February 2011 On 23 February 2011, there was a recurrence of violent protests and strikes, involving up to 100,000 people as German Chancellor
Angela Merkel called for a renewal of the loan programme to Greece that had been conditioned on fiscal tightening. The measures adopted by Greece were considered harsh by the protesters.
"Indignant Citizens Movement" (May–August) May , the plaza in front of the
Greek parliament, 25 May. information kiosk at Syntagma Square, 31 May. On 25 May 2011, peaceful demonstrations started in Athens and other major cities, protesting the new austerity measures proposed by the government, in the same spirit as the
2011 Spanish protests. The demonstrations include most major Greek cities:
Athens,
Thessaloniki,
Larissa,
Patras,
Volos,
Rethymno,
Tripoli and
Kalamata. The demonstration in Athens is coordinated by the Facebook page "Αγανακτισμένοι Στο Σύνταγμα" (Indignant Citizens at
Syntagma). Currently, it is reported that over 90,000 people have registered on the page, and thousands (reportedly over 30,000) The demonstration in Greece's second-largest city,
Thessaloniki, is co-ordinated by the Facebook page "Αγανακτισμένοι στον Λευκό Πύργο" (Indignants at the
White Tower), and over 35,000 people have said they would 'attend' the protest. Some of the most popular slogans at protest on 25 May were: • Error 404, Democracy was not found. • I vote, You vote, He votes, She votes, We vote, You vote, They steal. • Greece, your turn has come, you have to stop burying your children! • Oust! (Greek interjection of a negative nature, meaning "leave") • The maid resisted. What do we do? (Reference to
sexual assault claims involving former IMF director
Dominique Strauss-Kahn) a big banner was raised in front of the Spanish embassy in Athens reading "¡Estamos despiertos! ¿Que hora es? ¡Ya es hora de que se vayan!" (We've woken up! What time is it? It's time they left!). There was also a strong sense of disapproval for the
Prime Minister of Greece,
George Papandreou, and the vice-president of the government,
Theodoros Pangalos. The demonstrations continued nationwide for a second day on 26 May. Despite heavy rainfall in central Athens, reportedly over 14,000 people The media reported that half of the people gathered at
Syntagma Square in Athens were youth, whereas the other half were over 40, including families and children. Additionally, a number of people were
banging pots and pans. Although the demonstrations in Thessaloniki were visibly smaller on 26 May, with around 2,500 people participating, competing with a major football game between the city's two major teams and the shops and markets open until late that evening. Demonstrations continued for a third consecutive day on 27 May. Thousands of people gathered in front of the Greek parliament, again in heavy downpour, joined by the "I'm Not Paying" movement. As a means of protesting, people wearing white masks formed a human shield around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Syntagma Square. On 27 May, the proceedings of the first
people's assembly on Syntagma Square were published by the
Real Democracy Now! movement. Among them: • Any corrupt politician should either be sent home or to jail. • When we, the people, start discussions without fear, fear grips them, inside the parliament building. • This is not just the politician's fault. It's all our faults, with our selfish attitudes. • Demonstrations should take place every evening at 6 pm and an
assembly at 9 pm. • Their democracy guarantees neither Justice nor Equality. • The taxation system is not the same for the rich and the poor. Equal rights for everyone. On 28 May, demonstrations continued with at least 7,000 people gathered in front of the Greek parliament. A number of new flags appeared, including those of
Tunisia,
Argentina,
Armenia and
Hungary. At least 20 people set up tents in the square. In Thessaloniki a cycling race was organised as part of the demonstration. All across the country the movement was becoming more organised, media reported, with teams of doctors, translators, and food supplies set up by the protesters, especially at Syntagma Square, which had turned into the main protest center for the country. It was estimated that the demonstration in Athens alone attracted more than 100,000 demonstrators in front of the Greek parliament, while others put the estimates around 80,000. Demonstrations included people of all ages and financial backgrounds. The oldest person at the demonstration was a 102-year-old grandmother looking after her granddaughter, who also spoke at the
people's assembly in support of the demonstrations. An estimated 10,000 people gathered in front of the
White Tower of Thessaloniki in Greece's second city, and demonstrations were also held in many other Greek cities. Some of the most popular slogans that were heard on 29 May were "the worst form of violence is poverty" and "a magical night, like in Argentina, lets see who gets in the helicopter first!", a reference to
Argentine President Fernando de la Rúa's resignation and escape from the presidential mansion using a helicopter in 2001. • Adoption of a new constitution, written by the people and not the members of parliament • Refusal to pay debt which members of the movement consider to be
