Long live to anti-government riots!
I wish americans did this years ago with Bush administration. No offence but I keep hearing from american patriots that from time to time it's vital to overthrow the government, but you actually never do that.

wow

love the green laser treatment... high tech!

Cher "European"
May riots consume your world and your country from now until the last ding-dong of doom.

I don't like violence, but that means ANY kind of violence. State violence is, by far, much more destructive and evil than this kind of violence. And I don't mean just police violence (this is the last of my concerns, actually). I mean wars, I mean oppressing Third World, I mean oppressing poor people at home, I mean protecting capitalism, protecting banks...

I don't like violence, but this kind of violence is NOTHING compared to State terrorism and capitalism working together.

Hi from Spain.

@vanderleun: the world is consuming right now, don't you know? States and capitalism are making environment and society unlivable.

We do routinely overthrow the government here in the U.S. We call them "elections."

RIP Alexandros Grigoropoulos

as always, fantastic pics...especially 25, 35 and 37

It's amazing how many protesters (totally legitimate in their actions) and looters (petty thieves mixing in the crowd) shouting against poverty are dressed in the latest (expensive) fashion, with many of the women looking as if they've just got out from the hair salon. In any case, the vandalism had nothing to do with the memory of the kid. Police could have stopped it, but they were never ordered to and so they just watched. The bottom line is that any decent Western government would have resigned under such circumstances, but not Mr. Karamanlis. He adores his chair and he won't leave it even if the whole of Greece burns. Pathetic.

Obscene to say the least. Personally I say its time to start using more force against the protesters. What are they fighting for? At this point, nothing. Destroying property such as other peoples cars and shops, city facilities and such is a blatant disregards for authority. It's time to stop being polite and push these people back.

'We do routinely overthrow the government here in the U.S. We call them "elections." '

It's sad American think democrats and republicans are ideologically different. This is obvious when analyzed in another country other than the USA, but I guess propaganda is too strong inside USA.

By the way, governments do not rule a nation. Corporations do. This is again obvious when analyzing bailouts.

Hi from Spain, just another sick capitalist nation full of propaganda...

the hand with the blood dripping says it all. Capitalism is at its end. The suicidal rope of capitalism is thintening more and more. I guess we're facing a lot more economical, famin related and socio-political riots all over the world the next years...
Strong pictures by the way! as usual...

To European:
You love anti-government riots . . . until they burn you home or your business or hurt people you love.

Wow, 5 comments in and two Euros have already found a way to loop this incident back to America/capitalism/war...

Stay on point, folks - a Greek child died, apparently for no reason. It's a tragedy.

Have some respect and find another forum for your anti-U.S. rhetoric.

Wow... that was one of the craziest sets of pictures so far. Keep em coming.

Considering Photos 24 and 25, the Terminator can't be far away...

This wasn't about the government. This was not a protest. This was mindless demolition of private property for which ordinary citizens had worked hard for years. This was an attempt to kill just like on pic No. 9 above.

And even if the Greek 15-years-old boy did not deserve death, those people on the pictures easily forgot that the boy attacked policemen with molotov coctail which can kill. And if somebody attacks with deadly weapon he must bear the consequences. One of these consequences is likely to be a policeman acting disproportionally due to fear of death.

Btw. it may be the case that the deadly shot was an accident, because ballistic experts found mortar residue on the bullet. But the people on the pictures do not care about the truth. They already decided that experts are lying. They decided not to take the boy's deadly attack into consideration. They decided that the vicious policeman intentionally murdered the most innocent guy on the planet. So let's destroy the living of other people.

All I can say is HOLY CRAP!!! Well that , and the girl in pic #7 and #34 are smokin hot.

"Have some respect and find another forum for your anti-U.S. rhetoric."

I think any kind of forum is ok to condemn USA as a terrorist State. It's an important issue, and it must be told. And it is certanly related to greek riots.

I don't like the police, and I never have, but I'm smart enough to know that while I don't like their job, most of it has to be done. I don't like being stopped and searched by cops just because of how I look, but I like being able to walk down the street without some schmuck taking my wallet just because he's bigger than me. Total anarchy doesn't work and is self-consuming, and always has been.

It’s a tragedy what happened to the boy, and that act needs to be punished, clear. Nobody is above the law, especially the executive, but this shit isn’t about the poor boy any more anyway. Peacefully demonstrating, public outrages, all okay. But setting fire to cars and shops of people who have nothing to do with it, endangering everybody by blocking emergency services and using a tragedy to push your agenda is simply stupid and plays into the hands of the fascists who use this crap to label the Left as dangerous.

“Sticking it to the man” and “taking back the street” with violence doesn’t work, has never worked and will never work. All those people smashing stuff up in Athens who label themselves righteous are nothing but becoming a distortion of the monsters they supposedly fight, and are ultimately do nothing but harm.

Wait, is this Anarchy spring break, or rioting over something meaningful? Too much violence on the part of the youth hurts their case... one photo of a kid with a flower followed by a burning policeman is contradictory.

@KesheR: "It's sad American think democrats and republicans are ideologically different". +10.
Take a look at who sponsored both McCain and Obama - same corporations.

chabba - so you're saying KesheR is wrong, and this is not the will of the Greek people overthrowing their government the way Americans should?? Maybe it was his condescending European tone, but he sure had me convinced!

The policeman should be given a trial in front of a jury of his peers, and if he is guilty then sentence him.

If the Greek government is corrupt, then use lawful processes to put an end to corruption.

As long as there is the rule of law, just laws, and the government answers to the people, there will be peace.

"And it is certanly related to greek riots."

What does the USA have to do with a Greek kid being killed by a Greek policeman followed by riots by Greek people????

I myself is a policeofficer in a small european country, I think these images are beautiful and scary on the same time.

No socialism inspired revolution has lead to anything but death, regimes and poverty. Young people, with no understanding of what created the wealth that they enjoi.

1) some people says violence doesn't work - well I say look at Autumn of Nations - the revolutionary wave in eastern block which coused fall of Soviet union. RIOTs definitely WORK!
2) And yes, riots is about destroying property and ultimately conquering the gov. buildings. As happend in Romania for example during Autumn of Nations. The point is persuade military and police to stand by people, which the romanians managed to do and overthrew communist government. Do you still think riots are pointless? Gov. must fear poeple! Not vice versa.

The "Halloween" movie theme music popped into my head when I saw #25.

WTF do these people hope to accomplish by yelling at and burning police?

Greeks can vote. Vote out the establishment. There's no king to depose.

The protests here are nonsensical. They will accomplish nothing but extending and increasing pain and suffering.

Anarchy? Communism? The youth clamoring for such things are doing so while enjoying the trappings of capitalism. They have no idea what they have or what they're asking for. Perhaps they'll soon find out.

I don't understand this violence. What will these destructive actions bring ? What is the aim of a man fighting against a policeman ? It is as stupid as racialists who fight against black people under the pretext that another black guy did something bad.
I don't understand this kind of violence and this gets me angry.
Why comparing the "violence" of capitalism and this violence ?
Is it an explanation ? Is it legitimate for me to break the car of my neighbor when I loose my job ?
You are on the wrong anger when you do this. The same way racialists do. Think and try to understand, instead to overreacting.

As good as it is to see people take to the streets for a cause with genuine passion the kind of looting and violence seen in Greece over the past week is totally counter-productive. I realise it's only a minority of the protesters who engage in pointless destruction but it garners the majority of the coverage. I could understand people turning their anger on government symbols but travel agents, private cars, etc?

The kind of protests which spark genuine change are those where violence is kept to a minimum and focus is placed on the cause. The recent occupation of the airport in Thailand is a good example. These protests in Greece are riots not change.

Look at photo #28.

These kids are not suffering. They are spoiled brats.

Debout peuple du monde !!!
Foutons leur sur la gueule à tous ces connards qui nous gouvernent ou qui profitent de leurs statuts pour s'en foutre pleins les poches...
Mais non, je plaisante. Il faut juste dialoguer avec eux... à grands coups de pompes dans le cul et deux doigts dans les yeux !!!!!

Enfin bref, merci pour ces belles photos.....

photos

How the hell much will it cost to fix all that mess? Idiot rioters like this 'having a bit of fun' only makes things worse for law abiding folk who have to pay to clear up the mess. One day when these kids are having to work and pay for things they'll realise that. But then some people never grow up do they..?

And hooray to comment number 7 from Josh; "We do routinely overthrow the government here in the U.S. We call them "elections."

And to Alan Taylor, I wish you a very Happy Christmas and a Successful New Year. I can sincerely say that The Big Picture is "the" internet site of 2008. Hat's off to you!

Spoiled brats indeed. I guess this is what the world is coming to. All this fancy talk about freedom and liberty and democracy means nothing if you in the name of "freedom", "liberty" and "democracy" give people the right to riot, destroy property, steal and wound.

I respect the young lad whose untimely death led to this violence. I do not, however, respect the people who are making a mockery of his memory by rioting and distroying everything in their path. Shame on them.

Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King changed the world without ever resorting to violence.

#16 is nice. A message of peace. Non-violence is the best path.

I live in greece. The only reason these people are rioting is because they want to. They are using the excuse of rioting against the police to cause mass destruction. They are accomplishing nothing. They are only rioting because they want to. It is sick. I'm waiting for the shopkeepers and bankers to pull out their rifles and start fighting back against the rioters. I bet that would put a stop to the rioting.

Is the guy in 29 sponsored by Nike?

Fantastic news journalism pictures, as always.

How can you even comment about what is happening in greece at the moment just by looking at the pictures... without even seeing the pig picture in general. Of course there are elections and you bet that this goverment is going down but the next one will be the same. 2 families have been running greece for the last 30 years. Many of these kids wear the latest fashion clothing and yes they don't suffer from poverty, but police violence, and total corruption in the goverment(s), along with prices going up dramatically in the past years but with wages remaining the same make up for a "no future" generation. They see that. They complain about it in peace. And the answer is violence, policement, & now death. What do you expect?

And where is Romania in the in these global economy? People in America can and will riot when we need to. Right now we don't need to. Even with all the bad policies we still control 15 trillion dollars of the world's economy. Other countries are catching up, but changes are being made here to stop that from happening.

Picture 21 says it all. This isn't a reaction to the killing of a youth, it is a desire by a bunch of emotion driven kids that have no sense of history nor life experience. Self absorptive people are taking over society. They demand their way and destroy what others have spent a lifetime building. They don't realize that if they sh*t on their own doorsteps, their house will begin to stink.

Off topic (sorry) : Will there be a " 2008 Best pictures of TBP" ? Or maybe 12 pictures, one for each month that make 2008 so special.
Thanks for your amazing website. I enjoyed every article.

I pray that some day we achieve enough growth in personal and governmental accountability that these riots are as unthinkable as other forms of violent forms of protest.

never underestimate the power of the youth to change the status quo

I wonder if all of these punks would of rioted if the molotov cocktail Alexandros Grigoropoulos threw killed the two cops. Don't get me wrong, police abusing power should not be tolerated, but citizens abusing cops should not be tolerated equally.

This is absolutely ridiculous and should not be tolerated. I would probably understand the students' cause, but this is the utmost worst way to go about displaying any kind of protest. Not only does it NOT WORK, but it isn't even showing much of their own bravery by torching innocent people's cars and burning policemen who are just doing their F*CKING JOB! Thats f*cking bullsh*t people. Get you sh*t together and don't f*ck around like this, it is dangerous to everybody and just makes you like a selfish, condeded, bastard/bitch that doesn't understand how to oppose the government peacefully. You are holding up your anti-gun signs, yet are throwing molotov cocktails at FIRETRUCKS for christs sakes?!!!!! Where is your sense of peace and respect? It would of been a much bigger thing for you to do to burn yourself in a crowd like that monk did years ago. burning other people isnt only evil, it is plain stupid.

I don't know why greek people cannot demonstrate friendly. I think the police man is punished for all the time, when you image his thoughts what he will have. The violent demos can change nothing. It happend, it's passed! The police man will get his punishment by the judges and he will always be the man, who shot a child! So PLEASE STOP THIS WAR!

As I understand it (and maybe someone in Greece can confirm it), the riots were started by Anarchists and Communists. It all started by the burning of Christmas trees and ornaments. It was well after that the the young man got killed which only perpetuated the situation. Interesting how Reuters never mentions the back story -- everybody is just a humble "protester."

Look at picture 21 again.

Hi from Greece,
The site is amazing, eventhough that we where there when these photos were shot. The murder of Alex was just the spark that ignited the whole fire which long know lurked inside everybody's heads. Unfortunately, our country suffers many more than just some riots and looting. Right after the WW2 every political party had its share in corruption and looting peoples money. We were used to this corruption and even played along to survive and evolve. Unless somebody has a political connection or is an offspring of a powerful dad, he/she can't find a job that pays more tha 500-600 euros/month. Most young people are doomed to seek for help and support from their parents until their mid 30s since the money are just not enough. In the meanwhile, they continuously watch the politicians give away bilions of their tax-money to their favorites and getting away with it (in Greece the members of the parliament are émmune to any allegations). It is not much different than some totalitarian regimes in Africa. This is a very dangerous mixture in the society. And it hopefully selfignitted. The media here fail to see the real reasons behind these events not because they are unable, but because they want to shape the common will and smother the whole thing since they are too funded by the governmental advertisment budget. All these destructions are minor compared to what has been stolen from us and to what will follow. I understand that in USA, which also faces a terrible economical crisis, people protest in a much more peaceful manner, but we are facing more fundamental problems. Thanks again for the amazing pictures.

People need not be hungry to march on the street. IN fact it is more honest to fight when you have something than when you have nothing to loose. The government is corrupt. The ellections will only bring another corrupted government. See most of governments around the world. Which of these cares for the people? Instead the government works for multinationals and increase taxes of the poorer while giving money to banks... If elections could change anything they would be declared illegal.
Some stats: 18.5 of young people in Greece are unemployed most of them holding university degrees. 20% of Greek people are under the average poverty level. This level for USA is 33%. Young people are on the streets demonstrating against a corrupt government and police brutality while defending a free education system.system. How do I know? I was on the streets as well protesting. Media are trying to depict people on the streets as hooligans. There are the hooligans of course, but that does not mean the people's cause is not just.

I the

Greece has a long history of cover-ups for police brutality / killing incidents. Greek police was never democratized after the fall of military Junta 30 years ago. Many in the police force are fascist and extreme-right wing people that take care their own. Last year a bunch of undercover policemen beat up a freshman student for no reason and in the trial a month ago they were found innocent. At first they claimed that the kid fell and heart himself (something ridiculously stupid if you saw the kid's hospital photos). a few days later a video was given to the media tha clearly shows that they are beating him up in the middle of the street.

Situation in Greek is a good and healthy example of how people are not afraid of their goverment. Violence is not good though.

They can't stand the way their goverment works - they fight against it and try to change things.

When people can not change things when they want to change them, because they are afraid or for any other reason, it is not a democracy they live in.

Here in USA for example, we are given at least a virtual opportunity to change things every 4 years, any other time we are too afraid to do anything but watch companies to screw everything up.

PS. There should be no real violence in those pictures for us Americans... how many people have we killed in Middle East... in vain. Just for profits.

It’s very sad about Alexander Grigoropoulos. My condolences to his family and friends.
But
IF it is true that this 15 year old BOY, was out at night with a group of young men, confronting the police (sounds like a gang to me) and threw fire bombs at the police, the police have the right to use deadly force to protect themselves. Arresting the officer and putting him in prison was a mistake. The other mistake was not shooting the violent protesters. Basically they are protesting violence by using violence. I know I don’ have to point this out, but I will. 99.9% of the protesters didn’t know Alexander. They just wanted an excuse to act like animals.

Picture 8: Bullseye!

It's amazing to read all those americans, usually really proud of having overthrown the british rule and countless other third world government, having fastidious double standards when rioters aren't pro-american.

I should also remember that USA supported the military dictatorship in Greece.

Very sad - I have yet to see anyone explain the underlying cause for all this anger - it certainly is not the terrible loss of one young man - accident or not.

The anti-American vitriol by some is amusing - I always see that as simple envy of our life here in the USA.

At this moment almost everyone thinks that these rioters are just spoiled kids who have nothing better to do but that is not true. There are the rioters and the looters (2 diferent things) and besides, they are not rioting just for the death of the kid but because of years and years of opression and decadence. I dont usually suport violence but this is not violence whem you compare kids with slingshots against cops with all theyre protections and "guns". Today the world sees this kids as mad and violent but certainly, in the future, this will be remembered as a great manifestation against the governments corruption and opression. Amazing pictures as usual.

It's a shame that all those deriding capitalism are ignorant of the bread lines of the CCCP and are ignorant of the poverty, suffering, and inequality of the communist nations currently operating.
It's a shame to see kids so unaware of the real world that they would attack those whose task is protecting them and destroy the property of their countrymen.
This type of violence removes the legitimacy of their cause. These are the actions of criminals, not protestors. Any attempt at wrapping these actions in altruistic motives is an insult to the intelligence of anyone that takes the time to sit down and look at both sides of the issue.

motive

a respond to 55...Noone threw firebombs to the police officers,there were several witnesses that night and video of the murder which can justify that..so don't lie with your right wing propaganda that usually government friendly media use.People did not only protest for Alexandro's death but also for many other issues that our society can't stand anymore=(poverty,unemployment,corruption,poor educational system) Look at the photograph of Alex if you see a murderer in that smile and in that age......it is far from obvious that you need help.

