
All photos were taken by M

"The State kills"


police tear gas

I know that some of you are worried by what is happening in Athens, indeed in Greece, right now. We are worried too. Not by the broken shop windows and burnt down bank branches though. We are very worried because we live in a deeply conservative society, under a deeply ignorant government, in truly desperate times.
I am a mother apart from other things, and when I think about my kid’s future, I am honest when I say that I don’t know if he is going to be able to find work to support himself, or make enough money to raise a family, or live in a decent house, or be entitled to a pension, which is too farfetched, since not even I will be entitled to that. Under the light of recent events I am not sure he is going to be able to go out with friends and not be in danger of being shot by the police, if he so much as throws an empty plastic bottle at their car.
I know this may alienate some of you, but I want to be honest. Progress does not come without revolt and strife, especially where human rights are concerned. State violence is fought with violence. People cannot just march on the side of the road so as not to disturb shoppers and cars. I do not want the people fighting in the streets to go back home. I want them to keep on fighting and I thank them for doing so. I do not want peace and quiet to come yet. It’s no time for peace and quiet yet. These people are not bored youth, or unruly teenagers. They are angry and young enough to do the right thing.
Of course there will be unnecessary destruction, because you can’t control feelings when people operate under such stress. However, it is not blind violence in its greatest part. There are targets: banks, big, expensive shops, car companies, multinational corporations.
I will be very sad if beautiful public buildings are destroyed. Most of you have known me for quite some time and you know I believe in beauty, as a means to a better life. I believe in beauty philosophically, as a human value. But even beautiful buildings are vessels, and when people are desperate, when people are starving literally and intellectually, then these vessels have no meaning either. The central Christmas tree was burnt down. It had no meaning either. It was going to be surrounded by little kiosks that –again- sell things to people who cannot buy them. Plus, Christmas is mainly for children and when the state kills children then you don’t really need Christmas, do you? Because a 15 year old child was killed by the police on the night he had gone out to celebrate a friend’s nameday.
I am going to say it once more: Unrest is necessary now. Change won’t come by throwing roses at policemen’s feet.
If you can read greek, go here, to people who say things better:
http://stroug.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post_09.html
http://histologion-gr.blogspot.com/2008/12/2008.html
English here:
http://histologion.blogspot.com/2008/12/riots-by-all-accounts-alexis.html
Tue, Dec 23, 2008
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