters with great impact to both the environment and the economy of the region.

I found myself in South Peloponnese again this summer, witnessing the scars of the past, as well as nature’s efforts to recover and people’s attempts to get back to a normal life. They had managed quite well, and for one minute I thought how this beauty could flourish, if the disastrous rage of August catastrophes would not strike again. But this sad story repeats itself, resulting in extensive environmental damage, burning properties and infrastructures and even threatening human lives.

Hephaistos, the ancient Olympian god of fire, once again claimed a life of a courageous mortal. The Peloponnese was recently the stage for one more tragedy. That of the 49 year old Konstantinos Kastris, Head of the firefighters in Gythio. He was the first firefighter to have lost his life in the line of duty since 2007.

The problem of forest fires remains unsolved, not just in Greece, but in many areas of the Southern part of Europe experiencing hot and dry summers, while illegal construction developments seem to flourish on the remains of what once was a forest. As fires are still burning in various areas of the country, one can only hope that it will be the final act of this vicious annual scene. One can only hope that ecosystems, desperately begging for the development of forest protection and rehabilitation plans, will be heard.

Crisis forces companies and Greek nationals abroad

The summer vacation is almost over for most in Athens, who are now gradually returning to the city. Following their low budget summer break, most to family homes, the Athenians are returning to the reality of the economic crisis, unemployment and, of course the upcoming measures that will be taken during the months to follow.

September is expected to be a difficult month, as, following the end of the summer period, those who were temporarily employed in tourism will also be affected by unemployment, whilst further cuts will take place in the public sector. ELSTAT’s forecast expects the number of the unemployed to reach one million in 2012. A recent research by the ALBA Graduate Business School also shows that one in three private companies is expected to reduce staff while one in five companies is planning to reduce salaries.

If the above scenarios materialise - as most say - Greece will be brought back to the 60’s, when Greeks were emigrating seeking employment. Young professionals are thinking of leaving a country faced with a difficult economic situation, while Greek-owned companies transfer their headquarters elsewhere (more than 1,500 transferred to Cyprus) due to the ongoing economic crisis.

At the same time, in view of the upcoming visit of the troika, Prime Minister George Papandreou, at a Cabinet meeting held on Thursday, stressed, according to reports, the need to continue reforms.

‘Divide and conquer’ – The rule applies even in today’s economic crisis

Video published by the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce

The arithmetic operation of Division - the action of separating something into parts -applies in numerous areas of our life. In politics and sociology, ‘divide and rule’, also known as ‘divide and conquer’, is a combination of various strategies aiming at gaining and maintaining control by breaking up existing structures and preventing alliances of small power groups. The term is derived from the Latin ‘divide et impera’ and the strategy itself has been used, historically, in many different ways.  

This mathematical rule is a psychological operation which divides through distracting public opinion. It can be applied in cultural, social, ethical, economical and political scenarios and can become a vicious cycle with the power to form and manipulate people’s attitudes. It highlights or even creates differences amongst groups, people or nations and progressively shifts focus on issues of secondary importance, rather than the fundamental issues which are truly significant for our lives.

Politics, religion, race, wealth, sexuality, social class, ethnicity and so many more controversial issues which separate people are sometimes amplified to an extent of creating fear. Cultivating animosity, isolation, even war, in the name of the differences which separate us and the fear created by them – the fear for each other.

From late 2009, fears of a debt crisis concerning some European states developed. In early 2011, the crisis resurfaced, concerning mostly Greek national debt, with Portugal, Ireland, Spain and Italy also been at risk. The Greek debt crisis made the headlines and shifted the focus from a general European and perhaps international perspective to a local national phenomenon.

A series of explanations were debated upon and a negative impression of the states at risk and their people, inevitably redirected discussions to the anger and controversy required for the ‘divide and rule’ strategy, easily isolating them, until the next one comes along. Focus was shifted from the influence of the banking sector, interest rates, markets, management, business deals and interests which can affect the economics of a country, to a series of scenarios – most far from reality – which can create confusion.

Let us also not forget that, a serious crisis can not go to waste, as it offers immense opportunities for reforms that the general public would normally reject. At the same time emergencies offer the grounds for quick decision making, based on fear. Lastly, a spice of scenarios leading to myths and criticism, completes the recipe for a catastrophe!

Meteor showers and August full moon offer grand spectacle

Tonight is our standard annual appointment with the Perseid meteor shower, which starts from mid July and reaches its peak on August the 12^th. An average of 100 falling stars per hour, actually the debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, which meet with the Earth’s atmosphere, are about to offer a spectacular demonstration of the beauty and power of nature.