This is not about a child who got killed by police: As far as I read (I'm not greek) Its about unethical politicians. The mass media in Greece and here in Central Europe leaves this skillfully out of their coverage.

Violence is the wrong way. I don't support such protests.

Just... awesome! *-*

Powerful photoset. Nice job.

Comment 5 @ KesheR: The best way to protest is not violence but so many countries in the world achived their independence with violence and war, they have national days to celebrate about it. The events in Greece are not a revolution. They are just riots. This was a comment about violence. And I will agree that the worst kind of violence is the one we cannot see.

Comment 7 @ Josh: We have elections as well. Greek people are mainly stupid as american people are and most of the people are, including myself. We elect people that we think will change things just because they say so. And always seems that we 're choosing but in fact we 're not. Elections is the most brilliant thing ever. But capitalism and corporations found a way to skip that. Many citizens of the U.S. as far as I know, moved away from the USA during the 8 years Bush presidency. Many of them were politics and people of art and culture. Everybody wants the best for their country, for their fellow man and for themselves.

Comment 10 @ KD: The are shouting against poverty allright among many other things. Would you like them starve to death first to do so?

Comment 14 @ FreedomLover: As Johann Wolfgang Goethe said: "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free."
To you:
You love capitalist goverment... until they evict your home and your business and hurt your people you love. Check that they' re no "or"s, just "end"s.

Comment 15 @ BigBear: All the media around the world showed the Obama when elected president. The impact of US Presidency decisions to world are huge. But the US President is not the only factor but many others as well. On the other hand you can't always blaim others for the status of your own country.

Comment 18 @ chabba: The kid died in 6 of December was killed by a police officer in cold blood. Every witness said and testified that they saw the police officer shot in the direction of the kid. And the witnesses were common people. Not future protesters. And there was only one plastic water bottle and a bunch of swearing. The police officer later testified in few words that the kid was deserved to die without showing any guilt or remorse. There 's also a video in youtube that someone/s filmed the whole scene from an appartment in the neighborhood that the kid was killed, when he/she/they heard shouting. Unfortunately, you can't see the shooting clearly but you can see the two police officers and their movements. No molotov coctails or crowd attacks. They left just like contract-killers.
Nevertheless, the police from the beginning stated otherwise as always do. Is trully sad. I trully admire police officers. It's a tough job.

Comment 31 @ Gallier: You' re totally right. Here in Greece many can't understand why the goverment do things the way it does it without aftermaths. And that is what make the youth angry. All this violence is anger, which was spawned by many events.
Is totally wrong to say that all police-officers are bad - is simple-minded - but many police branches behavior as corrupted.

Comment 33@ Patrick Henry: Next time we will try to fit your stereotype for repressing masses.

Commet 37 @ Shradha: They were the best. Hope every nation had only one of such men. But the speeches and actions of those men weren't enough to change things. Both of them inspire many people to go out to the streets and claim their rights (and as far as I know it wasn's a so peacefull protest).

The last 4 to 5 days the riots are continuing mainly in Athens but the media are not showing anything or just say half of the truth, especially when the police attack unprovoked peacefull protesters.
The point is that the main greek society and especially greek goverment doesn't hear young generation' s demands.
The youth and people have lost their belief in greek justice, which turns a blind eye. Justice is not blind here in Greece. She is a bitch with bionic eyes. That's why young men are full with anger. Is not the child's death. Don' t be stupid. It is a whole series of events.
Just like in Paris. Two kids died in a chase with police and this was the spark that set the fire.

Love to all. Hoping for the riots soon to cease so we can take decisions under peace of mind.
Before reach to a decision, search for opinions of all sides.

The two major Greek parties are corrupt BUT every 4 years, when it comes to elections, they receive 80% of the total votes! Now there's a contradiction here, don't you think? The problem of the Greek society isn't the corrupt governments, it's the stupidity of the average Greek and his inability to see past his ego. The problem is that he prioritizes his personal benefit over the overall benefit.
Someone said that people get the governments they deserve. And he is totally right.
Concerning the riots, it's all about releasing the pressure. They managed to channel the anger into destruction of the properties of innocent people. Things will come to normal after a few days.

"37.Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King changed the world without ever resorting to violence."

Wrong. Martin Luther King Jr. had an entire movement behind him, some violent, some non-violent. To say that MLK achieved civil rights legislation in the USA by purely non-violent means is a fallacy. Gandhi's non-violent revolution was also supported by other groups that were fighting using violence as a means of resistance.

Learn your history before you go spouting tired cliches.

An election isn't overthrowing the government. It's just putting the same **** with a different face.

If voting changed anything, it would be illegal.

You have a remarkable newspaper! With the utmost pleasure I look it from Russia.
To all of readers hello from Russia!!

Markus grasped the essence of this.

Being a Greek doing my doctoral studies in the US, I noticed the way the media also here tried to isolate the murder of the young from the social phenomena that found expression right afterwards.

Wow in Greece police kill a kid and it is a nation riot. In America police kill a kid and it is just another day.

All these actions are driven by Communistic extremist groups and ultimately have nothing to do with the death of the young man ... his death only surved as an opportunistic situation to instigate this anarchy to overthrow the government ... in Melbourne, Australia the same thing happened December 14 - 3 police killed a 14 year old teenager ... the difference is that the Australian Media, government and people have responded by discussing the need to equip police with tazer guns instead of real guns a motion that needs to be passed through government ... peaceful really.

Picture 29 shows an anti-capitalist rioter hurling something while wearing a Nike t-shirt...some protester!

In picture 33 a rioter wears a professional gas-mask. Clearly he went downtown to riot and clash with the police and get into mischief. Peaceful protest for the death of Alexis my rear-end.
I was ashamed of the Greek police and the way they acted. Now I am ashamed of my country.

That's just the beginning.....

Tout gouvernement n'est qu'« une association secrète de voleurs et d'assassins », « toute législation est une absurdité, une usurpation et un crime ». C'est ce que démontre ici, en se fondant sur les principes les plus certains du Droit naturel, de la morale et de la justice, le juriste américain Lysander Spooner (1808-1887). Cet essai s'adresse aux victimes présentes des brigands appelés « chefs d'Etat », qui les rançonnent et les envoient à la mort en une tyrannie dont la prétendue « lé gitimité » ne repose que sur le monopole de la violence des armes.

My favourite is #20...A candle and a rose for a lost young soul...

Young useful idiots

Seriously, the Spainards that posted here, really really really need some lessons on economics.

A response to 61 (A Greek Citizen) from another Greek Citizen:

Do you like these pictures? Go to Iraq or Avganistan! I dont !!!

Do you want to fight the problems and the decision makers who created them?

Go to your Parliament Representatives that you voted for in the last 30 years and helped you and your kid find a job, burn their house and vote for a different representative next time.

Another Greek Citizen.

Great set of pictures. I saw the first picture and wondered how long it would take in the comment section for the name of Bush to pop up. Surprise! The first comment.
Whether its a protest in Greece or Macarthur Park, Los Angeles California, they allways start and end up the same way, people with a legitamite beef against THE Man get together for a protest, probably with peaceful intentions. Then just a few of the hooded rat bastard antagonist get in front of the crowd, start throwing rocks at THE MAN, THE MAN reacts, then the protesters react and all hell is unleashed. I am all for peacful protest, but if somebody on my side throws out a malotov caoctail, its time for me to go because nothing good is coming my way. Just my humble opinion

allowing the 'masses' to comment on news stories is a waste of webspace and only encourages the ignorant and the reactionary to spout their vile and often ignorant opinions to other ignorant and reactionary individuals unleashing a torrent of stupidity and hatred.

anything to sell ad space. foolish, very foolish.

There's nothing like witnessing the idiocy of a country.

the pictures are great (as always) but there are some inaccuracies and mistakes.

1. Picture 21: "A statue of Rigas Feraios, a Greek writer and revolutionary who died in 1798" Are you sure that this is Rigas Feraios? And why is he dressed like an ancient greek then?

2. Picture 5: The policeman who shot the kid, did not claim that the kids had thrown firebombs, but some stones and pieces of wood. The witnesses said that they were just shouting, Alexandros and his friends were curious so they went there to see what was going on, and then somebody threw an empty glass bottle. You have to mention both sides correctly, or nothing at all. But Alexandros was definitely not member of a gang...

As for the violence, I do not support the riots at any case. But I'm not at all optimistic, I don't think there will be any kind of solution. If the politicians continue to act as if they want to remain as long as possible stuck to their chairs and if the police tries to cover up the story (once again) the people will get angrier... I'm prepared for the worst :(

Send in the Spartans.

greek chicks are hot.....

You can see 2 different types here. Those who are protesting and then those who are rioting. Don't think they are one in the same.

The majority of pictures here show violence, fire, anger, tear gas......
But the truth is that what's really happening is the picture 28, or picture number 20. Every night young people are gathered in front of the parliament, and they protest, peacefully for a better future.
But you know, peacefull pictures don't "sell" . The media have to show you that in Greece a war is taking place, To terrify you. That's the way it is....

The Greek government must fall:

For mass human rights abuse and restrictions of freedom, especially religous freedoms.

For the repeated injustices, murders, and arrest of Greek citizens whos family does not originate from greece and people who are not a member the Orthodox Church of Greece.

For the arrest and brutal assault of protestors, including peaceful protestors.

For mass political corruption often resulting in violence or injustice

For the unfair treatment of it’s citizens in general.

For the police brutality and killings, especially in the case of students and young teenagers.

For manipulating the legal system and ruining justice in there country.

I think its time for the protestors to stop messing around and overthrow there goverment. Replace it with a new democracy or even anarchism. Spain was once a functional anarachist state, perhaps Greece can recreate functional anarchy.

Hey EUROPEAN.

We don't do it in America because it doesn't work. We just had a peaceful revolution and elected Obama.

See our long history for more details.

The end.

Its fine to protest, but when you start burning peoples cars and looting banks its gone too far.

What a bunch of idiots. They are only hurting themselves and their own communities.

Communists and anarchists????????What are you talking about?????
I am shocked to see what an opinion you formed about the reasons of these riots....Well i can imagine americans still be afraid of the communists :p

One of the wisest observations has come from Nikos Konstandaras, thmanaging editor of Kathimerini, one of Greece's more sober and respected newspapers.In an editorial entitled "Anger's teen martyr", Mr Konstandaras wrote that Mr Grioropoulos' blood would be "used to bind together every disparate protest and complaint into a platform of righteous rage against all the ills of our societyso''-QUOTE BBC-
You know what he is reffering to when talking about ills?Well lets see
Massive layoffs, forest fires killing 75 people 1/9 of the country burnt, 4! huge economic scandals in 3 years, healthcare system, educational system, pension system, illegal privatizations, 9% unemployment, 30% among the youth, bureaucracy, corruption, is that enough for you? Please dont just leave comments about anarchy and spoiled brats and give some of you time to learn about our state. Crisis is everywhere, this is just the beginning.

P.S The boy never threw a molotov cocktail, no rocks, no bottles, apparently the policeman-nicknamed ''RAMBO'' among his colleagues...- had just a very bad day...

I can understand protests over the death of a child. Despite this, I cannot say that I do believe the Greeks involved in these riots (obviously) haven't taken the boy's death too far. Yes, his death was tragic, no matter the circumstances; I do not believe anyone deserves to die in such a way, but to selfishly put thousands of other people in danger over one person's death? If everyone rioted like this every single day, the world would be in a serious state of Anarchy.

If I read one more generalization about the U.S. I'm going to puke. Not everyone is a mindless drone. Give us at least the respect of an individual as I give you.

Spartans! What is your occupation?

The government should just put the army in use and blast all those anarchist idiots of with an MG.
The police shot a 15yr old kid, so what? Thousands of 15yr olds get shot/beaten to death/... EVERY DAY around the world.
Spoiled bourgeoisie kids that think anarchy is 'cool' are trashing our streets.
Is this where we want our future to go.
It reminds a hell of a lot of doomsday 'mad max' movies...

Oh yeah, and I'm west-European, and I'm only 22yr's old.

I wish I was there...

Simpleton americans... those of you who say that the thing that gave rise to all that violence was the death of a 15 year old, that's like saying that WWI started because Franz Ferdinand was assasinated.

Both things might be true, but there's a whole lot of background behind.

These riots are a direct consequence of the economic crisis and the way western goverments are dealing with it. And yes, you americans started it.

What is funny, the rioters are just opportunistic thieves. They found an excuse to steal and destroy private property. Think about the shop owners that may be all they have in life and those fools burned it.

Protest all you want, but as soon as you destroy a single building, car, or send a molotov cocktail hurling, I say you should be shot where you stand!

People that bash the USA on this site, WHY DO YOU WANT IN SO BAD if we suck so much? Greatest county in the world!

The riots are organized in the background by the 2nd party in Greece (PASOK). Seeing as they couldn't win over the ruling party (ND), they were waiting for something like this.
And when a mad cop shot a kid (an incident that happens in Greece, as often as in "once in 1985 and once in 2008") they were all supposedly like "oh my god this has gone too far, we cannot take the police violence any more!".
Anarchists and leftists acting united and both under PASOK guidance, sheep mentality.
Now go to your Indymedia/MySpace "protest" page to get instructions on what you should do next...

But the truth is that what's really happening is the picture 28, or picture number 20.� Try again. It is unbelievable that any of you would try to blame this on capitalism, off all things. “State terrorism and capitalism working together.� . “State terrorism and capitalism working together.� Please, for your own pride’s sake, look up the definition of laissez-faire (“hands-off�) capitalism before you start putting that in with “state terrorism.� And that you would condone their actions. That's easy to do until they destroy your property. All this innocent businesses and universities, all these people parking their cars on the street, and those young women trapped in a burning building. And you say that's all fine and okay, because they're making a statement. Simply appalling.

I am the daughter of a Greek immigrant. My late dad always said that the US was the best country in the world. There are a ot of inequities in Greece. I am sad that ALex was killed, his poor parents. I hope that the current Government gets ousted and they use more Democracy than Socialism. I never could undesrstand how the "cradle of democracy" could become a Socialist domain. We are very lucky here. Also violence never solved anything.

God, someone look up 'anarchy' before they start spouting it as a curse word. It's a general heading meaning 'no government' (obviously) with many types of anarchy arranged under that broad roof. Does NOT mean spontaneous burning of innocent people's cars in the streets, death and destruction of those with no part in the problem.

Wikipedia's helpful (and multilingual).

R.I.P Alexandros Grigoropoulos; he was too young.

I wish our country men would stand up against the widespread idiocy of the US but we have been scared by our leaders to give up our right to free speech and they arrest us when we protest and call it an act of terrorism and then we get held indefinitely with out a single phone call. America has lost it's balls as a people. Now the best Americans have had there voices silenced I am not as proud to be called an American though I want the change the world wants as well. Believe me when I say there are a lot of good people that our government truly does not represent .
signed. American for peace and love

focus on the important; anarchists are EVIL, often semi-organized satanist types.
protesters are good... especially when they grow up & decide to stop protesting and simply change the system.

To all the Americans. Please do not believe whatever is said on TV. There is not such thing as "bad communists" and "angry anarchists".
Alex, did not throw molotov to the policeman. He was at the wrong place, the wrong time.
In Greece there is a big history of violent policemen who kill and do not get punished. If you add the financial problems and the freedom of speech, the answer is in the pictures. And for all those Americans who are terrified of the violence, why dont you protest (peacefully) against Guantanamo and the wars in Middleast?

Parabens pelas fotos!
Brazil

holy sh*t if that happen every time in the usa there would be no country left. damn greek cry babies

Desperate Greek:
“Communists and anarchists????????What are you talking about?????
I am shocked to see what an opinion you formed about the reasons of these riots....Well i can imagine americans still be afraid of the communists”“

I’m not afraid of Communists. But picture 21 does have the anarchy symbol on it. I’m not unaware of your desperation but I was wondering if what I heard -- that a Communist party, and anarchists -- started the whole thing by burning Christmas symbols. How did this start? Who started this? Did the police just start randomly firing into a crowd?

”Massive layoffs, forest fires killing 75 people 1/9 of the country burnt, 4! huge economic scandals in 3 years, healthcare system, educational system, pension system, illegal privatizations, 9% unemployment, 30% among the youth, bureaucracy, corruption, is that enough for you?“

Uh. that could be said about America too. New Orleans, California fires, Illinois politics, financial collapses, 2 million jobs lost, car company bankruptcies, 10 trillion dollar debt. Yet here we are.

As always, I love your images/site.

That said, i spent 2 months in Greece last year, working with one of the Universities pictured above (won't say which one) to help develop a Venture Capital system in that nation. In short, the process was a fiasco - political dealings, strange/unworkable rules and sketchy professional maneuverings led me to conclude that an "advanced technology" VC in that country was unworkable. I experienced first hand - but at a 'foreigners' distance - some of the frustration, corruption and mismanagement that occurs every day, there. God Speed Alex.