odious • Cancellation of the memorandum signed between Greece and the
International Monetary Fund • Harder taxation on the rich. 30 May saw continued demonstrations in Athens and other cities around Greece, although visibly smaller than the demonstrations of 29 May. More than 4,000 people demonstrated in front of the Greek parliament on 30 May, with some sources claiming that over 10,000 people were present. The demonstrators also set up a set of
gallows in front of the parliament, demanding that those responsible for the crisis be sent to justice. Over 30 tents were set up in front of the
White Tower of Thessaloniki in Greece's second-largest city, where a direct democracy style
people's assembly took place every evening. The demonstrators surrounded the Greek parliament, making it impossible for MPs and workers inside the building to exit. Finally, the officials were forced to escape by boat, as the restaurant was near the harbour. This time they were also joined by the Society for the Protection of Citizens by the Arbitration of Banks, 5 June was set as a second day of pan-European demonstrations and marked the 12th continuous day of demonstrations. It is estimated that well over 200,000 gathered at Athens'
Syntagma Square that evening to protest against the government. Some sources put the number of people in front of the parliament to over 300,000 while the organizers claim that over 500,000 people took part in the demonstration, At the
people's assembly a direct connection with
Madrid's
Puerta del Sol was made via
Skype. Some tension occurred on 5 June, as protesters were prevented from heading towards
Syntagma Square by riot police, which had put together large metallic barriers to close off streets. The walkout led to the freezing of a number of public services. The police attempted to evacuate Syntagma Square of protesters, as well as other key protest points in Athens, by driving through the crowds on motorbikes and throwing
stun grenades while making extensive use of tear gas. Media mentioned that the police used unnecessary violence against protesters. Doctors at the infirmary set up at Othonos Square said the police had attacked them using stones and pieces of marble. Following almost two days of violence in the streets in front of the Greek parliament, the Greek TV channel
Alter aired a video with claiming that it was showing members of the
riot police co-operating with extreme Right syndicalists. The Minister for Citizen Protection,
Christos Papoutsis, ordered an immediate investigation in the claims according to which the police collaborated with hooded neo-Nazis . as shop fronts were vandalised by hooded youth. Finally, it had been proved that there was no cooperation between Greek police and the extreme Right syndicalists, but in fact, it was a group of anarchists that had attacked the Right syndicalists and the police had to intervene to end the clashes. Three of Greece's most famous hotels located on Syntagma Square were forced to evacuate their guests and personnel in view of the uncontrollable situation, something that the media say has not happened since the
events of December 1944, which started the
Greek Civil War. The crowds demanded that the
Greek Orthodox Church help Greece in this time of crisis and accused the clergy of receiving oversized salaries. Demonstrations also took place in Greece's second city,
Thessaloniki. , an insulting gesture in Greek culture, is extensively used in the protests.
July Protests across the country continued in July, marking 5 weeks and 2 days of protest on 1 July. Despite the fact that the austerity measures had been passed, a large crowd, but smaller than on previous days, gathered in front of the Greek parliament to protest peacefully on 2 July.
August The sit-in at
Thessaloniki's
White Tower Square held throughout July and early August, until the municipal police evacuated the square of all protesters that had camped inside on 7 August 2011. The police said that the protesters were in violation of various archaeological and environmental provisions, following the intervention of a local prosecutor; He added "movements without ideology and organization, that is to say movements based on anger, can only lead to either an ineffective release [of tension], which at the end of the day is of no interest to the political world, or pave the way for an undemocratic change of regime by organized minorities". He further added that not only does the Indignant Citizens Movement have a clear ideology (even if it is a "technology trend" as Pangalos described it), but that it also "reflects the real needs of the Greek society". Following the blockade of the parliament by angry citizens on 31 May, which prevented the MPs inside from exiting the building, and also after the angry reactions against the MPs when they were allowed to exit (such as the throwing of empty water bottles, fruit and other objects), the deputy Minister of Education said "I understand that the Indignant Citizens Movement is not a threat to democracy, but violence is, and I condemn it". She added that "in a democracy, violence should be prevented and not tolerated" and that "the majority of the MPs in parliament are young; they should receive the same treatment as old MPs". implying that a non-political movement will be ineffective and without results.