The Perseid meteor shower is named after the constellation Perseus, located at the same point of the night sky where the meteor shower appears to originate from. The meteor shower will be followed by tomorrow’s August full moon, giving the observer the opportunity to temporarily remove himself from the daily routine and invest in the stock market of dreams.



Homeless & unemployment figures rise in Athens

According to the Eleftherotypia newspaper, and based on the figures of the homeless center “Klimaka”, by the end of 2010 the homeless in Athens had reached 20,000. Most with no psychological imbalances or any form of addiction to drugs or alcohol, now live the nightmare of the economic crisis as they were found unemployed at the critical age between 40 and 55.

The figures of the National Statistics Service show that unemployment in Greece reached 15,8% in April 2011 and one month later, in May 2011, escalated to 16,1%.  
The total number of Greeks out of work is 811,340.

Following the publication of the above figures and the daily evidence of employment uncertainty, concern rises and talks about the situation infiltrate conversations. These are the people next door. Those who led a normal life some months ago, most with a 9-5 job, a house and a car or budgeted for the studies of their children.

Walking the streets of Athens you may become a witness to a well dressed mature man in his desperate efforts to locate a meal in a rubbish bin, a lady at an afternoon collection of vegetables from a pavement, after a street market or hear peoples concerns about an uncertain future - evidence of the country’s economic crisis turning into a social one.

The tale of Syndagma square

At approximately 4:00 a.m. on Saturday July the 30th, the tents and banners used for the ‘Indignants’ protests, were removed from Syndagma square, by municipality staff and the police. Eight people were arrested in the process.

The camp was set by demonstrators at the square since the 25^th of May where thousands protested on a daily basis against government policy. Demonstrations span across most major Greek cities in the months to follow. Four days later, the protesters in Thessalonica also removed the tents in their own accord, whilst maintaining the operation of their infrastructure.

Behind these protests lie the stories of a society in distress, angry with the political system and the situation in their country. Their thoughts are expressed at the people’s assemblies, where Greeks of all ages and from all walks of life discuss the current situation, forward their proposals and vote by a show of hands.

In these meetings it is evident that these people are not actually protesting against the austerity measures resulting from the bailouts, but - as they say - because they do not want the bailouts at all. They perceive Syndagma square as a form of resistance to what they call “a financial occupation” and believe that the additional loans can only result in a further increase of the debt, bring further cuts and even pose a threat to the national sovereignty of Greece.

Following two days of violence in the streets in front of the Greek parliament, almost one month prior to the eviction, on the 28th and 29th of June, the incidents reduced the number of protesters. It was when a 48 hour general strike was announced, when the Greek Parliament voted and approved the austerity measures.



 I remember arriving at Syndagma at about 11:00 on the 29^th of June. The air around the square was already potent with a strong smell of tear gas from the night before and that same morning. Hundreds of thousands of people were flooding the streets around the parliament. People of all age groups, from 15 to 70 years old wearing gas masks, surgical masks or having a scarf around their face in order to bare the air. Holding a bottle of water I stood by the stairs of the King George hotel, at the side of the square.

  

It all looked peaceful at the time. Until just after 13:00, when a group of about 5-6 people with covered faces walked, in a fast pace, towards Amalias Street (in front of the Parliament building). Everyone knew what was about to happen. Although some demonstrators tried to stop them, more people with covered faces arrived from different streets, infiltrating into the crowd and walking towards the barricades in front of the Parliament. 

Minutes later the demonstration turned violent and huge amounts of chemical gases and stun grenades were thrown, dispersing the peaceful demonstrators in the streets around Syndagma. Struggling to breathe, I followed the crowd towards Ermou street. The police fired tear gas inside the Syntagma metro station, stormed Ermou street, Monastiraki and various other streets around the Acropolis and made extensive use of chemicals and stun grenades -  later criticised by Amnesty International. It was impossible to leave, as every street in Athens had become a warzone.

Violence and chemical gases continued for hours and about 500 demonstrators suffering from asphyxiation, burns and other injuries were seeking for help at the first aid center which was set up by volunteer doctors and medical staff. A total of about 270 people were also injured on the 28 June.

Despite the recent eviction of the tents, the assemblies continue to take place at Syndagma square, as well as other squares within Greece, whilst the demonstrators have issued a statement calling for a mass mobilisation on September 3.