I left thin

I admire Greeks' action and major protest against the police and government (except couple of totally aimless, anarchistic actions). I wish my fellow citizens in Turkey had the same courage to show their anger.

Police killed a young kid in Turkey couple of weeks ago. They shot him in the head. Nobody did anything.

My people has no identity, no sense of freedom. They basically assume that if cops do something you have to accept. If cops say something you have to obey even if you're not a criminal.

Go Greece!

These are great pictures. I find the sea of young People in #28 to be telling. So many of the ideological are young. #35 is also excellent.

Why do the comments for every post recently devolve into anti-US rhetoric? It took exactly 1 post to begin the circus this time. This seems to have nothing to do with the US, but here we are having to read your inane anti-US blabber. I find mindless patriots pathetic, but people who believe in the American Bogey-Man are just as brainwashed as the idiots who chest beat about the "Best country in the world!" You fools need some perspective. I suggest some travel.

#29 - I don't think that's what Nike had in mind when they told people to Just Do It.

I am shocked and saddened by the events in Greece over the last few days.

As far as the policeman's motivations in firing at the boy, only he really knows. It is a shame the boy died, although I would never begrudge anyone the right to defend himself if, in fact, there were fire bombs threatening the officers.

I am also never against peaceful protest. However, these idiots have crossed the line. I know Greeks have some rights with regards to owning weapons; I'd like to think that some businesses have been spared because their owners were willing to defend them. I can tell you if I saw someone coming for my store with a molotov cocktail, he'd have a few holes in him the moment he drew back his arm to throw it! In the Los Angeles riots about 10 years ago, many businesses were burned, but others were successfully defended from the rioters. Part of defending one's self is defending one's family and one's property. No one has the right to take those things from another.

Those of you who say there are not anarchists amongst the rioters, please ref: picture #21.

Those of you who say the protestors have no conception of what life would be like under a socialist/communist rule, you're absolutely correct there also. If a riot like this started up in North Korea or the Soviet Union, cops would be using quite a bit more force than expired tear gas.

Finally, FlyinRyan; I've been fortunate to travel to many beautiful countries across Asia, the middle east, and Europe. There are a lot of things that can be learned there - culture, music, beautiful languages... and I am very glad to leave with new thoughts and ideas floating around in my mind. I am glad for the many wonderful people I meet, foods I try, images burned in my mind... But I am also glad to be home to the United States. As an avid student of world and American history, (especially Revolutionary War era) I still believe the USA is the best country in the world. However, I'm also willing to admit that it's purely my opinion, and not everyone has to agree with me.

Dimitris,
No such thing as "bad communists" or "angry anarchists"? Where have you been learning your history? Where have you been on the internet? Of course there's bad communists! Of course there's angry anarchists, look at picture 21! Communists and anarchists took part in these riots!
What you mean to say is that this is NOT a strictly communist or anarchist riot by any means. Using false information to talk down to Americans simply destroys the credibility of your point.

Rioting is the DUTY of oppressed citizens. this is awesome, and what should be happening.

it's sad. my parents left greece for the united states just after the junta about 30 years ago because of the corruption and bureaucracy in greek government, the inability for those without a bribe/insider to get jobs, the ineffectiveness of elected officials and police. and now an entire generation later and the problems my parents fled greece to get away from STILL plague their homeland and are what these students are protesting. nothing changes. very very sad.

Anarchy = chaos
Communism = dictatorship

The above are absolute truths!

The idiots rioting are just spoiled brats who don't know how the world works (and probably never worked an honest day in their lives...)

Fantastic pictures! This is something that needs to be done in some countries. Where people have been weighed down by the political and economical turmoil that these governments create. I hope that only good comes of this, and not new draconian laws to further enslave the masses.

@ Pic 7. There's a guy giving the dirty bird to the poposs...hahahahaha.

Don't Taze me, Bro!!!!

To all the brain damaged idiots that call THOUSANDS OF CIVILLIAN PROTESTORS "spoiled brats", how the hell is living at $800 a month (way below poverty level) spoiled?

Shoot a kid for no reason, shit erupts. These riots are f*cking beautiful. It's too bad most Americans are too spineless to do anything like this whenever a piece of sh*t cop shoots someone over here.

to comment 83: "There's nothing like witnessing the idiocy of a country".
yes, I agree, nothing beats witnessing the Americans voting for Bush TWICE!
... or the Brits voting for Blair three times while now having a Prime Minister they did not even vote for! But I guess making an idiot out of oneself is the easiest...

Hey I know, let's destroy the place we live in. I have never understood rioting and violence to make any point. Especially when it is protesting violence. Wow that is really smart............NOT!

quote"The idiots rioting are just spoiled brats who don't know how the world works (and probably never worked an honest day in their lives...)"
No, the children and grown ups that riot and protest don't know how the world works, they just understand that it doesn't work for them. And they protest about it.... is that so wrong?
And finally, democracy was the best thing that they could think of 2500 years ago (and it worked very differently back then) . Lets find something new, if democracy, the way we have it, doesn't work for the citizens. What we have here (Greece) is not democracy, it's modern slavery....

95% of the protests have been completely peaceful
5% of the protests turned violent.
But violent pictures make more sensational news.

And if all these people protesting were 'communist' & ' anarchists' then greece would definitely be a communist country which it is obviously not. People
are protesting in the streets against a state that does nothing for them, politicians that are corrupt and to on top of it all the state shoots innocent 15y olds.

SURPRISE TO SEE ALL THAT
I SUPPOSED THAT IT ALL HAPPENS IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES BUT THESE PICS DEMONSTRATE THE OTHER WAY ROUND

US citizens protest by sending an sms with their i-phones. Or even a twitter.
How many more jobs do you have to lose? How many more banks have to be bailed out with your money? How many more people must use food coupons?
How many more people have to die in far away countries for you to have your right of "free speech" and "Democracy"? How many more people have to die of tasers and police brutality?
It's easy to talk about other countries problems but when it comes to yours you just have no idea what to do. Look at you. It took 8 years of G.Bush and you finally got angry enough to start writing in capitals on the internet. Nice job.
It's shortly your turn to go out on the streets and show your anger but you just haven't realized it yet and i don't know if you ever will.
Until then, just look at nations who's story of fighting oppression goes way back in time. Maybe you'll learn something from them.

Dean you are missing something there...we have ALLREADY destroyed the "world" we live in. We have burned many "Xmas" trees last year in the summer-fires here in Greece, that tree is just fake..it doesn't mean anything!

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.
Have no fear for atomic energy,
'Cause none of them can stop the time.
How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look? Ooh!
Some say it's just a part of it:
We've got to fulfil de book.

Bob Marley

go go greek brothers
we in Bulgaria support your cause

"when i was young i was dreaming to be something great,now i want to be that person i was when i was dreaming"

.. to all trendy boys & girls on wall street..
".. comes to your city .. next season..!!"
..with us or against us..
(as your x -f****ing president said..)

Just a thought, but if you throw, or even threaten to throw incendiary explosive devices at other people, (cop or not) in my eyes at least, you waive any right to not be shot at.

And if you truly ARE oppressed and are protesting that oppression by your own government, burning and looting stores/private property is a really bad way to go about that, as it doesn't harm the gov't at all, only your fellow oppressed citizens.

I believe this was just the demo version...The full package will be released, after the (American) "crisis" will hit the rest of the world. And then you americans,might understand that, what happend in Greece, might be in your backyard in no time. Do you believe that your goverment can handle the rage of people better than Greeks did? What happened in LA in 1991, would seem like peacefull demostration. If you are old enough you might remember what people said back then..."No justice, no peace"...

Where are the democracy and liberty that most of you are talking about ? I guess that indeed one can say that there exists some kind of very limited democracy in the sense that the power is shared among the members of the upper class. Liberty is nothing but the freedom to waste your money the way you like. Do you know how this society looks like from the bottom ?

Long live to the greek revolution, may it spread to the rest of the world (including very conservative countries like the US).

Obviously violence is not government's only privilege.
I'm so shocked that most people are annoyed by the reaction of the riots and not by the action of the policeman / government. Would you pull out a gun and kill a boy that throws a bottle of water at you or calls you names?

For god's shake most of them are just kids. Angry kids but kids. Even the most cruel judge treats kids differently than criminals, why parents can't? Just because some broken cars and some burned down shops? Yes sure it's not right... but are they more important than human lives? Are they more important than OUR KIDS?

I just try to remember that, that poor, dead kid could be my son and i would definitely like to know what his parents think about those riots.

Whoever doesn't live in Greece has no right to judge the riots. The land of democracy has become the land of police terror many times with no reason. The police is beating old people who protest for their pensions, students who wish to have a better tomorrow, immigrants are being humiliated every day, and now is murdering the youth once again! I think these reasons are enough not only for a group of people but for everyone who lives in Greece to protest for their rights. Also please know my "good and lawful" citizens that these days even a lot of peaceful protests has taken place, the answer of the police to protesters was the same: PEPPER GAS and TEAR BOMBS. You will not see these images on the news since the media has to deal with more important issues than the protests (irony). But I have seen what the police is doing, not only me, other people as well. So yes the riots look beautiful in the eyes of free people.

in a country where individual violence is so spread, why such a fear of collective violence? what is more telling is accepting the state's resort to violence as acceptable in both domestic and foreign affairs, but cannot even accept the right to resist.

Even the history of US, where you the people are so rational and wise to know how to deal with corrupt governments peacefully contains those moments of madness. anyway, we are talking about a country established by a war of independence which was declared as a war against tyranny, a country could not changed the constitution without fighting a civil war, a country where 1960s witnessed a massive civil rights movement when police violence was more than often and also a country where no one should forget the "martyrs" of labour rights struggles.

@ 112. There is no such thing as a mindless patriot. The correct term is nationalist.

I find that what is going on here in Greece is a stain upon the young people of Greece. So what if a policeman shot a 15 year old kid on accident. The kid was with a bunch of hooligans breaking into the police car. I would almost say that he deserved to be shot. Yes its sad, but what's even sadder was that while he was alive, he was hanging out with a bunch of good-for-nothings.

@ 61. yes, I think anyone is capable of being a murderer. It's usually the ones you least expect who are the dangerous ones.

@ 57 You have it all wrong about the American Revolution. It was not a revolution. It was a war. Revolution would have meant that the Americans would have stayed with Britain, but we wanted to break away.

Focus on the reasons that triggered violence and also the objectives of the rioters: (i) killing of a 15 yrs old boy is NOT justified for any reason. Even if he was verbally abusive to these "special guards" (i.e. NOT policemen) it is a democratic right to protest freely (ii) They are protesting for a brighter future. All they have now is unemployment or a basic salary of 700 EUR, if they are lucky enough to have the "indirect" networking to ensure a job. The same corrupted networking that the special guard used to get without skills his assassinating job (iii) awake public opinion to overthrow this corrupted government that did real-estate business with church and the diary products cartels.

"We just had a peaceful revolution and elected Obama."

LOL. You CAN'T be serious.

"Anarchy = chaos
Communism = dictatorship
The above are absolute truths!"

Yeah. Right.

excellent pictures!

Such a large scale of reactions (country-wide massive protests ongoing for days) simply cannot be a mere coincidence of anarchists, looters, disillusioned rich kids or aliens. It would be a mere fallacy to reduce it to just that. They are also common people like you and me expressing their dissappointment about a society they cannot live in anymore.

The quintessence of democracy is not being entitled to an opinion alone; it is also about realizing each one's responsibility to form one´s own opinion under the most critical and informed mind possible. Spitting out the first thing that comes to mind is bad practice of democracy, with unpredictable results.

That´s where the policeman was wrong about when shooting an innocent 15 year old boy, that´s where rioters are wrong when giving out the wrong impression about their motives and that´s where many of you people are wrong when making conclusions and judging without all the facts in your hands.

Hey I´ll try to tell you all something that I feel looking at this pics

I live in a contry we call Brazil, and I think you may know it...

Last month, a stupid cop killied a 3 years old kid... he thogth th this kid was in, was a guide by criminals, but was just the kid and his mom...
and now.. do you think we have this kind of riot in brazil??
the people that think that this kind of riot is ilegal and its not necessary, must come to Brazil and check all the things that happen here!!! its desgustin!!

So.. you, who think that its wrong, you must take your ass out of the chair and open your eyes, couse the world is to big and its not just in your rich contry...

A.C.A.B.

Hello Mr. M Chamberlain,
You wrote:
The policeman should be given a trial in front of a jury of his peers, and if he is guilty then sentence him.
If the Greek government is corrupt, then use lawful processes to put an end to corruption.
As long as there is the rule of law, just laws, and the government answers to the people, there will be peace.
But, what about if your last comment does not apply?
In other words: the legal system is sunject of the ruling party!
ENS

What a bunch of idiots. Why are they destroying their own town?

"Hey I know, let's destroy the place we live in. I have never understood rioting and violence to make any point."

Yeah, it's much better bomb some country full of brown or black people. Don't destroy my place, destroy someone else's! Oh, I have a better idea, starve them! Steal their resources, steal their food, steal their labour but... never touch my place!

Can't you see? The world is full of everyday violence and opression. I don't like riots, but they are nothing compared to Globalization, for example.

I am Greek and there is an old greek phrase

Who ever is outside of the dance knows too many songs

EVERY opinion that is made out of a bunch of photos is WRONG
You don not Know what the hell you are talking about so SHUT UP!!!

To the Americans:
You say you don not want the rest of the world to say or do things against your country YET your goverment WANTS to have a word about EVERYTHING in Every cornrer of the planet
think it over 'best country of the world'

Like artists mark the unseen, anarchists protest for types of violence that we, in our alienation, can't see. We have become familiar with them although they were unnecessarily or arbitrarily imposed.
At this moment the youth of my country behaves like anarchists and this is something that should make us think about what is wrong with the society we have built. And by saying that there are only spoiled brats who protest without reason doesn't solve a thing, it only exposes our generation impairment or even failure to make a better world.

''Hey EUROPEAN.
We don't do it in America because it doesn't work. We just had a peaceful revolution and elected Obama.
See our long history for more details.
The end.
Posted by Smarmy December 15, 08 06:28 PM''

Hey Looser AMERICAN,
You don't do it in your desert America because you don't have the balls. You are just so idiot that you think electing Obama is a revolution. You only watch your mainstream media or stupid American comedy.
See your long history? It seems like you don't know much about that too, since you guys don't even have a history.
I feel so glad that we weren't raised like you, lack of information, brainwashed fastfood people.
Rest in peace Alexis. We're with you my Greek brothers. Hope that we'll follow you soon, like the rest of the world should do.

Murat from Turkey.

Firstly i wanna thank u for your interest about greece and for the great photoset.Although problems nowdays r clobally the same I dont think it is easy for
out of greece to understand what is happen here. U have to know that just a few people vandalized and make this look like a riot .There r million of people who protest peacefully .I will not spend your time explaining hwat is happening here there r many posts who is doing that before me.I just believe that this is the end of an era and a new period is coming.We need new ideas ,new economic system new fuel new way of living .....and history have proved that changes r being made with violence usually.Of cource all this people who protest dont have the same ideas but i believe they sahre the same feeling for a change.
Sincerelly i am proud that this begun from greece and hope that it will last and make a small diference.
Of cource i really feel sorry for family of alex and all this people who lost their shops cars and properties.
I am sure 2009 will be dificult for everyone but i also hope it will be also diferent and a finally a small hope will arise in the horizon.
otherwise all this power aand hopes will go lost and cant predict what is coming next.
happy but most 'N E W' year for everyone

The police officers attack to the peacuful demonstrations with tear gas and pepper spray.You ' ve got to see pictures of policemen beating 15-year-old girls and boys.

The police threw over 5.000 chemicals in 5 days and they almost have none left so it's not strange to see people wearing gas masks when going to a demonstration.

ACAB

The riots in greece are only a taste of things to come in most other countries. Greece's problems are not unique. High unemployment of university graduates coupled with low salaries and higher living costs, a looming pension crisis and falling living standards, an inefficient state that was unable to make successful social and education reforms, a banking system that relied on wholesale money with little regulatory oversight and financial scandals that went unpunished.
At the same time the solution prescribed was bigger government and help to chosen few industries/ banks etc. Circumstance ideal for political corruption and financial irregularities....people just had enough

@ 90 Smarmy

Hey, americans.
We protest AND riot after one innocent child gets kild.
You elected Obama when you lose about 3.000 US soldiers and killed over a 100.000 Iraqis.

Jonathan
I am not a communist, or an anarchist. I love my country and I was at the streets protesting. I want my Goverment to be afraid of me, I do not want to be afraid of them. I am not on the internet all the time, that was bad sarcasm.
Law and order is sometimes very dangerous. Especially if the politicians, wearing suits are stealing and destroying the country more than a molotov bomb. If you cannot undestand this, we are living in different worlds. Propably.

| Anarchy = chaos
| Communism = dictatorship
|
| The above are absolute truths!

what is also truth is
Communism = Fascism = Capitalism = Socialism = Religion = Dictatorship
all political systems and religions try to accomplish one thing, to put you under their command! Anarchy is NOT a political system, is more like a philosophical movement. The Anarchists do not seek violence and chaos despite what the MEDIA try to say. The Anarchists seeks for a society free of ANY form of CONTROL.
Control can be in the form of a government/police/company/bank/media etc.

