[lbo-talk] Angry protests mar Oct. 28 ‘Oxi’ day parades throughout Greece; Thessaloniki parade cancelled

Charles Turner vze26m98 at optonline.net
Sat Oct 29 06:43:52 PDT 2011


This from the local Greek newspaper in Astoria Queens:

<http://www.greeknewsonline.com/?p=17879>

[snip]

"The Thessaloniki parade was due to begin at 11:00 a.m. but was prevented from starting by protestors shouting slogans against politicians, who appeared on both sides of Megalou Alexandrou Avenue and occupied the centre of the road near the officials’ stand, making it impossible for the parade to pass.

To the east were protestors from the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), including MP Tasos Kourakis, teachers, ‘indignant citizens’ groups and other unions shouting anti-government slogans. On the west side were supporters of the Iraklis football club and a group of citizens that started to hurl verbal abuse at the president as soon as he appeared, coming out into the road. They were soon joined by protestors on the other side and the parade was thus prevented from starting, in spite of a strong police presence.

Police took measures to prevent the protestors from approaching the officials present and, after 20 minutes of feverish consultations and despite Beglitis’ insistence that police clear the road so that the parade might take place, a decision was finally taken to cancel the parade and for officials to depart.

The school students’ parade passing in front of Parliament in Athens was also marked by protests, including by students taking part in the parade. The students of two schools turned their faces away from Education Minister Anna Diamantopoulou and other officials on the stand, refusing to pay their symbolic respects, while students from one school raised fists holding black ribbons as they passed in front the officials.

They were joined by the Athens municipality’s Philharmonic Orchestra, which had tied black ribbons of protest to all their instruments in spite of a threat from Athens Mayor George Kaminis that anyone choosing this form of protest would face disciplinary action and possible dismissal.

On the sidelines of the parade, meanwhile, hundreds of protestors shouted slogans such as “Bread, Education, Freedom: the junta did not end in ’73″ and banners displaying the infamous Nazi slogan displayed at the entrance of concentration camps “Arbeit macht Frei”."



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