Alexis Tsipras, leader of the
Synaspismos radical left party and the first party leader to comment on the demonstrations, said that "no one has the right to make the people [silent], or tell them that they have no say in their country's future by means of a referendum". He added that the
Left should be supportive of the demonstrations and that "things are turning at a fast pace, and the people are waking up". On 2 June 2011, 16 parliament members of
PASOK publicly demanded of
George Papandreou that the parliament make a full report of country's current financial situation. This was caused by the forthcoming second memorandum voting, which
George Papandreou characterised as "urgent". In the early hours of 22 June 2011, George Papandreou and his government narrowly survived a
vote of confidence in the
Greek parliament, with 155 of the 300 seats voting in favour. On 28 June 2011, amid violent protests in the square outside parliament, the
Hellenic Parliament voted in favour of passing a new set of
austerity measures with a marginal majority of 155 seats in the 300-seat parliament. The measures themselves had attracted much criticism both from the Greek public and within the country's political scene. Between June and July 2011,
Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) went from a 156-seat majority to a 154-seat one, while
New Democracy also lost one seat. The allegations of
police brutality by Greek and foreign media The leader of the opposition,
Antonis Samaras, characterised the situation as almost that of a "parastate", Among the most important aspects of the constitutional reform will be the change of the functions of the Greek political system. The Greek government has said it will open up the discussion on constitutional amendment in September, both to the public and the media. Additionally, 95% of people asked said they had positive impressions about the movement. With the exception of
Skai TV,
Star Channel and Zougla Radio, which provided live coverage of the demonstrations in
Athens, media coverage of these events was relatively poor in the first weeks. Major Greek TV channel
Mega was forced to temporarily deactivate its Facebook page as thousands of people left negative and derogatory comments on the page because the channel did not cover the events of 29 May. The demonstrations did catch the attention of the
International Monetary Fund, and the spokesman of the organisation expressed "understanding" for the demonstrators. Additionally, the demonstrations have also been featured in
Euronews,
El País,
El Economista and
CNN.
Mikis Theodorakis, prominent Greek songwriter and political activist, especially during the years of the dictatorship (1967–1974), also expressed his support for the movement in an open letter addressed to the demonstrators. Famous Greek singer Giannis Kotsiras also expressed his open support for the initiative. Some members of the Greek clergy have also expressed their open support for the demonstrations, notably bishops Anthimus of Thessaloniki and Ambrosius of
Kalavryta.
Gallery image:Syntagma Square 'indignados'.png|Athens (25 May) image:Aganaktismenoi Larissas 30 May 2011.JPG|
Larissa (30 May) image:Indignados,Patras 5.JPG|
Patras (5 June) image:Aganaktismenoi Syndagma June 29 2011.JPG|Police barricade image:20110630 Syntagma Square after Demonstrations of Indignados Athens Greece 2.jpg|Destruction of 29 June (Athens)
Other protests in 2011 August On 23 August 2011, there was a demonstration by workers in the tourism sector. The Pan-Worker's Front staged a
sit-in at some of Athens' most famous hotels on
Syntagma Square, as well as the iconic Electra Palace Hotel in
Thessaloniki's
Aristotelous Square. various unions of the country's public sector announced they would go on strike. These include teachers, doctors, taxi drivers, customs officials and tax collectors, as well as
waste collectors working for the municipality of
Athens. Workers at the Swedens Urban Transport Organization (which includes the
Athens Metro) are considering going on strike as well. During the demonstrations police clashed with youth and made 10 arrests. Police are also investigating claims by journalists that they were assaulted by police officers. There were demonstrations in co-ordination with the
Occupy Wall Street movement on
15 October. Only 7,000 demonstrators, according to estimates by local media, gathered on Syntagma square in a peaceful demonstration. Further protests and strikes were organised for 19 and 20 October. The strikes in fact began on 17 October, when the seaman's union walked off the job for 48 hours, shutting down the ferry services between the islands. Customs officials who clear fuel refinery deliveries also held a 24-hour strike that day. The shortage of fuel and goods in the Greek islands due to the strike of ferry and fuel services has already begun to manifest itself. The second day of the protests was marked by clashes between members of
Communist Party (KKE) and hard-line protesters (mainly
anarchists) who tried to invade the parliament, resulting in the death of one KKE member. On 28 October (
a national holiday in Greece), protests occurred nationwide. In
Thessaloniki, where a national military parade is held annually, protesters prevented the parade from officially taking place the
President of Greece, who was forced to leave. In Athens, during the annual student parade, several schools turned their heads away from the officials present (which included
Anna Diamantopoulou, the Minister of Education), while of the members of the band of the Municipality of Athens attached black ribbons to their instruments, as if in mourning. while in
Patras protesters occupied the street where the scheduled student parade was to take place and shouted slogans against the officials present (which included the Minister for Defence).
November On 17 November, the annual day of demonstrations to mark the
1973 Polytechnic Uprising against the junta, over 50 thousand people marched in Athens, additionally demanding the resignation of the
Papandreau government.
December On 6 December, to mark an anniversary of the death of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, thousands of people marched on the Parliament building, throwing
Molotov cocktails at the police, who responded with tear gas. ==2012 protests==