As far as the damages are concerned, its absolutely nothing, compared to the MULTIMILLION scandals we've seen over the past few years and most -if not all- were about misuse and loss of public property, tax money, social security funds etc for personal profit of "politicians" and "businessmen". On top of that, the government will sponsor 28bil Euros to the Banks in order to ease out the "Crisis".
These money of course will be taken out of "our" pockets, WHY? If the government really wanted to help the "real Crisis" should give the 28bil. for Education, Public Health and Welfare and Protection of the Environment.

Also be aware that on any mass demonstration in Athens (like a protest of workers for instance) there are ALWAYS small groups of "hooded" braindeads that cause damages. They never get arrested ... doesn't that sound strange? Doesn't it also sound strange that the MEDIA give more attention to the damages caused by the braindeads that to the demonstration itself? Don't these images discourage more people from leaving their couch and join the peaceful "in general" demonstrations?

@ 109

"... here we are "
Have you really thought about that answer ? Perhaps you should react somehow but then again maybe you shouldn't

@118

Do you know what communism is ? Have you ever read the communism manifesto ?
Quoting wikipedia:
"Communism is a socioeconomic structure and political ideology that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless society based on common ownership of the means of production and property in general."
Perhaps you should know what are you talking about before you post. The ineffective application of communism in many countries does not mean that the ideology is wrong!

Les grecs n'ont pas à avoir peur de 300 bébés anarchistes fils à papa boutonneux... si c'est le cas, Sparte est vraiment bien loin, très très loin... en même temps, je suis français, et Charlemagne est vraiment loin, mais super vâchement loin... de toute manière, ce continent est mort depuis quelques années déjà. Pour ma part, j'me casse en Amérique. Que les zéropéens se démmerdent.

Jonathan
I am not a communist, or an anarchist. I love my country and I was at the streets protesting. I want my Goverment to be afraid of me, I do not want to be afraid of them. I am not on the internet all the time, that was bad sarcasm.
Law and order is sometimes very dangerous. Especially if the politicians, wearing suits are stealing and destroying the country more than a molotov bomb. If you cannot undestand this, we are living in different worlds. Propably.

Well excuse me dear readers Greece is a peaceful country and we do not have street violence like other countries or guns in the like the USA but a police officer taking a life of a 15 years old kid and not get punished is not ok,
and if you see the news about the scandals of our government this days, and no one gets punished! People live with 700 euro for month!
Some graphic designer are protesting against the violence in our city http://til01.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-our-days-passing-by-presented-in.html

Pic7, man i fall in love.

Imagine if Bush was on power for 20 years.
Imagine if Blagojevich (sp?) was left untouched after trying to sell Obama's seat.
Imagine if Madoff was actually a member of the government
Imagine if to get a job you had to be a member of the republicans or the democrats.

In Greece, they dont need to imagine these things, because they live them.
The corruption of the political system and the lack of change, the fact that government controls a large number of jobs, the attempt of the government to "address" issues with diversions (e.g. the name of Skopia), the failure of the church and the lack of ideas, a humungous number of scandals that ends with no guilty convictions. Then you can start seeing that the riots were not unexpected.

I am not sad for the damage per se. Of course, inhuman is the murder of the 15 year old, as inhuman is the burning of the properties of people. Inhuman is collateral damage in war. Inhuman is war. It goes down to the fundamental concept that humans are different than animals because they think before the act, because we value (or we should if we dont) the fundamental principle of respect of human life and library and because we try to become better... I am sad because many actions of people (politicians, police, people, rioting youth) in Greece are inhuman

I live in Greece and i have read many views of people making judgements without seeing the whole pictrure. Many Greeks are not surprised by the riots, given the fact that there are many problems accumulating with the authorities being cynical.

First, the looting and burning is only part of the protests. Furthermore, there is a huge difference between destroying a bank or a private car. No matter what the means are, the bottom line that you can see in Greece, people are really ungry. You should see ordinary people from their balconies shouting to policemen to get out of their neighbourhoods, Police violence is an issue for many years in Greece especially given the fact that they never get any punishment in the courts. Last time a policeman shot dead a 15 year old in a demonstration, he did not spend a day in jail. As you can understand riots followed the announcement of the court's decision. It is very easy for many to write that these kids are spoilt. The minimum salary in Greece is no more than 600 euros. People with University degrees work for 800 euros per month whilst a cheap appartment costs at least 400 euros. At the same time huge economic scandals occur with all governments and not once any politician was taken to justice.
Last but not least, in these demonstrations the police is using a lot of violence, even to break peaceful demonstrations, making things even worst. There are many cases recorded in cameras showing policemen beating 14 year old girls after their arrest. Not to mention the irrational - illegal use of chemicals. When police is the first to break the law, always unpunished, how can anyone talk about legitimacy from the citizens' side?
Put all these together, along with soooo many cases that would take many pages to describe, plus the killing of a 15 year old and what you get is riot. As simple as that.

Anarchy is not a solution, but rather a means. If the Greek people believe their government is so corrupt that legal means will not resolve conflicts of interest, what recourse do they have beside rioting? That said, every other means should be exhausted first.

i live in athens, everybody is upset here, there is no reason to destroy little stores of poor people. the way some policemen behave is very bad thats why everybody wants to show their anger. i can't say every policeman is bad but those ''good ones'' should do something with their bad co-workers. the goverment stole a lot of millions. corruption is above all here. banks are out of control. so don't say that anarchy lives here. there are some idiot policemen who shoot without reason, even if it's accidental, (if i had a gun i wouldn't shot those who insult me), there are lots of politicians who take money, and most of all there are lot of people who want justice and democracy. no killing no taking money from poor people in the middle of an economical crisis. elections are not in the program of the current goverment so we have to wait.

A lot of smart-@$$es here that are obviously clueless on the situation in Greece. I mean why not riot? It seems to be the only way to accelerate the fall of the corrupt government. For the past two years there is consistently a *big* corruption scandal every couple of months. Only in the last month we have seen some ministers resigning.

And why should a Greek youth *not* riot? What's the future in this country? Many people over 30 live with their parents because they cannot afford their own rent and living costs. I know of people holding MSc degrees that get payed 700-800E a month for a full-time job. Usually they are hired as freelance so that their employer does not pay layoff compensation or insurance (they employee has to pay it from his salary). Plus Greece is one of the most expensive countries in EU.

I do sympathize those who suffered damages from the riots. But most of the damage was implicitly permitted by the government who wanted to avoid a second death (either of a protester or a policeman) at *any* cost.

Read a few things on Greece before calling someone a "spoiled brat", a "punk" or whatever:
http://livingingreece.gr/2007/10/01/who-is-jobless-in-greece/
http://livingingreece.gr/2008/11/10/greece-usa-price-comparison/
http://livingingreece.gr/2008/04/04/minimum-monthly-salaries-of-eu-countries/
http://livingingreece.gr/2007/07/29/examples-of-jobs-and-salaries-in-athens/

The youths of Greece sees no future. "When there’s no future how can there be sin?"

#7 and #16...Wow...Chicks are HOT in Greece.

This started out with mostly our youth being totally enraged and alienated by the continuing corruption (worst in europe), failing economy and educational system, etc, etc. So the pupils and students took to the streets in peaceful protests, the murder of alexis being the final spark like people said here. all this time, the government and the police did nothing to diffuse the situation. i cannot go in extra length, please read up if you're interested. so the demos became huge and from the first day there were problems.
The main problem -imho, based on conversations i had with the people on the streets these days and the things i saw- is people from the communist, anti-establishment (not anarchist, they make this distinction themselves - go ask them) and the parliamentary oposition parties and their youth parties have seen a great opportunity to advance their individual -and selfish- causes.
these might be purely political or purely violent. yes, there are people who just went out there to burn and loot, without giving it much though.
so what happens is vast majority of greeks who are dissatisfied by the direction this country is heading, are missing the point. instead of seing peaceful protests, they see their property (and livelihoods) being set on fire.
We only have the mindless (poorly educated of course) people organised in self titled anti-establishment groups who have been causing similar but smaller riots for the last 30 years, to thank for this. the result is that instead of more people joining the peaceful side of things, more sheeple join the ranks of the violent ones. In turn, to complete the vicious circle, the police is out to beat up easy targets -more 15 y.olds- instead of snatching up the people who burned family businesses, the national library, etc..
Something useful to know if you're a foreigner and looking at the pics is that about 5 or 10,000 people are participating in the riots. this number might be a little bigger. but the point is, the various interests behind the violence have stopped this number from growing to 10,000,000. And now we will just vote another corrupt government and give more seats to other corrupt parties, the ones who will better interpret what happened for their political -and then, economical- gains...

Excellent pictures! This is how the young will act when they lose hope and get frustrated with nothing promising in their futures. This is obviously more than the tragic death of one boy; it's a symbol to them that things need to change. I don't feel that they are "spoiled" as some have said, but misguided and lost how to best change their situation. Where are their parents?

Doesn't matter who's right or wrong. Just take a look at the girl in the seventh picture. How not to fall in love? Studborn and yet naive, like a filly in the wild, the vanity, her delicious, lascivious lips... the way her tight, ripped jeans bends near her crotch... and a greek nose I'd bite all night.

to Sherry
Their parents are working for the banks, cos with 800 euro per month i don't think you can live normally so they work over time (with no Bonus ) with the fear of loosing their only job that they have!

All I see is commie skum accomplishing nothing.That's the kind of mindless destruction african americans participate in after verdicts set a white officer free in LA.Why not try and organize a better system?Riot in a wealthy neighborhood,instead of destroying your neighbors business and property.The inferior mind is an amazing thing.Stay in college ya red trash!

Have these idiots ever tried voting?

Hmmm. Education... Just try to understand what I write below.

ΘΥΜΑΤΑ

What I write above is an example of how superior Europeans are. The major difference between Americans and Europeans is that Europeans are educated, they speak foreign languages and they do not depend on their domestic system to analyse the events for them. They can understand and they can research.

As long as you don't understand what people are saying in their native language, you depend on your government to translate for you.

We are at war!!!
EITHER WITH THE GUNS OF THE POLICE - OR WITH THE STRUGGLES OF SOCIETY

No insurrection in history could ever be controlled, manipulated, or submitted to ideologies or political parties and mechanisms, it could never be merely political in content. Every riot, every insurrection has always been a social affair and has thus been deeply political in the broadest sense. After the murder in cold blood of 15-year-old Alexandros, a tumult of rage and discontent has come to the surface. A wave of excluded, disappointed, repressed, desperate people flooded the streets, of diverse cultural background, education, experience and class and were united in a spontaneous cry of a society that is being suppressed, deprived of its future, that is watching its dreams being crushed. This is a generation that has been systematically excluded from any means of expression, deprived of any possibility to decide for itself at school, at university or at work, through its growing alienation. This generation is choosing destruction as its own expression of rage and creativity. Rage is not just a feeling. It is a struggle for social justice. As long as there is no justice, there will be no social peace.

We are out on the streets as part of this society but also as part of this social rage. We do not seek to be the leaders of this discontent, we are not experts in violence. We are out on the streets because we are on Alexandros' side. Any one of us could have been in his position. We know well, from our everyday experience in social and labour struggles, in the struggles of immigrants for dignity, in the struggles of the marginalized and the prisoners for a glimpse of freedom, that the State and the institutions of power have always confronted us with the finger on the trigger.

We do not just feel hurt, outraged and revolted by the unjust death of a young person. We are also fully aware that, whether we are friends, parents or relatives, for each one of us and each of our beloved ones, there is a police bullet waiting for its fatal call. Guilty are the State and its uniformed murderers. It is they who are the true specialists and actual managers of violence.

They started it. They are the ones who are responsible for this wave of violence and insurrection that broke out with the murder of Alexandros. There was never justice for the murders of Koumis, Kanellopoulou, Kaltezas, Temboneras, Boulatovic, and of so many more immigrants...Social rage grows with State violence, chemical warfare on the streets (teargas cartidges shot directly at demonstrators), rubber bullets, beatings and hooded plainclothes policemen arresting demonstrators.

The explosive social situation these days could -and should- create the conditions and the consciences for a better future. But it could also create the conditions for accepting and legitimizing the use of firearms by the police.
How else could we interpret the riot policeman in Athens waving a revolver against demonstrators during the demo on Sunday?
How else could we interpret the numerous firings in the air by special-force policemen right after Alexandros' funeral?
How else could we interpret knife-flogging fascists helping out the police during their attack against demonstrators in Patras on Tuesday evening?
However hidden from the majority, all the above-mentioned incidents are true.

NO MORE HYPOCRICY - THESE ARE NO "ISOLATED INCIDENTS", THIS IS THE REALITY OF STATE VIOLENCE

COPS SHOOT TO KILL - WE ARE AT WAR
Whoever pretends nothing is happening has already chosen which side they are on

Thessaloniki, December 9 2008

Corruption in Greece has just gone too far , but why should we burn other people's cars or destroy their property ? All the images you see are like fragments that don't make up the whole. And yes , I agree with some greek who said : It's our fault , we vote and elect the same people again and again , we're worth what we get . The details of the boy's death are still not 100% clear , and people who protested against the economic crisis and the governement's attitude are a small number , others just relax at home and think everything is ok. Silly greeks , wake up and see who you vote for , the capitalists and those who ca find a job for your son if you vote for them in return .

Hello NUMBER 7, I would kill any amount of greek police to be able to stand in line and riot with her...thanks fro listening.

WOW, #7 is of a chick rioting and she is still hot to trot... Where can I find a beauty with such passion and drive for destruction?

the sad thing is tv just weaves its own story , the details of alex's detah are not 100% clear, most greeks didn't riot but were sitting in comfortable armchairs , and we are so stupid as to vote for the same b****rds again and again , wake up you fools , I 'd rather live in another country and not Greece . the Greece I love like all of us .

What happend in Greece will not last for long(unfortunately).The system is so strong that we the youngest,will never made up a change in our prospectives.So what really happen is a small drawback of the God fathers just to calm us and then they will return to their normal pace.Civil revolutions in Greece normally ended up to political fights and not to a clear result,a new situation able to guaranty the general revolutions.Protestors we are all of us ,riots& vandals toke the "glory"...

"holy sh*t if that happen every time in the usa there would be no country left."

Or we would have a hell of a lot fewer kids murdered by the police.

I think my favorite comment, though, has to be about the "peaceful revolution" we just had in the US to elect Obama. Yeah, man... lecture me about how the system works the very second you have a realistic third party candidate with a real chance of winning. Till then your "peaceful revolution" just switched around which one of the two permited parties is in power. Its the illusion of real choice.

POLIXENI - you brainwashed idiot. Who told you that socialism and democracy are mutually exclusive? You're father didn't leave Greece because of the socialist programs, I can assure you that...If he is anything else like the rest of the diaspora Greeks who left in the 1900's he left because people were starving in a government run by rightists. Read a book.

I am Greek and i live in Florida USA. It seems to me that the Greek police is trying to become like the police in the USA TRIGGER HAPPY!!!!!! 99.9% of police shootings in the USA are concidered justified. It hurts to see that the police in my country are becomming ruthless killers just like the Police in the USA
. Shame to the Greek police they should give greater value to a persons life.

Riots have NOTHING to do with the death of that kid.

They are either communists and/or anarchists (which is basically the same) or misguided kids who have been infected with communist ideas and cannot see how dangerous this is.

In the late 40s, the Greeks defeated the commies, by sacrificing many lives in order to prevent Greece from falling into the hands of the communist aggressors. It is a shame that history has not taught these kids anything...

we fight every day against police brutality, against the corruption of the political system, against the poor education, against the destruction of the health system, against all bosses, fascists, and the rich liars of the media. We are students, teachers, workers, immigrants, women, anarchists, leftists, democrats, we are youth, we are direct democracy in the streets, we try to work out together when the bosses try to separate us, we create our structures, our free media and our word is true. We fight for new social values and relations, we want to "burn" the old world, we are crazy and in love.

excellent photos BUT
the people with the hoods, throwing stones , ravaging stores and setting cars on fire, are NOT "PROTESTERS".
they are HOOLIGANS and they have nothing to do with the demonstration and what we youngsters are out in the streets for. they are ''planted'' there to ruin our cause...
please, change the photo descriptions

go and safely play your play stations, have a car, be social, save your days.
we let you know when we are done. this would probably be 50 years later, when you gonna vote for another "bush or clinton."

"He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither."
Wasn't it one of your fathers? Have you got any idea how your "supreme" democracy was found?
but then again..

"ignorance set one happy"
Of course you know what it is..

To Rotten
Yes we have what you have elected George W Bush
the most stupid president on earth ever existed and you say about voting
If election could change something their would be forbidden
And you know why Obama won?
so you could still believe in the same American Dream See your selfs!
You start wars all over the world and kill people who you dont even know where their countries are! Can you show on map where Korea or Iraq ? No its not an new apple product please stop saying idiots people who fight for their rights
wake up and close the tv!
You have only 200 years of history! relax we have seen what you have done

WAKE UP

i am a turkish citizen and i am supporting greek people. if they accepted this situation police would kill another child or person . i think nobody has a right about killing people. in turkey police dominate the public. i hope this riot will set an example for turkey. i think this is not about communism or anarchists. if they condone this event they always afraid of polices. i am sure that police cannot kill people in greece easily it is a very good example of public spirit. i am supporting you friends

Hey Smarmy,
I want to look up your long history.
Where I will find it?
I cannot find anything 600 years ago.
Why?

