”Oh Christmas Tree” the Greek Way

Youth Protests continue in Greece despite Christmas Holiday. Country receives negative publicity from international press
Athens.- Daily protests since the December 6 shooting, including riots, have thrown Greece into turmoil and have become a simmering anger about the conservative government’s handling of the economy, education, and jobs. World media give Greece negative publicity destroying the countryʼs image. The unrest is threatening the government’s hold on power, with some opposition groups calling for fresh elections. Stores and international businesses have been attacked, and at least 280 people have been detained by police. Of that total, 176 were arrested, 130 of them for looting.

Of the two officers involved in the death of the 15-year-old, one is charged with premeditated manslaughter and the other with acting as an accomplice.

On Saturday Protesters attacked a city-sponsored Christmas tree in Syntagma (Constitution) Square of Athens, tossing garbage and hanging trash bags from its branches before clashing with riot police. The crowd of about 150 clashed with dozens of police shortly after 4 p.m. after throwing garbage at the tree in the central Syntagma Square. Riot police used pepper spray on the protesters.

City of Athens once gained fame for hosting the tallest tree in Europe. The present Christmas tree, installed last week after the square’s first Christmas tree was burned to the ground on Dec. 8, the worst day of rioting, itʼs was declared as the best guarded Christmas tree in the world.

The Christmas tree protest had been advertised as part of a day of events in Greece and around the world exactly two weeks since a 15-year-old was shot dead by police.

Police said about some 1,000 people turned out for a demonstration in Hamburg, Germany. Bottles and an iron rod were thrown and police reported two arrests but no injuries.

A similar event was hosted in New York, in front of the General of Greece. Approximately 15 American anarchists protested. No arrests were made. Small protests took place last week in Boston and in New York.

In the northern city of Thessaloniki, a small group of self-styled anarchists occupied a cinema in the city’s main square and threw cakes and candy at Mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos and one of his deputies. The mayor was attending a Christmas-related event distributing the sweets to children with sickle-cell anemia, when the rioters seized the stand and threw its contents at the city officials.

Government officials and police have been hoping that, as Christmas draws near, protest fatigue would set in. An early afternoon “anti-racist rally” in front of the main Athens University building in the city center was attended by only about 30 protesters, according to eyewitnesses.

On Friday, thousands of youths demonstrated in central Athens as anger flared in the Greek capital following the shooting of another teenager. High school students protest in front of their school in the western Athens suburb of Peristeri. A group of youths targeted the French Institute, a language and cultural institute, and police scrambled to the scene to contain the incident.

The situation began heating up during a protest rally Thursday that followed the bizarre shooting of a high school student in an Athens suburb earlier this week.

The 17-year-old was hit in the hand by an unknown assailant as he was talking to a group of schoolmates in the western suburb of Peristeri. Initial police reports showed the student — the son of a leading trade unionist — was hit with a .38-caliber handgun.

Police said no officers were patrolling the region at the time of the incident.

A string of labor unions called on workers to march on Parliament Friday to protest the voting of the 2009 state budget, which calls for additional belt-tightening measures in response to the global financial crisis.

Student unions were also gathering to across the country to determine their course of action for the next few weeks.

At least 800 high schools and 200 universities remain shut as thousands of youths have seized the grounds and campuses in protest.

representatives of professors, teachers and University professors are determined to continue with their rallies in the beginning of 2009. Specifically, they decided to begin with a new round of rallies on 9 January, as 18 years ago Nikos Temponeras was assassinated on the same day.

Students have decided to hold a rally before the Education Ministry at 12:00 on 23 December, protesting to state violence.

In parallel, they will sing the carols to the Education minister. Similar events will take place in several parts Attica municipalities. The students’ coordinating body, which will meet again on 6 January, has taken the above decisions today.

Meanwhile, SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left) Parliamentary Group head Alekos Alavanos has asked the PM to accept the students’ councils and listen to them. His proposal came after his meeting with National Technical University of Athens Rector, who stated tension is abating.

On Monday the police will conduct a ballistics test on the spot where the 15-year-old student was killed in order to discover how the student had been shot by the policeman.

At the same time, students are continuing with their peaceful rallies in Patras in almost a daily basis, while a fresh rally will take place this afternoon.