Second Day of Protest Against the EU in Greece

Anarchists and Social Forum march on European Summit in Greece
Today we had a big action against the EU summit being held on the Sethonia peninsula at a super fancy hotel. Since most of us are staying in Thessalonica we had to take busses for two and a half hours. The anarchists had 14 busses and the Social Forum had 40 plus private cars. We caravanned together to Chalkidiki. It was unusual chartering busses to bring us to the riot. The anarchists had tons of big sticks with small flags and were mostly dressed in black and had gas masks and other equipment. We passed police with submachine guns on the way but arrived fine. The Social Forum had a whole series of speakers but the anarchist went ahead and rested on the beach. This was, after all, a beautiful tourist town and that’s why the EU meeting is being held here. Just down the beach we could see a wall of police. Behind that was a wall made of shipping containers (two high) going into the sea. Behind that was the giant fancy hotel holding the summit. Twelve police and navy boats were floating just off shore.
After waiting for hours we eventually set off. Local people led the march, then came the brightly colored Disobedienti group with foam armor, then a 1,000 person Black Block with helmets and stick walls along the front and sides, then the rest of the Social Forum with about 4,000 people. We marched down a narrow road and we could see riot police through the trees to the right. We arrived at a bridge guarded by lots of cops. The local people made a proclamation and the Desobedienti advanced. They climbed over a cement barrier and charged the police with an inner tube wall in the front. At the same time a few people threw paint bombs and some rocks. The police suddenly fired dozens of teargas grenades into the Desobedienti and the Black Block. People panicked and ran down a side street while the rest retreated. The police advanced but were slowed by hundreds of Black Block members with rocks and slingshots. Police tried to attack from the side but were driven back. Slowly everyone retreated as the police advanced down the road, from the right and down the hill on the left. A large barricade was constructed but tons of teargas pushed everyone back. The battle continued for half an hour as the police would shoot lots of gas and advance while anarchists would attack the police with rocks and slingshots. Occasionally police would attack from the side and there was a panicky atmosphere and many were badly hurt by the gas. The police caught at least six people and one was badly beaten by more than ten cops as we shouted –Batsi- Gourunia-Dolophonoi (cops-pigs-murderers). We were pushed back to the area between the beach and the restaurants. We rested a bit before the police advanced and there were again back and forth battles between rock throwers and teargas throwers. At the same time a group of communists tried to advance to the summit along the beach. The police stopped them and they tried to break through and hit the cops with sticks. The police fired teargas and chased them down the beach to where the rest of us were. Finally we decided to leave but had to pass the communist KKE (Stalinists) who made fun of us. We went back to our busses and returned to Thessalonica.
Responses to the demo were mixed. Most commented on the strength of the gas and how the police had massively attacked us. We were glad to have an action very close to the actual meeting. The best part was that so many groups worked together. This is not so normal in Greece but everyone but the KKE was able to work together.
Tomorrow are more demonstrations. The anarchists will start early and have a smash demo that leaves the university and heads in a direction unknown. At 5:00 the Social Forum will march to the EU House and the US Consulate. The KKE has vowed to block their path to that area and some Social Forum groups and the anarchists may fight them. The police will also be attacking.
So keep tuned.
More info can be found at thessaloniki.indymedia.org and athens.indymedia.org but they are both off line right now.

BACKGROUND
Why fight the EU?
While many in the US may not see the problems of the EU and may see it as a lesser evil than the US government, its problems are numerous. It is an institution that was carefully constructed, like the WTO, to insulate the rulers from the people and still claim to be democratic. While EU citizens vote for the European Parliament, the real power is held by the European Council and the European Commission. These bodies are appointed by heads of state and the European Parliament is only able to make proposals and has no veto power over eventual laws. The European Parliament will not participate in the summit, because they don’t actually make decisions. The European people have lost power to an institution. The EU has become a huge bureaucracy in Brussels. Local people should be solving local problems. All governments are bad, but centralizing power is far worse.
The EU was formed from three financial unions, which joined in order to be able to make more money. Its goal seems to be to gain world economic power using the new Euro currency in order to be more competitive with the US. Large European corporations have become the main winners. They ship their products across borders at will while local producers are pushed out of business.
Some countries, primarily Germany and France, dominate while claiming that all are equal. Now the EU is set to expand from 15 to 25 countries. The new members will be primarily Eastern European countries, politically and economically weak. So far in the EU the richer countries have become richer at the expense of countries such as Spain and Portugal. This will continue as more poorer countries are added. This situation is basically a NAFTA for Europe and the EU is actually expanding to compete with NAFTA and the upcoming FTAA. The EU deceptively uses the strategy of capitalism with a human face. Thus, unlike NAFTA, EU citizens can live and work in any EU country. As poor countries have joined, thousands have moved to richer countries in search of a way to survive. This is not a real solution to inequalities of wealth.
Militarization is also a key feature. The new Rapid Deployment Force is being built up to compete with the US armed forces. Its budget was just raised from 24 to 27 billion a year. Centralization of the police and the expansion of their powers to all of Europe, has led to a loss of local control and oversight.
The EU passes laws that affect millions of people in very diverse situations. Blanket laws will worsen conditions in many countries. It is difficult to oppose new laws since they have to be opposed on a EU wide level. As a governing body the EU is very centralized while unions, NGO΄s, activists and civil society groups are divided by region. The EU has imposed many huge infrastructure projects that damage the environment. These projects are often opposed by local people and even sometimes the governments of countries where they are built. This one country opposition does not necessarily affect the EU bureaucracy at all.
This year’s summit will be in Greece. The government of Greece is supposedly socialist but every day it becomes more conservative. It has been in power for eight years and will continue its neoliberal programs. Also the political situation of Greece has been massively affected by a seven-year dictatorship in the 70΄s that was supported by the US. Greece is now preparing for the Summer Olympics, to be held next year. Public space has been taken over and homes threatened with demolition to make room for the games. One of the only parks in Athens was recently fenced in, restricting access, and cameras and guards will soon be in place. On Saturday, June 14, people tore down the fences for the third time and rioted when police tried to stop them.
The EU summit’s main topic is immigration and new members. While EU citizens are free to move about, the EU has worked tirelessly to strengthen its exterior borders to refugees and economic migrants. This situation is called Fortress Europe by many. Before the EU a refugee could attempt to get to the country of their choice before asking for asylum. Now they are forced to do so in the first EU country they get to. The newly joining Eastern European countries will become a buffer for the richer Western countries. Thus, refugees who speak the language of their former colonial masters will not be allowed to claim asylum in these countries, but instead in places like Poland and Hungary. Forming a single centralized database of immigrants is high on the EU΄s list of priorities. The European Union’s freedom, welfare and democracy policies don’t have enough room for everyone.
So many will protest. This world is ours and we plan to take it. On Thursday, June 19, we will march through Thessalonica for rights for all immigrants. On Friday we will take busses 80 miles to the Chalkidiki Peninsula to try to enter the Red Zone and have a chat with the EU bureaucrats to discuss what kind of world we want to live in. On Saturday we will again be in Thessalonica with huge marches.
Greece is not a country known for non-violent action. Violence on the part of demonstrators and police is expected. Protestors are preparing, but thousands of police and soldiers have also been mobilized to make sure the bureaucrats sip their cocktails and not ours while they dominate the planet. Police may also take pre-emptive action as they have at other EU summits. People in other parts of the world should think about planning solidarity demonstrations if the situation gets too bad or if protestors are killed.