Is there a difference between creating a corpse (killing of the young innocent boy) and "stepping" on one? There is no greater unjustice and pain when a young boy dies for no obvious reason. It is the time to get sad, cry, get angry, protest, and demand justice. But it is also the time to show that above everything YOU are a human being, different from those liable for this cruel murder. During the recent manifestations there were people that I personally regard them to be of the same level (if not worse) as the actual killer. Where is the pride of destroying national libraries and setting fire to civil buildings. Several innocent civilians were saved at the last moment from definite death because of this! And all of this in the name of Alexandros. I wonder if the young boy would ever forgive them... And I am talking about the thousands of common people like myself who felt the urge of lighting up a candle and peacefully went along to protest and mourn for him. Everyone who observes these incidents from abroad should know this. For sure we have sharp social and economic inequities among gifferent social classes, we have a musty educational system not in terms of quality of knowledge offered but rather in terms of infrastructure and available opportunity openings , we have ineffective and lethargic politicians and much more. But we also have a genuine sense of democracy and free spirit carved in our DNA for hundreds of generations. Do not take this the wrong way thinking that I refer to any kind of superiority over other people. It is a mere cililization trace of our race and history. Based on that we cannot stand even the slightest violation of these principles. But as sensitive we are on this issue we are at the same degree sensitive when this happens to OTHERS. So, there is no way I can agree with these pure anarchists who go out there to burn, loot, destroy and endanger their fellow civilians. Their motives have nothing to do with the loss of young Alexis. On the contrary, they are the worst of all people trying to capitalize on such an incident to promote their selfish and basic animal insticts.
R.I.P Alexander

.In my eyes Demonstrations are fine, however it is the States first duty to protect its citizens. Therefore the riots need to be stopped and a more peaceful solution be found.
For God sakes just initiate new elections already so the country can do on with its life

Just some inside info from a Greek (who has also traveled a lot around the world, including the US, where I have dear friends):
There is a group of extremists acting in the heart of Athens for the last 20something years. This specific group infiltrates every peaceful protest, demonstration that takes place in the city and (given a chance) starts to clash with the police and then flees to a university, where it can't be touched. This usually happens when the government needs to get out of a scandal or a difficult situation (FACT1). The police knows the members of the group by name, but hasn't convicted a single one of them (FACT2).
This time though there was a huge difference. When this group started the recent riots there was so much oppressed anger inside the youngsters (caused by the socio-economic situation and the unjustified death of a 15-year old - described in so many posts above) that made them explode and being misled to violent behavior. But these violent photos are just 5% of the protests, which are mostly peaceful.
I think that young people going out to the streets to protest is the most important sign for a society to be healthy and alive. Thank God, I was frustrated by the apathy of Greeks till now (including myself). I surely don't support the destruction of properties, but at the end we should all know that the government's duty (among others) is to protect its people's (tax-payers') properties.
I will not engage in any anti-US or communist-anarchist debate, 'cause they're all totally irrelevant. Just one remark for US people: I experienced severe apathy for anything that happened (during my stay at the US), but was happy to see you elect Obama, since it sent a message of change.
Idiot => coming from the ancient greek word idiotis, which means the one who does not participate in the community.
Finally, the guy that posted #90 must be a comedian. Obviously, he thinks that Europe is one country and then he advises a nation with 2,800 years of history to take lessons from a (long) history of 250 years. Just brilliant! As far as the election of Obama is concerned, sure I was happy with it, but his choices for key government positions do not implicate change of politics (yet).

Maybe america needs something to the same effect. In Americas short history we have only seen a few instances where the hurting public rose up against its corrupt government, and social structure. This is a country where the government is second to wealth. Where multibllion dollar corporations are asking for bailouts with money we have to reapy so they can give their ceo's bonuses. its rediculous, open your eyes.

It's really funny to read all these comments from around the world. Most of you live outside Greece but you talk like you know what had happened here.
Yesterday was Argentina and Paris, today is Athens, tomorrow will be Rome, Madrid, Barca, London, Berlin and so on. The wave of change just began.
As for the "beach boys" from US, i dont think that all of you are idiots but most of you are victims of your own system. You live like sheeps, they tell you what to do, they close your mouth each time you want to protest and you like it too!
We have our own ideas, our own history, our own mind and we dont need you "burger boys" to tell us what to do. Eat your full of holysterine burger, clap your hands infront of your alcoholic- idiot president and keep on fighting in Iraq for the money and petrol! Sleep tight!
GREECE MEANS FREEDOM

to all brainwashed americans
wake up.....
stop voting for democrats or republicans
stop thinking you are the center of the world
stop talking without thinking
stop living your american dream
this not the real world.police just shoot and kill a 15 year old boy without reason and all you have to say is "why they destroy their city???"stop annoying us and let us make our revolution...

Hello from Greece,

to the non greek visitors let just inform you that what happened in Greece during the past 10 days is a Media Staged rebelion.
Yes there were thousands demostrting loudly on the streets. There were million staying in their houses apalled. Yes there is great disappointment and frustration over the economy. Those who demontstrated were mainly rich youngsters rebelling safely. Yes there was a 15 years old boy killed. He was from a very wealthy family killed by a poor policeman with three kids. Yes there were spontaneous reactions . But there were also extremely well organised attacks to the economis centre of major cities. Yes there is a class struggle we are dealing with: it's the class struggle between the middle-upper class (the protesters/vandals) who for the first time are being hurt from the economic crisis and the working / poor class who through their hard labour keep this country still alive.

Riot is different from demonstration. And what I see here is purely riot, looting, damaging other people's properties. Greek, this way you only damage your country image, you don't make yourself proud but looters themselves.

Rioting never works. It's shooting oneself in the foot. Who wants to invest in Greece now? It's also shameful to see the government sit back and not defend people's property.

I love how people in other countries love to make generalizations of the populace in America. Just cause one dimwit doesn't understand international politics or believes that America is just simply one of the best countries with absolutely no flaws doesn't mean that everyone living in America believes so.

Pretty sure that if you ask around in America, half of them never wanted Bush as president or wanted the war in Iraq to linger longer. That's what happens in a representational democracy, the majority wins (which kinda sucks for the minority) sometimes with skewed results. Before raging on all Americans, how about you try and think a little, eh? Maybe not all Americans are what you think they are?

@171 - Good job, maybe YOU are like such, but I'm sure not all Europeans are. Stop making generalizations. I admit I don't know all 100+ European languages and could personally care less about learning them, but it doesn't mean that others in America are so "stupid". Sorry I have more of an interest in Asian languages. Sue me. I personally know a woman who is fluent in more than 7 languages of European origin. Pretty sure that's more than you know. Oh, and she's American. GG.

I find this entire contest of whether Americans or Greeks or others have a better government or a sheltered lifestyle. No matter how you look at it, every country has its own problems with its own stupid people. So please stop making generalizations.

I agree that the death of 15 yr old by the hands of the police is an unfortunate occurrence and that the men responsible, if they are indeed so, should be justly punished. I also agree that a corrupt government should be dealt with. However, this does not justify widespread destruction of property and others' lives. Perhaps the Greek police wouldn't be so inclined to use chemicals and such if they weren't being attacked and fearing for their lives? After all, the police are human too and not all alike. I would rather see a peaceful protest than a violent outrage such as this. Sure it may take longer because the effects wouldn't be as startling, but it sure as hell would make things a lot more safe. I personally find it counterproductive. "We are struggling in a bad economy and a teenager was just shot! That's the last straw, so lets burn down those places that offer these jobs or at least propel the economy in some way! Make those who still have jobs suffer with us!" Isn't that kind of like shooting yourself in the foot?

As a last comment, most of this was directed at those in the photos doing violent protests and also at those believing that Americans are all idiots. I realize that there are many in Greece currently holding demonstrations peacefully and I commend them all for that. It's sad that groups of noisy people usually tend to draw attention towards them and away from the majority, even in such horrible situations.

oh well, super.. we have enough democracy now and we are done with violence?
if your democracy is based on caging someone for years, you cant tell him to stop acting violently when he figures out how to open the door.
america "saved" its democracy by violence, killing people and disarming the threats at other part of the world. right? so what is wrong about disarming threats at their very everyday life, by aiming the modern world's guns; shop centers, banks, government offices?
these are the cages of poor people, wake up!!!
and hell yeah.. america does not feel like participating in the world community anyway.
and I still feel like rioting.

This is pissing me off big time.
Those nutcrackers that call themselves Anarchists deserve to catch the bullets that unfortunately hit the 15 years old boy.

They are exploiting a tragic death for their idiotic ideals - well WHAT IDEALS? CHAOS AND VANDALISM? The Far left and Anarchists are the Fascists of present time.

Cheers,

A 23 years old Dutch student.

And what if the protesters killed a policeman, would that give the police force the right to throw fire bombs on the protesters?

Anarchists and Socialists are just as brainwashed as Nazi scum. I feel sorry for the people who's property got damaged.

Pity for silly Americans...Is there anyone in the world that has this country as a model? Nobody wants to go there ! Excerpt of course all those miserable souls devastated by US economic & military policy around the world. In a country that just 50 years ago was a 1st rate racist state and expert gun-handling kids systematically assassinate their fellow schoolmates ( columbine is not the only one).
Kent university riots is not so far away when police brutally assassinated peacefully demonstrating students, neither is L.A. riots ,neither is Seattle demonstrations when government turned its military against its citizens just so they can witness themselves what they are doing to million other people the world around for the last 60 years !
You may not know it , but greece is the only European country having a national Holiday celebrated every year with a massive march to the American embassy to commemorate all the people killed and tortured as well as the enormous setback in our development due to dreadful American policy during the cold war era on our country !
Well, wake up and break some banks over there too ! Your banks and their golden boys brought worldwide economic crisis 2 times in one century.

hahaha... not for nothing but blameing a country other than your own is dumb... and blameing a president, who's a puppet like the rest, isnt going to get you anything but hootin and holerin from all the people that look to blame... -- you dont get it-- and frankly never will its your mind that puts situations like this into terror and fright... i can write tons but wont... all i have to say to all you Greeks.. ... is it worth it? Is it going to help you? if someone else dies and your involved can i blame you? are you willing to take that blame and responsibility? ... Government isnt fair and just... honestly I love human chaos but at the end of the day is it worth it?

At least the youth lives

Zalig!!!!!!!!

This is kind of rambling but... What I find interesting is that so many of you are slamming the US and saying how terrible our political system is but then you say these protests are in response to new corruption that happens every few months in Greece. Well, why don't you try electing officials that aren't corrupt?

What I'm getting at is... before you blame America or tell us how bad we are, try looking at yourselves first, I'm not saying things are perfect here, far from it, but my first thought was, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Nor should people wearing expensive ski goggles, Nike and GAP clothing resort to violent protests that adversely effect average citizens over troubling economic times, clearly they aren't hurting.

Yea, yea, you don't want us to judge you based on a few people resorting to violence that makes everyone else look bad. Well don't judge us based on the actions of a few either.

Has any of the US citizens posting here read Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience"????
He was one of US greatest philosophers.
If you read it, you might start seeing things (in US, Greece, everywhere) differently.

Man what a bunch of loser idiots... Not the protestors. the Anti Americanists. My heart bleeds for the protestors. I don't agree with violent actions but I can see that by the shear number and magnitude of the current events that this is about more than the death of a 15 year old child. There are deeper waters here and I pray for the people of Greece. As for those who blame the USA for this, and take this as a forum to voice anti-american sentiment I say get a life and quit whining just to make yourself feel informed and important. You need to take responsibility for your own actions and life. Blaming others because you are pathetic is sad. If you don't like America please return all the money we have given your countries in the form of loans that have never been repaid and assistance through the IMF. It's funny when the world economy fell it's America's fault, where was the credit and good feelings for America when the economy was good? Everyone blames Bush this, America that, Blah Blah Blah... Americans are smug .. When the world hates you out of jelousy for what you have no matter how much you try to help it's not smug. We are just tired of dealing with hypocrits. If you don't like the war in Iraq, sorry, but when a nutcase threatens us, especially one who has a track record of using toxic gas on his enemies AND HIS OWN PEOPLE, we need to protect ourselves. When he thumbed his nose at the U.N. and prevented them from inspecting for weapons that their own report said he had intentions of developing, then instead of crying and curling up in a ball like little kids, we acted. If you don't like that then too bad. If Sadam Hussein had threatened your country and it's people and then twarted the U.N.'s attempts to protect you, I would hope you would have had the backbone to do the same. Instead you probably would have run to the US for help and then criticized us when we did help and we always do. I pray for Greece and rest of you. Best of luck.

Greece rocks!

Wow, this is fascinating... Honestly, I don't know what to believe anymore. I turn on the news and they tell me anarchists are destroying everything over there. But how do I trust the media if they are part of the same system that is currently under attack?

Has the world become some kind of major prison where the slaves of capitalism are allowed to eat, sh*t and die? Is the problem the free market economy where the rich own everything and pull all the strings by using nasty tricks and manipulation.

What system would you guys propose? I understand that there's something wrong with the way capitalism works in it's current form. But I wouldn't want to live in a communist country either. I think that wherever there's power, there'll be corruption. But how should people run a country in a way that benifits everyone, not just a group of elites? If someone has the answer please share it with me, or us. What would kind of system would you guys like to see in say, 50 years from now?

One more thing, smoke some weed everyone. I never heard of anyone picking a fight while being stoned! Greetings from Amsterdam

poverty,corruption,more than 100 dead from police guns misfire since 1974,rotten justice system,incapable politicians,poor education system,depression,unemployment,far-right police forces and their brutality,money worshiped as god,a cold blooded murder of a 15year old child,controlled mass media hypnosis and a certainty that things will get worse...these photos are coming from the future you silly americans and co. YOUR FUTURE...

Looks like L.A. 1992.

This is not just for the fun folkies, this is what you get when your society is as f*cked up as in Greece. When angry young people without a job or even future are sick of being ignored.

This is gonna happen more often in the near future in western countries who stick their middle finger up to the people.

Everything has an extent. This pointless conversation should have one too.
Police and the government in other, for instance Ukraine, the country I live in, is even more corrupted and outrageous. But we don't cause riots all over the main cities, we live with it and it's okay. 'cause shouting for your rights every time you're pushed around or being looked at incorrectly doesn't lead you anywhere.
I sincerely doubt that Greek police units are more corrupted than ours, nevertheless, they treat you the way you treat them, as long as you don't do anything stupid, everything's fine.
I don't think that the boy was a saint, there is no reason for a cop to shoot a boy even if this cop is a brainless violent twit. Thiunk about that for a moment.
The riots in Greece are just an outburst of anarchists that have their knuckles itchy for another fight with the "Babylon".

Let us ............make love not war !!!!!!!!!! please .Don't kill our dreams, let us fight for theme.

So when you have 3 kids, you can shoot at a boy from a wealthy family?
(american democracy)
A person died and you still speak of investment, image of the country..
Unbelievable.
Transilation of the riot for (most of) americans to understand:
"If the state commit a murder, we smash the whole country into pieces."

I am so happy that the system in my country didnt improve as much as america and is not able to make me brainwashed as (most of) americans.

we can still throw shoes to face of Bush at least..
whether our rib and arm bones were broken. (american democracy again)

really really bravoo kids! i hope the riot won't stop.
thank you.

I would shoot to, if a group of riots would throw molotov cocktails at me. And to hell with all those left wing, i_dont_want_to_work, riots.

The most beautifull picktures, I'm breathless....

Anarchy is the most abused word on the planet. Not even 1/1000 of the people who use it have a f*cking clue what it means or what it's really about. That's what happens when one lets the news and the media of mass taming define important terms for him/her. Anarchy is not a letter on some f*ckin statue, a molotov coctail, burning, looting or anything like the above. The most simple way to put it is this... Go take a listen to John Lennon's "Imagine" and you'll be quite close to the essence of this most brilliant conception / ideology. Or if you're too christian to waste time listening to some atheist's songs, just reconsider your "saviour's" preaching without the sci-fi parts (gods, goats etc)... For f*ck's sakes people, try to learn what you're talking about before you get involved in a conversation.
Now, about the incidents that are still taking place in greece, it's so devastating to realize that there are so many f*ckers out there who are able to forget the horror of a cold-blooded assasination of a child by a pig as soon as they see a broken glass or a burning car in the news. Things are quite sh*tty in the country in general and now the people MUST stand up for their basic rights (that our "beloved" democracy is supposed to be providing) too!! When the authorities decide to cross the borderline right into your face, then it is time for the people to demostrate their powers. Violence brings violence. And it's all around us every-f*cking-day!! The ones that demonstrate-burn-destroy just the ones who are fed up with this everyday terrorism of all kinds of authorities. The ones who condemn any kind of demonstration or even revolt, can continue enjoying their big sleep...

violence is bullsh*t! allways and anywhere. id doesnt f*ckin matter if its in greece or any other place in the world. the really powerfull picture in this set, is the one with the boy offering a flower to the police!
there is much better ways to protest and make your point than violence and madness like what happened. fighting fire with fire is useless. its probably also not what alex would have wanted. the poor kid will be taken as a symbol for violence produced by brainless people. the policemen and the violence of the riot.

