actual: 29 May, 2008
so there I was, waiting with some 20 other Athenians for the bus home. It's 4 pm and the bus just isn't coming. 10 minutes, 15, 20. People look impatient, flagging down cabs. They keep asking me (in Greek) where the bus is. I neighter know, nor know how to respond except to shrug my shoulders and hope they get the idea. I'm no bus god.
Suddenly, it's not just buses that stop coming around the corner, it's everything. The taxis, the cars, even the motorbikes disappear from in front of Stygtama square. That's odd. It's a major metro station, and borders the Greek Parliament building. Then we start hearing the chanting.
It turns out, I got to witness a full-fledged Greek student protest, marching down one of the busiest streets in Athens during a Thursday rush hour. I later asked another Greek why Thursday (in Britain they love protesting on the weekend), and he told me, "people have (fun) things to do on the weekend. On week days, they get to skip school or work to go protest." He also mentioned how great Easter is, because after the official religious holidays, the city gets further paralyzed by demostraters for several days on either side of May Day (May 1).
Anyway, I was there, and more than just a passive observer. With my trusty audio recorder in hand, I followed the march as it processed around the large square, past parliament, and back to Athens University where I presume it started. It was like most other protest marches I've seen: lots of people, large banners, chanting, etc. But it had a few special, Greek features. For example, when passing the park several young men with their shirts pulled over their noses (universal sign of hoodlum-ery) took hammers to the park corners and broke off large granite chunks, then disappeared back into the crowd. The police were nearby, but stayed in formation (riot gear on) and marched parallel to protest. Then people started stepping out of line to hurl the chunks at local businesses. I don't know if this was targeted (a link between the banks/stores hit and the government), or just random vandalism (I suspect the latter), but it was odd to watch. Odd because I'm accustomed to more passive protests, which this one closely resembled, except for this small cadre of radicals (who were cheered on by the rest of the crowd).
This was too interesting to let go, so I stayed with them awhile. Unfortunately, those police stayed with us as well. Ostensibly they were keeping the protest from getting out of control, but they also served as a target for eggs, water bottles, and more rocks. I quickly realized that the worst place to be was between the cops and the protestors, so I went down a block to get ahead of the action. That got me to Athens U before the protest, and then something really weird happened.
It just stopped.
banners came down, chanting stopped, but the people just milled around. They slowly started drifting off, breaking into niches of friends and accomplices. I could tell by their demeanor that they were very happy with what they'd accomplished, and you could tell who the individual ring leaders were as they continued espousing their convictions to whatever small crowds gathered around them, but this wasn't revolutionary zeal, it was youthful self-righteousness, and I was surprised to differentiate it so easily.
Some groups tried to get the fire back, a local man in a suit (with a Greek flag lapel pin) approached the group to argue with them. That was exciting. By that time, local TV and photo crews had arrived to film this one middle-aged man arguing with a crowd of thugs. I didn't realize TV was there until I turned around, and saw all of them forming up a vanguard near the police, and me again in the middle. I casually ventured off to the side.
The argument continued, flairing up and down. The hot heads kepts approaching the man with threats and arm jestures, but some of the less radical students kept stepping in to separate them. What was funny (in a certain way) is that for all their bluster, the radicals were always the ones turned back by their peers. The man in the suit had no reason to back down. He was just talking, and he had a phalanx of police behind him if things turned violent. I'm not saying I would be doing the same in his place, or even that he was actually "safe" at all, but he played that bluff for all the chips. Finally, the argument headed rapidly in my direction, and an old woman nearby stepped in to ask the man in the suit to go home, which he did.
The students continued mulling about, no longer with any direction of what to do, and no apparent desire to get back to class. A few clashes broke out as the individual gang leaders argued over who was more effective, or some such squabble. Then it was quiet. Another afternoon on campus with smiling youth and their anti-establishment clothing.
What really struck me about it was two things: 1) I have no idea what they were protesting, but given the attitude of the other Athenians, I'm pretty sure it wasn't all that important. 2) Other than wasting time, shutting down traffic, and breaking about a dozen store-front windows, they didn't accomplish anything except to make themselves feel important.
I'm fully aware of the necessity and power of demonstration, but I'm being especially harsh here because I recognize a lot of these same motivations in myself. When things aren't the way they should be, we want to protest, we want to lash out because it feels like there is nothing we can do. But lashing out doesn't do anything either. It's a dangerous cycle in national politics, especially here where even the timid protests involve violence. On a personal level, it needs some more thinking. I'm a big fan of "fixing" things, but I'm not sure how to deal with things beyond my ability to control, especially larger social issues. I passionately feel certain things are Right or Wrong, and I make a point of being informed and having an opinion on a great variety of subjects, but what else? Often, I just ignore it. I could write my senator or join a protest organization, but what does that ever accomplish either? I'm still too young to be comfortable with my own powerlessness, so I keep ignoring these things. Well, I'm not coming up with a solution today, just something to think about.
After the protest I hit an internet cafe, and got myself all booked with travel and lodging for the week ahead. quick itinerary (posts coming) for where I am after leaving Athens:
1-4 June Thessaloniki
4-9 June Istanbul (with Jordan)
9-11 June Izmir/Selcuk/Ephesus (with Jordan)
12 June Riga, Latvia
13 June Tallinn, Estonia (start 2 week SCI youth summer camp program)
So that's where I am, what I'm up to, and where I will be.
All the best (And thanks for the patience)
Weber (on the lamb)
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