"smashing the country into pieces" is like smashing everything the greeks worked for"

What's so "social" about destroying someone elses car? Or business? Destroying innocent people's property, even ENDANGERING the lives of innocent people (see pic. 12) who have nothing to do with it is UNJUSTIFIED. These people should be punished. Especially when burning a place down with people in it!

This level of this protesting is unacceptable! If you want to make a point use your intelligence first, and as a last resort use physical action. This doesn't seem like a last resort. Are you protesting because the kid was killed, wrongfully? Then why are you trying to kill or injure ALL police officers. Are they all like the one that shot the kid?
That's grouping everybody together, that they behave and are the same thing. I.e. All police officers are killers. All kids are hooligans! All greeks are violent!
OF COURSE THESE STATEMENTS ARE NOT TRUE! Everyone is unique, find out what they are. So, don't throw molotov cocktails on police. That's someones father. Just like you don't kill some kid, that's someones son.
If things are wrong in your country, try to change them peacefully and if you must be aggressive, point your anger to the person responsible, not a group. That's how genocide, racism, and bad things start! USE YOUR INTELLIGENCE

I feel sad about this kind of riots. What i see is people keep blaming on each others without using the proper way to solve the issue. Pull yourself out and judge a problem as a 3rd person. Riot is wrong, period, because riot can cause many other innocents death. Who will be responsible to those whom might loose their life in this riot? Greek has a long civilize history, but people today are acting uncivilized. A policeman shot a 15 years boy, so people put up a riot to fight again the riot troop (i guess people are assuming the riot policeman are criminals...), burning stores, banks and vandalism which might costs lives and billions of financial lost to their own goverment which were elected by their own people... what elsees

Fantastic pictures.

And Brett who told you that all the torching, breaking,vandalism and stealing was committed by the protesters?
Sure there are some hot-headed non-brains in the protesters that caused part of those damages but i was there and saw lots of the ones who were clashing with the police also PROTECT small business from others "suspicious" people.
Some of them "suspicious" guys did run and hide behind the police bro.
FYI a small sample is this.
Also the bigger percentage of the people arrested stealing were not Greeks but aliens (not necessarily a sign of their criminality but also a sign of their poverty.)
Do i have to also mention the propaganda methods that a mechanism can use to control masses, distort their anticipation and shift focus to things that arent the most important at the time?

Spiffy Skipjack is Pleased!! It's about time the Greeks did some cleaning up. I hear the Italian mafia was about to move in but they got pinched big time this morning. Too bad, I was hoping to add them to The NINE IRON Group in 2009.

--Spiffy

This is a Greek problem. Why does everyone drag America into it? Sounds to me like most Greeks posted on this message board are angry at Americans. No one is perfect. America is not perfect. Anyone posting a message that reaks of American arrogance is actually an anti-american pretending to be an American, just trying to turn the anger against Americans.

Just as other posters on the board of said that over the years, people have fled their lands to come to America for freedom, they express sadness to see their homeland struggle . They are living in peace in America. 94% of Americans are still employed. We are working to better our society. We are not perfect, but we continue to work hard. We care for others. It is sad to see corruption in government both in our country and others. We do not support it, and when we can, we lock up the quilty ones that we can find. We are working to better ourselves and hope we can assist others when asked.

To the people of Greece, do everything you can to weed out the corruption of government. Fight for your freedoms. I support you in your actions, but carefully direct your energy to the right place. Go to the goverment, and fight there. Watch your anger closely, rarely does good come from actions of anger, rather, be passionate in your desire for freedom, for cleanliness, for what is right.

@171
I've tried voting. I'll keep trying, but so far it has never worked. I both practice and believe in nonviolence and while I don't think I'm an idiot, I am probably a fool.

Dude, it makes me sad considering what has happened although i do feel the need to compliment you on these photo's...!! You did a good job with these images. Very intense

Come on everyone, cut Greece some slack. Look at what they have given us. Gyros, cucumber sauce, and hot greek chicks. We had the LA riots and I didn't see a picture of a single hot chick rioting.

Incredible pictures of unforgettable events!

I commend the protesters in Greece for speaking up. It's important to speak out against injustice and corruption. I wish ppl here in the US would be more active. If they realized what Bush & co. had done to the constitution with the Patriot Act, etc I'd hope they would riot. However, I don't understand burning down buildings and cars. You possibly just caught fire to another protesters car or home. Did you accomplish anything other than making a worse situation for someone similar to yourself... or their family? And protesting for the death of that 15 year old? Really? Maybe I don't have the story correct, but you mean to tell me that if someone is about to through a Molotov cocktail at you in an attempt to take your life or cause severe permanent damage to you, you wouldn't shoot them? If my life is threatened, I'll do my best to make sure I'm the one that still gets to go home to his family afterwards no matter the age of the person trying to kill me. How about this example... someone walks into your home with a gun and says they are going into your children's room to kill them... do you prevent it by killing the intruder or do you allow it? On the other hand, if the 15 yo didn't have a Molotov, then the police officer should be punished severely.

Man those are some pretty trendy protestors! Protesting is so fashionable nowadays! Way to go "standing up for whats right" by burning, stealing, and looting. Those riot police aren't government, they are mediators between government and the people. And you want something different than democracy? Well, go and read how other systems of government deal with rioting people and social unrest....

Fantastic pictures
Don't kill our dreams

Lets generalize things about countries... Cause you know.. They're all the same. Right Grekos?

Anyone who has a problem with America needs to stop thinking about them like they're all plotting against the world. Start seeing people as individuals other then groups. Why can't all this rage and emotion be turned on to something better rather than hate?

I really think Rage Against the Machine should put out a new record just so they can use one of these as the album cover.

It doesn't matter what country you live in, rioting is useless and only amounts to chaos. It produces a group mindset that throwing personal values out the window to temporarily support the cause is an okay things to do. There are ways to protest in manners that are far more effective and far less primitive.

To everyone bashing on America, simply because it's America, grow up. You have no reason to be so offended because of us unless you're truly jealous of what we have. If you're offended, you're in the wrong. You can't argue, though, that America, though it has a distinct lack of experience that the majority of other countries do, has managed to become a great power in this world, raising up a working society. You hate America for that?

Do you really think that the world applauds the fine example you've set? You've proven yourself nothing but base. When you feel wronged, you seek revenge. You lose self-control. You become primitive. It's not effective. It's not noteworthy. People don't look back on riots and think, "Wow. What a magnificent time. We were all so wonderful then. Saints is what we were."

Also, Obama is not a revolution. He is a soothesayer. Nothing more. Tells you all what you want to hear, but there's no way he can deliver all he's promised.

Where's the unity here people? Whether you believe rioting is right or not - surely you can see that there's more going on here than is shown in these photographs? And here we are verbally attacking one another's countries. I am surprised that considering the world we live in that there are not more people with empathy for oppression. Why can't we all take a step back and look at the bigger picture? That this may in fact become our future.

y'all so funny!!!! :D especially the argument "they are just kids, angry kids, but only kids..." :) WTF is wrong with your logic circuit board????

i am 13 years old and i live in greece i must say things are crazy here we missed almost a week of school and when we went into the center almost all of the buildings have been burned to ashes

@ 226

Explain to me how conflicts in every corner of the Globe is an American problem. Explain to me how funding a group and providing opinions on problems in other countries is an American problem. Explain to me how having military bases on every continent is an American right. They (Americans) are very involved in many things that you are unaware of.

Amazing how anything nowadays quickly devolves into generalizing, stereotyping, and bashing America and its citizens.

A Greek kid was killed. There are ongoing riots in Greece. The post is photos related to, and of, these events.

The politics of America, the price of tea in China, and the weather on the North Pole have absolutely ZERO significance here. This is Greece's tragedy, and Greece's problem to solve.

| 155.
@118
Do you know what communism is ? Have you ever read the communism manifesto ?
Quoting wikipedia:
"Communism is a socioeconomic structure and political ideology that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless society based on common ownership of the means of production and property in general."
Perhaps you should know what are you talking about before you post. The ineffective application of communism in many countries does not mean that the ideology is wrong! |
I know that is not me, but I have read the communist manifesto. You probably should too, because you obviously have NO idea what communism.
You know your generation is brainless when it depends on Wikipedia for its definitions of political and economic system. And ditto to you about knowing what you are talking about before you post.

| 154.
| Anarchy = chaos
| Communism = dictatorship
|
| The above are absolute truths!
what is also truth is
Communism = Fascism = Capitalism = Socialism = Religion = Dictatorship |

Once again, generational ignorance prevails.

I'd first like to say I'm an American, but I wanted to do my research before jumping to conclusions. I enjoy learning from foreign countries.

I have to say that I support the protesters, they have a tyrant government, and they need change. For those that don't support them, remember that only a small percentage of these demonstrations are ending in violence, but according to the statistics a majority is dissatisfied with their Government. I hope Karamanlis does the right thing and resigns soon. Good Luck Greece and may their be peace and freedom at the end of your fight.

Wow, I guess the "ALL POLICE ARE OPPRESSIVE FASCISTS" attitude is in full effect here. And if you ask me, throwing a molotov cocktail at someone is a deserving reason to be shot at.

Yup, democracy in its best is it?
Unforgettable event of how a death is celebrated by more destruction.
Hailing the words Democracy and Justice to justify destruction should only be greeted with tear-gas and bullets..

What a bunch of whiny dipwads you guys are!! I suppose if you have a peaceful protest and are ignored over and over, you just give up? THAT is EXACTLY how bad people get to be in charge of bad governments. Don't you people learn anything from history? Anything at all?

I'll admit, electing Obama was somewhat revolutionary...I guess. In the sense that an overwhelming majority voted for him (even I did). But we're still leaving everything in the hands of the American government, relying on people who do not have that same concerns as a "common" man or woman, surrendering ourselves, crying "please save us". Allowing another Clinton in office and other repeats of the past. It sounds like a mouse trap to me. The thing about America is the people in power are very good at making us think we've "won" in some way, thus keeping people calm and quiet, but actually it's not much different than it has been. There's an agenda and it cannot be denied. Maybe we Americans do need some kind of physical revolution.

I'm an American, and my heart is broken.

It's amazing how so much destruction can be captured so beautifully in these pictures.

The Dream for Better Days will never end. What will have to be changed in the long run is the lack of respect some people show in prejudice to the less protected ones. Sorry,I do not like violence but every once in a while people have to show they have got the power.

First of all, as an American, I have to say that Murat is an idiot. You have no idea what you're talking about, because, as you should well know, America was at one point in the Revolutionary War. It was violent, and the men who fought in it used guerilla warfare techniques to win.

Additionally, electing Obama was not a revolution. Electing anyone other than a democrat or a republican may have been. However, Obama is just like McCain on most points, and doing something that the system says is the right way to do things: like voting in a scheduled election for one of two choices, is not revolutionary. The actions of the Greeks should be applauded before being condemned, at least they fight for what they believe in. Americans gjust sit around and get bitched by politicians likeBush for years.

One of your great men,who fought for human rights,during the rioting 60's Dr.Martin Luther King stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and stated :" A time comes,when silence is a betrayal".
There is a time in history,when each and every one of us,no matter his race,beliefs,social stature,education,should reflect above the need for great changes.
We should all fight for freedom,human rights,constitutional rights.
Before all,we should fight for our self-esteem.
We,people of Athens,pay solidariety to the youth,that needs to battle for a better future,burning a corrupted past.
Let me tell you that: "I have a dream today."
And let me thank you for your understanding,people of America

The Dream for Better Days will never end. What will have to be changed in the long run is the lack of respect some people show in prejudice to the less protected ones. Sorry,I do not like violence but every once in a while people have to show they have got the power.

Maybe he shouldn't have been with a group of kids who were hurling fire bombs at a man with a gun. You mess with a hornet you get stung.

all anarchy leads to is destruction.

"The ineffective application of communism in many countries does not mean that the ideology is wrong!"

No, but the inability to implement the idealogy is an indication that it is inherently unworkable and therefore flawed.

I am reading all the comments here. I am just a curious person from the Netherlands wundering what is going on. To be honest, after reading all comments, I don't understand it at all?
Is it only because of the kid? So many riots for so many days? So much violence? I can't believe it.
Corruption? I don't know, corruption is everywhere, here in Holland it is every day visible, scandals, everywhere, but no riots at all.
You have a democracy. If you are not happy with your parliament why not vote another government next election? And if you are still not happy, why not leave the country and find your happiness somewhere else?
Democracy is also accepting the choice of the majority?
But don't get me wrong, I sometimes think it is incredible indeed that the situation in the Netherlands does not turn worse than in Greece. That I also don't understand.
I just would like to get some real explanation why it has gone so far? Are you maybe scared for other things than only corruption? Are you people hungry, is it because of a mediterranean temper, questions, questions...?
I am completely confused.

It's amazing what people can justify to themselves. Act like savages to bring down the government. More power to you if that's the kind of country you want to live in. I thank God I live in a country with a little more self respect to not destroy itself .

As a Quebequer ........opressed for my language by a dumbass governement,
Cheated by useless laws .......when we decided to democraticly build a country for ourselves.
Submited by violance and religion in the past, Tortured by conservative and stupidity right now ....

Hail to you brothers and sisters who are searching for a country for the people by the people!

A lot of these Greeks and Turks aren't making the rioters look so heroic with their childish generalizations and stereotypes about Americans. How blindly hypocritical. I’m waiting for one of them to fart and blame it on America.
What I am dreading is something like Tiananmen Square.
Anyway, it sucks to see images of peaceful and good Greek people experiencing such a hell.
My most heartfelt sympathies,
American Soldier.

Wow. I was in Athens almost exactly one year ago as part of a college marching band trip. We performed in Syntagma Square. I can not believe how different the city is less than a year later. I can't imagine any marching band considering performing in Athens for a very long time after seeing these images.

If you threaten me with explosives, much less throw them at me, I will shoot you. If the person behind you sees you go down and decides to fight, they will be shot and so will the next guy and the next guy until I am dead or no one else yet stands threats my survival. There is no reason to or for this riot. A kid got shot, yes it is sad, it is horrible but the guy who did it is going to court and will be tried. if he feared for his and his fellow's safety then I hope he gets off but if he didn't, then he should never have so much as drawn the gun and he should go to jail.

Greeks, you can complain about the dynastic ambitions of America all you want. You can lament this country's meddling in the affairs of the rest of the world. You can raise your voices in outrage at hypocrisy with which it conducts itself, both at home and abroad. But the firebombs that are burning were thrown by Greek hands, and the government that is crumbling was elected by Greek votes. This is your problem, you must fix it. In the end, the fingers you point should be at each other.

I'm very struck by the median age of those involved. They are young. It fits with the political and economic situation in Greece that the young adults protest, and they are usually the the first demographic to take up arms, but I can't help but feel the beginnings of a major generational rift. We are seeing the tearing of two generations, one - founded the modern world, think regionally, and have investment in the status quo and systems that sustain them; The other - globally-minded, constantly connected, fed up with the operative systems of the world that leave them at great disadvantage. Revolutions always seem to be led by the young, but for some reason, this divide seems to cross borders and oceans, as a generation reaches out from the one before it.

Come to Macedonia , we'll save your souls ....

@155 - Communism is wrong because it removes the only thing that makes humans human: choice.

Communism must be imposed by force... because it requires zero devitation from the ideology - and what sane person would voluntarily give up their right to think and speak freely?

As soon as one individual seeks to attain advantage because of their greater contribution, intellect or creative ability, communism is ruined and those that rule (who clearly are not equal to those who don't by the mere fact that they can exert power over others) must supress the deviant by force.

And if there are no rulers, then there is no system of jusstice or enforcement of laws except by mob, and the mob must get together and stone the deviant.

In order to succeed, communism requires all people to be brainless, opinionless, enslaved animals who have given up everything that makes them unique, and have given up all desire to be human.

Since this is the inevitable ultimate end-state that communism seeks to achieve - i.e. the end of all human freedom - then communists, by extension, must be haters of human freedom, or, for expedience, believe that it should not exist.

That is why I keep and bear arms - because if you and your ilk intend on stealing my freedom and making me a slave to the state, I will either defend my freedom with lethal force, or, as a last measure, take my freedom with me to heaven.

I am free. That is my natural state. And you will not succeed in changing my natural state.

I am why communism will not work. You will have to exterminate me and hundreds of millions like me in your death camps to achieve your utopia of automatons.

As an American I say, fight on my Greek brothers and sisters. Show the world that the will of the people is stronger than the will of the corrupt government. Show them that molotovs and stones can overthrow an organized army. Show them that even the most jaded, docile seeming people can act when a breaking point is reached.

Give me hope for my own country, that if things ever get that bad my own people will be willing to fight.

The images of youths wearing nike apparel, trend-setting fashions, all the while spraying anarchist symbols on the emblems of greek revolutionaries is entertainingly hypocritical. Then again, there's a wonderful irony seeing a teenager try to pass out flowers to riot police and being able to watch fires set by his peers.

Like it or not, this is not a revolution, this a mob. And, like all mobs, there is no motive, no rhyme or reason. It is basic, stupid, human compulsion. Give us fur and sh*t instead of rocks, and you can see very clearly how far we've "evolved".

Erik - you apparently missed the memo. Based on the logic of most of the Euros here, this is all America's fault. In addition, it's probably also America's fault that you're confused. And while you're at it, might as well blame America for the fact so many Dutch people are weirdos...

people in london need to step against the system that says those cops didnt unlawfully kill that brazilian plumber on the tube. why they havent yet is beyond me. take an example from the greeks who know how to do business.

Interesting comments from both sides of the issue. If their actions are in any way justifiable, may I suggest that all these well to do kids (the pictures don't "lie"), start by burning down their own homes and their parents properties? it will be more practical and more sincere, especially now that they are done destroying other people's properties. But in Greece fault always starts where one's "acquired perks" ("kektimena") end, and of course it lies with the government. Providing of course that "our party" is not in power.

Can't help to think if this happened in the US, China or Russia the authorities would shoot everyone!

definetly this is great buch of pics ...

tear down the wall.

Greece lied to the Europeans about there financial situation when they took euro as a currency . Then ,they were given to organize the Olympics 2004 , and they didn't make a penny , they 've lost a lot insted . Then europe gave them the money , that needs to be given to the whole balkans just to ease them the out of their misery . In the last 2 years they've bought a 3 billions euros worth of military equipment from france and russia ( and none from US ). And they made USA look ridiculous on the NATO summit in Bucharest . They had to pay because they are incompetent , lying parasites ....

I love these pictures, first because, they're beautiful, second because of the context. Well done.
Whenever I see a small group of masked men causing a ruckus within a group of semi/peaceful protesters, I sigh and shake my head. They're very likely cops themselves, planted to give their fellow officers a reason to use violence against the public display of righteous outrage the public is demonstrating. Happens every time.

One fine example
"Canadian cops admit staging own provocateurs at protest"

http://world.commongate.com/tag/cops

the boy threw fire bombs at the cops, fire bombs can kill people same as bullets
so the cop obviously would shoot back. Everyone should stop being little babies blaming everyone else, starting riots and destroying hard working peoples property because you think its serving a point ?
what point are you trying to prove by rioting , looting and starting fire it just causes more pain.
moral of the story , dont throw fire bombs at cops and you wont get shot

ps for all the people who are saying america is ignorant , then why do so many foreign people want live here? and whenever the american economy goes down so does the rest of the worlds.

While these kids in Greece are destroying their country in part to protest lack of opportunity, millions of poor kids in Asia are studying, producing, and starting companies to get ahead. Which culture do you think will reap benefits?

Greeks are distracting themselves with obsessive Anti-Americanism and other failed -isms like anarchism and communism. Check out the Chinese and Vietnamese shedding those very -isms.

Rather than irrationally blame the US (please, we're not that bad or that powerful), how about taking responsibility for bettering your own country, perhaps by being constructive rather than destructive? While some of these Greeks bash America, Asians are figuring out how to get into Harvard.

Just one word only : Floating the idea of vandals and the ideal of their democracy.

S. Huber - sorry, you fail. Either blame America, or GTFO!

it is sad that many of you americans dont see the true picture here... the kid was murdered point blank!!..all the students protesting are not communists..only america fears communisim..look at your own issues like your health care and your 9/11 government issues..stop looking at the rest of the world issues and commenting on them when you have issues of your own far worse than ours...at least when our government or slaves of the government being the cops do something to the dislike of the greek people we protest...not like you people that your education teaches you nothing and your media is propeganda filled
The Greek

Posted by Seppo December 16, 08 03:28 PM
Seppo, I was, in fact, just asking the Greeks for an explanation. The ones who blame the American's are morons, it's their situation and have to face it. In fact, I think that the USA is one of the few bright nations on earth, without the USA, the world would be a worse place.
Anyway, watch Europe the coming years, more political problems ahead. Especially my hypocritical country is facing a tough future.

I'm in solidarity with the protestors and the rioters. Put the word out on how we can help from outside of Greece!!

I'm eager to hear how constructive thought and work is getting done to deepen the gains from the protests (both peaceful and destructive) - as in: more than causing the government to call an election, but extending the radical network, making the wave bigger for next time. While you have intervened in the flows of state and corporate power. I see evidence of this constructive work happening in media photos, only in the background or almost off-stage.

The state can too easily contain riots until they fizzle, so I hope you make the most of this social revolution folks -- make spaces, squats, educate, build networks, get it ready for a stronger wave next time! Exciting stuff!!

i don't want to argue about reasons for the riots, but i have to ask why they have to be so violent against ordinary people? i bet that person whose car was burned down has nothing to do with government, or owner of a destroyed shop is linked to them. i supported riots at the beginning, but when it became violent, you lost all my support. rioters showed that they want to put only new government for some selfish reasons of some politicians and nothing else, it has nothing to do with social or economical reasons. one more thing: looking at these photos above, there is a photo of a police man in flames. honestly, if i see anyone who is ready to do to me same thing, i will shot in the head. no questions ask.

@ 268

I think the American piece to the posts was brought into the discussion in the first 100 comments posted. If you go back and read you will see some very ignorant and self serving opinions by Americans. The Americans are not to blame my friend, however, I DO NOT SEE THE RELEVANCE OF CLAIMING TO HAVE A SUPERIOR AMERICAN SOCIETY. Go back and read for yourself and you will underastand the Anti American sentiment. Greeks will have to clean up this mess for themselves. I believe they are a free group of people who are expressing their frustration with the current government. Most are doing so in a peaceful way. This is contary to what your TV is telling you.

I really like the police officer on fire. Let's just hope he learned his lesson! Oh and whoever own those burned cars. They finally got whats coming to them too. And that stupid statue. Just standing there all stationary like that. It knows nothing about Anarchy. We'll show it what we are fighting for!

I was just having fun with you Erik :-) What I find interesting is that even the Greeks and Europeans here can't reach a consensus on the details around the shooting or the riots. Yet, apparently while they're here, most have found they can agree that they hate America and Americans.

How convenient...

I look forward to the next flareup in the Basque region so I can come here to view the photos, and then read about how America sucks. LOL!

Why are people so racist? I feel horrible that the Greeks are struggling so much. But what angers me is their destructive nature. You are not protesting, you are LOOTING, STEALING, and DESTROYING. This is foolishness.

Also, by calling Americans "brainwashed" is even more foolish. Some Americans are uneducated, some are University students, and some are Nobel Prize winners. Your generalizations and bashing different countries prove your ignorance.

I love my country. God bless America and the world.

284 - I think if YOU go back and read, you will see anti-America sentiments started w/comment #1 which pretty much de-railed the conversation before it even began.

You're right, America is not to blame.

These photos look familiar. They remind me of Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, Newark, Montgomery (Alabama), South Central Los Angeles, Harlem, Watts, Kent State University (Ohio), etc., etc., etc.

Note to smug Americans who presume to criticize the citizens of other countries for using violent protest to ignite political reform: You are vulnerable to the obvious question: If the abolitionists, or the tenant farmers' lands rights movement, or the women's suffragists, or the labor movement, or the civil rights movement, or the anti-war movement, or a dozen lesser-known political and social movements in U.S. history had not resorted to violent protest against established authorities, what would the United States be like today? Why, quite a bit like Greece, I imagine (or perhaps Palestine, to use a better example) — only much worse. After all, the U.S. began as a slave nation that granted full citizenship, including the right to vote (not to mention basic human rights) to only the wealthiest, most privileged 10 percent of its inhabitants. Probably less than 1 in 10 Americans born after 1945 are remotely aware of that fact. The America you get to feel so self-righteous about today is the product of a short but eventful history marked by successive waves of violent protest by ordinary people who had little choice but to resort to direct action — face-to-face confrontation with well-armed oppressors backed by all the might of the state and its corporate patrons. Indeed, if the American colonists had refused to employ violent protest against established authorities to achieve their political objectives, where would the United States be today? The answer, of course, is: Nowhere at all.

@ gabba gabba

you finally showed your real reason for the riots: to cure your own frustrations. not to fight for something better but to express your deepest mental problems. i truly hope you will not be in situation like that police officer. you definitely wouldn't think like that any more.

the tragedy of a young boy killed by cop ........
violent riots as a response
the tragedy of 11 Sept..........
Bush's violent response
the list is long: violence as a response to violence, injustice and tragedy
creates violence, injustice and tragedy
there are other ways
consider the possibilities

I agree with the Greeks, good for them for standing up. What the protestors are doing is in no way worse than what their government is doing every single day. Does the government really govern for the benefit of its people? If so, then governments are failing to do so all around the world whether it be in Greece, America, China, etc. What we are experiencing is a slow transition into a world revolution, where the people want "change."

The only loser here is the one who is blindly patriotic to the point of sheer ignorance.
Tell me, what's the weather like over there in Disneyland?
(rolls eyes)
If there is a god, please protect me from the mentality of those bred in the rogue nation known as the U.S.

we have no jobs, no decent salaries, they steal our money and nobody pays for that, we have no environmental policy, corrupt judges, a suffocating education system and on top of that there is an oppressive police which shoots our children. The hell with them, burn the bastard country down. i agree that many of the "victims" should not pay for something that is not their fault but unfortunatelly this is how riots are. You have to know some of the vandalisms are made by people paid by the government to do that only to change the public opinion but in any case human societies UNFORTUNATELLY have never achieved anything without riots, and riots involve violence, usually blind violence. This is just the way things are, UNFORTUNATELLY.

As for Americans, i do not blame them for their ignorance but they should not blame others for protecting their rights, which in many cases are violated by the US government

The pic of the burning Christmas tree is now my desktop background. These are amazing pictures

Really incredible stuff going on in Greece...Thanks so much for the pictures.
I understand the protest over the killing of the young boy
BUT
Was he not holding a petrol bomb while the police men were surrounded and trapped in their cruiser? Why must people over look this key fact? Regardless, crazy stuff. Also, I want to note that while you think you are going against the establishment and fighting "the man", you are really only attacking another country man who is going about his life as an underpaid police man, with little or no say in the government or policies in your country. TAKE ON THE MEN IN SUITS NOT THE MEN IN UNIFORM

Posted by Seppo December 16, 08 04:31 PM
I know you were teasing. I am just a dutch weirdo anyway (that's how Australian's used to and Spanish do call me). Better a weirdo than a moron don't you think? And with double dutch or going dutch, I would prefer the latter, although neither of the 2.
Hey, I, my parents, and many other fellow Europeans are still very greatful of all the good work the Americans did to liberate us from the nazi's, pull off stalin's commis and help us rebuild our nation through Marshall's help.
So, keep in mind, not all Europeans, as well as Americans, are the same.

Can't we all just get along?

lol, the unwashed filth rises up.

their lives are empty and meaningless, and they need to do something to prove they exist. pathetic.

First: Smarmy what about what about the US Civil war, pretty darn bloody to get Independence from Britain, Canada did it war free.

Second: You stupid Greek protesters, HOW THE HECK does vandalizing the property of innocent store owners, burning Christmas trees which are a symbol of peace, and destroying private property help? Protesting is one thing, hurting your fellow countrymen is another. We are in a huge economic crises, and it is world wide, the last you need to do is cause more strife. The police officer that did the shooting is in jail. Let's see what the justice system does, and if it fails you then protest, but do it in a constructive manner.
What you are doing is destructive and quite frankly disgusting. The behaviour you are showing is barbaric and makes me wonder how your country has survived as long as it has. Everyone involved in this should be charged.
You're idiots....

@ Seppo

It's not the people or the welfare in America that we dislike. It's the violent and dominant position they take in this world.. If you take one big look at history, you'll see that America is much deeper connected than just the conflict they get in to "solve" it. What I'm saying is, is that you shouldn't pick a side. I don't hate America, but I do hate much of it's choices, like I hate much irresponsible(!) people/politicians and their lies.
We are all brothers, in humanity. I think most of us just want a peaceful and free existence. It's too bad we always have to fall back on thinking boxes, just because it's easy, just because in this way you can always point your finger and blame somebody else.

Wrote this with my best intensions.

Yet another pathetic "revolution" against the "system" that leads absolutely nowhere. It's just a sad sight to behold... Fortunately here in Eastern EU people are not so jumpy, coz we've seen real problems, real injustice... Greeks will eventually get over this incident and most will probably feel very sorry for their hyper-overinflated reaction.

we have no jobs, no decent salaries, they steal our money and nobody pays for that, we have no environmental policy, corrupt judges, a suffocating education system and on top of that there is an oppressive police which shoots our children. The hell with them, burn the bastard country down. i agree that many of the "victims" should not pay for something that is not their fault but unfortunatelly this is how riots are. You have to know some of the vandalisms are made by people paid by the government to do that only to change the public opinion but in any case human societies UNFORTUNATELLY have never achieved anything without riots, and riots involve violence, usually blind violence. This is just the way things are, UNFORTUNATELLY.

As for Americans, i do not blame them for their ignorance but they should not blame others for protecting their rights, which in many cases are violated by the US government

OUR PRESENT TO THE WORLD!!!

GREEK REVOLUTION,
LET'S MAKE IT GLOBAL!!!

VENCEREMOS

Seriously, this is why the US is so great. This kind of thing doesn't happen here. It may not be a perfect place (for sure!) but at least I don't have to worry about my car getting destroyed or my apartment being looted or torched. Those policemen are just people doing their jobs. Frankly, I think the Greek people are just looking for something to rally around. The whole incident with the 15 year-old is very sad and tragic, but let the policeman responsible face his consequences. There is no reason to injure hundreds and cause millions in damage....let's be civil!

Nice Troll attempt #285, a little more subtlety on the statue comment and you'd be there!

i would like to ask a question!!
to tha american who likes the system he lives in:
weren;t the USA founded after (in fact,via) violent acts?i mean,there was a civil war!
and to greeks:
why does everybody goes "bravo" for the revolutionaries that fought for freedom?
cause,i mean, they FAUGHT!! they used violence!!
that is just to say,tha no social change can be achieced without violence.
So STOP sayin about PACIFISM.
DOES NOT WORK(at leat if you re not gandi:P)

its just like rock and roll.

Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.

-Dalai Lama

I WOULD LIKE TO START OFF AND SAY THAT i HAVE READ EVERY COMMENT THAT HAS BEEN LEFT REGARDING THESE PICTURES. Ii is clear that their are a multitude of opinions on politics, rioting, America, etc.
Being a Greek-American who spends six months in each country, I find myself relating and playing devil's advocate to many of the comments. We are, globally, living in an economic tragedy caused by a multude of factors other than the United States. To simply blame the U.S for all the problems occuring globally is not only inaccurate, but a completely ignorant comment by those who can not think critically enough. Remember, we all have succombed to the cheap manufacturing in China, India, etc. We are all guilty for promoting other countries other than our own for our economic woahs. Rioting in this case will not solve the problem. Instead of focusing on riots and violent acts, the youth of Greece should focus on instating another party into their government. Changing parties may not be the answer to all, but a change from the current catasrophy is needed. Greece is a beautiful country full of wonderful people and tons of history, It is shameful for them to be viewed as "out of control" and tirants around the world. It is time to take our history and philosophies into account and find other ways of expressing our dismay.

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

This so sad to see what Greece is reduced to. I've been telling my friends this is going to happen in Greece, but expected it to come many years later. This is beyond the corruption of their government. Their entire socialist welfare state is growing so fast it will exceed Greece's GDP before 2040; probably about the same time as France and Spain fall to the Muslim Empire.

You, Greece, have been harboring a pro-communist and pro-socialist agenda since WWII, and refuse to let it go. The KKE backed STALIN of things, and yet you legitimized them after your military junta collapsed. Shame on you.

You have deep-rooted issues to sort out.

Burning other people's property is a helpless expression of your inability to act constructively. You sold yourselves out to your government long ago, and became servants and property of it while begging it to be a welfare state and take care of you.

I'm not sure what to tell you at this point. You have to figure out what real freedom is and decide if you want that for yourselves. Good thing your leftist government gave you a holiday to berate the US, and focus your frustration in the wrong direction. While meanwhile we fork over money your way every year.

I am an American, from a cattle ranch in the midwest. Before we get more uniformed comments about "Americans" I would like to say: unlike the jealous stereotypes some of you like to perpetuate in Europe about "Americans" I have yet to meet a European who can draw a better World-map than I can, and most especially in Greece. Most Greeks cannot even pick the right city and state for the capital of the US. (50% of Greeks I've asked say New York City, and over half of those place it in Washington State if they can even guess a state).

On the other hand, I know a bit of Katharevousa/Καθαρεύουσα and demotic and a whole heck of a lot about history and economy.

I hope your people learn accountabilty before it is too late, and your system collapses. I hope you stop trusting in the fallacy of armies and police to protect you, and arm yourselves. (with more than rocks) At least your cousins in Creta have kept their guns and powder dry. (Yes, I know, I've traveled extensively there too.)

We, in the US, have many problems right now with our politicians and our corrupt banking system (sanctioned by the socialist part of our part-socialist government). We have just elected a socialist president and a very scary group of people, much like the ones whom screw Greece over. This was an extreme reaction to dislike of Bush & forgeign wars and I hope the US can survive it.

We have a few things going for us though.

1. A Constitution for We, The People.
2. A Bill of Rights. Explicit, unalienable rights.
3. The Right to Bear Arms.

You cannot have the right to Life, Liberties, and ownership of property, without having the right to defend them for yourself. If you turn over your right to defend yourself to become a ward of the police or the state, you are no better than a slave. If someone else gets to decide when and where to defend you: you are their property. Plain and simple. Property, not free.

The one underlying philosophical foundation that started the US and will keep her going, is the fact our people respect the rule of law, not the rule of men, and the majority of the US believes in supporting the Bill of Rights and our Constitution (though they both are now in taters). And, finally: we are armed. So we are free to defend our lives against corrupt politicians should we ever want to.

You can at best throw rocks and molotov cocktails. While that's cute and all, it's not going to get the job done and all you are currently doing is harming your fellow serfs but destroying their property. Which, they like you, are unarmed and helpless to defend.

Good luck, Greece.

i would imagine most of the supporters of these riots are young and ignorant of the issues that started it and the repercussions violence like this has on the innocent people of the country. the kids were already rioting when the teenager was shot. if you don't think tossing a molotov cocktail might get you injured or killed somehow, you are naive and stupid.

my heart goes out to the family of the boy, the policeman and his family, plus all the poor citizens of Greece who will be forever affected by this senselessness violence.

the

Great Pics

I DONT LIKE WARS
PLEASE KEEP THIER PLACE

I am Croatian and I can see what power of people in GREECE is.
I love you GREECE just because you are trying hard to change the things in this awkward world but I feel sorry and angry because such things would never happen in CROATIA. Our people are BRAINWASHED by our own GOVERNMENT and media.
Our people CROATIANS have only APATHY and INFERIORITY toward better future because we are slaves and servants of our government.

There is time for fight and time for peace, we can learn from both and both need to be experienced, so we can fear of one and live for another. All of us big and small.

Washington DC had riots back in 1968. The people burnt down their own neighborhoods to protest the assassination of Martin Luther King. Those neighborhoods still show signs of the riots. The people that still live there are more impoverished than in any other part of the city. While I don't condone the murder of a child by police, the people are harming the people in this situation. They will all have to live with the consequences especially in this global downturn. There is less capital to build these places up, and many jobs will be lost as a result of the riots. I consider myself somewhat of a revolutionary, but violence is only a last resort. I'm sure a more positive outcome could have come out of the childs death.

I understand protesting, but why these riots when they only end in even more violence than the original crime?

Sadly it reminds of Chile since riots happen so often....

Viva Chile

1. It is hard for us Americans to understand these protests because we come from libertarian cultural roots (things are not this way so much anymore). It is burned in our minds that every individual has the right to defend themselves when their life is being threatened and that force should only be used in opposition to force. That is why we don't really understand 100% why it is wrong for a police officer to shoot that boy if the boy tried to hurt him first.
2. Something is not getting to us in America. Our media is probably censored and the way it is being portrayed doesn't make any sense. Please, if you know what is really going on in Greece, spread it everywhere in comments like this on the internet so that us regular U.S. citizens can understand what is really going on.

I hate people who talk about this issue without knowing any of the issues happening in Greece before the murder of Alex. It's pompous and ignorant for people to come on here and say that Greeks are crazy, or that America is better, or that the police should take control over the students. do us all a favor and pick up a history book and learn something about the Greek history before you come here and say that all the Greeks are doing is senseless rioting, it goes deeper than that.

I feel like the Greeks are the only ones w/ a pulse at the moment because they have shown the ability to stand up to their government and demand a change. This could have never happened in the United States because everyone carries a gun and the police kill innocents daily. It's too normal for the U.S. to experience such events like what happened on Dec. 6; the murder of a teenager.

Has anyone noticed that since the police's murder, no one else has died in the 11 days of protesting and rioting? also, the anarchists only attack public/government buildings and multi-national corporations, it's what they've been known for. Many of those attacking small businesses and automobiles are actually undercover policemen, and there are photos to prove it.

these pictures are beautiful pictures, but they don't tell the full story. many of these commentators have proven they'd rather learn about issues based on pretty colors rather than putting themselves to read something.

Amazing pictures of an unfortunate incident. Rioters are capable of such destruction. I don't know why they wouldn't focus their protest/ attack on the police, and their place of operation. Instead there are more innocent victims, business owners, civilians, art. I'm all for fighting back, but this is just a mess. Mobs on the Simpsons are more organized.

Riots in Greece (35 years of optimism)
-----------------------------------------------------

35 years of "democratic" governments dominated by nepotism, favouritism, insider dealing and corruption scandals

35 years of deteriorating social services and a declining education system alongside the radical and religious conservatism (re)producing idle and corrupted citizens, anarchists, junkies and groups of marginalized people

35 years of people shouting for a change but in fact entrenching the debauchery deeper with their very own votes, lifestyles and neglected/spoilt children born within an environment with no prospects, no basic planning and no aspirations for the future

35 years of non-existent intelligentsia alongside the dominance of guided media, TV trash and trash deliberations, lifestyle marketing, consumption fetishism in both the middle-aged and younger generations

35 years of poorly selecting, poorly training, poorly treating and poorly rewarding the Police Force

35 years of academic institutions providing asylum to anarchism and petty crime while apathetic political parties, the justice system, academic communities and student unions have all been idle and useless bystanders

35 years with anarchism being the most active but destructive reaction to the total stagnation and debauchery of the socio political scene

35 years after the transition from the Colonels dictatorship to the unlimited freedom of the so called revolutionary "polytechnic generation" that became the current middle aged politicians and also the parents of the rioting youngsters in Greece

35 years of uncontrolled liberalization and petty politics inflating the bubble of social optimism for a brighter future that never arrives

35 years after the first riot at the technical university of Athens and the fall of the military junta,
the bubble of the well hatched self-destructive optimism bursts out …. and the day after will be neither trivial nor brighter …
http://bilwander-bilwander.blogspot.com/2008/12/35-years-of-optimism_09.html

ander

For those non Greeks that don't understand these riots let me make it simple.
There are two types of protesters:
1. those that didn't have money to buy "Grand Theft Auto"
2. those that got bored of playing "Grand Theft Auto"

Both are great (greek) tragedies of life
You can recognize who is who by attire (like #17 Kid Anarchist with his $100+ ski glasses)
PS: now that I think of it, it's America's fault, you came up with the video game:-)

A clear example of history repeating itself.

europeans and americans: idiots bickering over petty issues. both cultures destroyed all indigenous people. shut up.

WE ALL LOUGH AT YOU WITH OUR FISTS HIGH AND OUR EYES CRYING...
WE DESTROY THE PRESENT BECAUSE WE COME FROM THE FUTURE.

Young Greeks are showing the rest of the world how to fight for justice. If only other "democracies" and peoples around the world followed suit, there would be no Iraqs, Afghanistans, no Bushes, no Cheneys, no Albrights and no Rumsfelds.

People should not be afraid of their governments. The Government should be afraid of their people

everything is wrong, and when EVERYTHING is wrong this happens. remember argentina 2001.

un argentino

The Real Issue
Greece is an intellectually a very sterile place (many reasons, wont enumerate). There are no ideas of where to go next. And that's the main issue.

The Context
The "recession" in Greece has been going on from right after the Olympics of 2004. The latest blow is just what was missing. Maybe this is a warning sign for other parts of the world (where reason is also a novelty).

The Arguments (pseudo)
The rhetoric about democracy etc is quite post-modern to me. The last decade has deconstructed it anyway. The resurrection of even older-fashioned philosophies is even worse (anachronisms wont save the day). The rest about anti-this and that are just skeleton in the closet that come out for internal consumption.

The Solution
Wish I knew. Wont break stuff though. Fundamental belief in reason is a requirement, intellectual emancipation would help, and creative work and thinking

There is a very insightful article on the Economist that you may want to check out.

cheers
-Stelios

If you throw firebombs at the police you should expect some sort of repercussion from it. I would say that using your firearm in defense would be justified in this situation.

Haven't we learned anything from George Carlin? TAKE A $%#@IN CHANCE. These sort of events are required to run a solid civilization.

If somebody thinks the correct response of a police officer being thrown a plastic bottle is to shoot a 15 year old in the chest has serious problems. And we are not even mentioning the chronic cases of unaccounted for police brutality.

Of course, riots do not generally happen in the US. Like LA in the 1990s with over 50 people dead, happened in another pro socialist banana republic.

To everyone thats saying "O this is bad cause its a Riot" crap your wrong this aint a riot its a REVOLUTION and if you live in the States its about time we have our own, when are people gonna stop walking around like machines and letting other people run your life?

I'm amazed at how many people find these riots incomprehensible. When people are confronted with their own powerlessness, they will find a way to reassert themselves. Not only is the Greek government listening, but now the world, and all that had to happen was a couple of bonfires. When the government is revolting, the people will follow suit.

The most stupid thing i have read in this forum, is people trying to undermine other nations people.... How stupid are you guys?!?!?!?! What made you hate the American Nation??? The acts of their politicians? As if your politicians are better....
Get over your selves and lets all demand better conditions of life for EVERYONE...
Lets never hear again of a dead child, not only from a bullet, but also from starvation that most children die of in the world.
WE can do it, if we really want to....

to Victim of Amerikkka... . It was a little cloudy today , highs in mid 60's.
other than that, your an asshat. any body that RIOTS... is an asshat. its no way to respond. to bad you live in a third world country and have no clue as to the weather...

"It is when we forget God that tyrants form their chains."
-Patrick Henry

I've read posts saying the problem is this or that. All the problems that have been stated are mere symptoms of a greater problem. When are we going to learn from history? The major downfall of the Roman Empire was their Godlessness in every facet of their lives. We preach the seperation of church and state as a constitutional fact, when it is not. The state has replaced our God. We rely on the state to secure our jobs and now our heatlhcare. So now we look to the goverment for our news. WE censor news stories. I have not heard about these riots at all on the major news networks or radios. Can no one see we are being manipulated? Violence in and of itself is not wrong. There is a proper place for it. We need to model Ghandi and MLK jr. They have had more positive lasting legacies than anyone has ahd that used violence as their major motivator.
My point is, when will we learn? History is our best teacher and when it tells us that when we forget God Bad things happen and life does not function.

reading the post I end in this conclusion:

as always do...americans "talk" and put their nose in other's people business.. and they don't know what they say...and still they believe they are right...guys stay at home! (your home)

FREE ME FROM THIS PLACE. I am an American, and all I know is here. But all I see is corruption. A Government that spend my money to go to a war that I am against, and continues to use my money to do so. I am of legal voting age but no one has asked me what i think about the war. And even if they did, what would they care? I want to own my own land, but Eminent Domain has deprived me of ever being able to fully own my own land.

I refuse to watch t.v. and I refuse to "upgrade to Digital". How can a government tell you what kind of t.v. to but and you blindly go with it. What health issues did this former type of t.v. cause? What was wrong with it? Hmm? So what if it looks better, did a government ever tell you to get rid of a black and white tv??? Yet you do this without questioning it.

What about the "Bail out" of companies the American public refused to purchase from? Why should a boycotted company that has only produced environmentally hazardous cars be given money simply because they are failing? With no limitations and no changes made to its products. It will simply fail again. Obviously.

So why don't we revolt or reform in America? Because the logical are a minority. Because we just don't know how. Because we are just too scared. So I commend these Students for STANDING UP. I hope they can wake some more people up to reality.

Yes, I am upset when I think about just how much I could legally be monitored. And yes I am upset when people are blinded by money. Blinded by THINGS. I don't want mass produced plastics, chemicals, drugs, politicians. I want to live simply on my own land, produce my own food, barter and have life be my "job". I am not a robot, I don't need to sign my life away to work for someone else and have nothing to show for it. I want this world to survive and I want my children to have a home for their families. Not pay to inherit my house, as the case is now. We have enough good here to last a very long time, we have houses built for two that can house more than 12.

I can only live for myself. So, wish me luck. I will not riot alone, I will riot the best way I know, by living through example and speaking up for human rights. If it get me nowhere, I will atleast die happy and die free.

I really don't see these as being very productive riots... it looks like a bunch of hipsters breaking stuff 'cause they don't have much else to do.

If you have a beef against the government don't torch your local department stores and banks - that's totally counterproductive.

@296

He WASN'T holding or throwing a firebomb. He just stood in front of the group yelling. According to the witnesses someone threw a plastic bottle. That's it. There is even a HOME VIDEO of the murder and although it's not top quality a firebomb would be visible on that!

'Seriously, this is why the US is so great. This kind of thing doesn't happen here'.

Right, and it happens in places of the world where you decide to start a war...that's much better!And what is the other guy above saying?It is better to have guns than in Greece,so you can protect yourselves?What are you firing cowboys?...I can recall incidents of murders by guns even in schools in America.Is this the way to protect and having justice rather than demanding your rights from the government?

I don't know what you people have heard,but that kid never threw a molotov or anything.He was just the victim of a corrupt system, shot and killed by a madman

to "ae"
my gosh man!!!!
we all know about your RIGHTS in holly america
of course we do
i just cant help noticing GUANTANAMO!!!
for gods sake,are you that ignorant???????
people were kidnapped after the september 11, people who were jailed just because they were muslim!!!and were not tried,or accused for something in particular....and then one day,they were finally set free!!!!!!!!!!google it man!!!!

Awesome pictures, you have some amazing skills mate, a pretty bad event though feel sorry for the innocent people having to go through that

When protests reach this point, becoming riots, it's basically war--the people against the systems of order (which include government, the police, and business). Inherently, it's not organised, and lacks restraint. People on this forum have expressed confusion as to why people would burn down a building potentially belonging to a fellow protester. The only think i can say to that is: confusion indeed. Protests are events which often begin with organisers, with plans, and with restraint. For example, declaring that a protest is intended to be peaceful, and admonishing participants to live up to that goal. When rage gets bottled up to the extent it has in Greece, however, chaos quickly takes hold, and any attempt to rationalise the actions of the mob is utterly pointless. It's a strange phenomenon among human beings, but it's existed since our very beginnings.

Regardless, the photographer has my complete, slackjawed admiration. Truly amazing work, and no doubt at great personal risk.

It seems to be about time the military steps in.

JUST TO MAKE THINGS STRAIGHT!
the boy shot dead DID NOT hold a PETROL BOMB!
its not even what the policeman is saying!so,it is nevertheless, false.its a lie!
just to get things straight,so you are not fooled!

You pathetic american morons... Keep commenting on protesting from the safety of your couch... Until when will you be safe there, can you tell me? Or you think your stupid gun will save you? You are more primitive than us, you have no sense of social struggle, social connection, solidarity... The kid who was murdered had no weapon, no molotov, no stone, nothing. There was no threat to the cops. They came up to the group of kids, hungry for blood. Stop believing your bullshit mass media... Grow up and don't let others chew your food before you swallow it. The world is changing, I don't mean the Obama's change. If you still want to be the arrogant pigs you like to be, thinking that you know better than anyone else just because you're currently (not so much anymore) all-powerful, then the world will just move on without you and your silly empire, to something new and hopefully better. Learn modern greek history at least before commenting, we learnt yours anyway... Nobody asked us if we wanted to.

Out of the chaotic flames, like a phoenix rising from ashes, comes The Order. And The Order will be born of the people's own rebellion.
Your leaders will use anything to create new laws that take your liberties away. Protesting with fire and projectiles isn't a protest, it's a war expressed with utter contempt for the "authorities". This type of social mode is favoured by rulers. Most governments will see even the most justified violent protests as a threat to the nation and will impose stricter anti-protesting laws or other laws that remove liberties given that the protest was damaging enough.
Take Australia as a case and please read the history. Our protests were violent and they imposed stricter laws all because we wanted to express our emotions as well as ideologies. As a result, we dug ourselves deeper into the hole that they started to dig for us and protesting is now only for the brave. Protesting violently only speeds up government executed inhumanity and the stripping of our natural freedoms.

Once again the greek are w00ting in Europe which is not -and never will be like- america. Fight for your right. Politicians are just whores. So keep replacing them ;-)

i'm turkish, and support all of you. There are many people in Turkey who want to be at there.

Posted by greek(but doesnt matter) student December 16, 08 08:41 P
Sorry dude, they were not just kidnapped because they were just muslim. They were enemies of war in Afghanistan, members of the taliban.

PS: before you start yelling again, I am not american, but from the Netherlands and have muslim family (my sister, brother in law, etc).

A boy was shot to death by two men that should've never have had guns put in their hands, but destroying and defacing public property and ruining other people's lives? Not okay. The police aren't horrible people. They simply have a job to do, just like the rest of us. Some make horrific decisions, like killing an innocent child, but the way these people have responded is worse.

What are they rioting for? It's not peace. It's not because their angry. It's because they have nothing better to do, and all that's left is mass hysteria.

Riots solve nothing. Defacing property solves nothing.

TO ALL THOSE WHO RUSH TO CONCLUSIONS

we all pride ourselves for being intelligent. assuming you really are, you should not believe everything you read in the news. you should know better.

THERE WAS NO PETROL BOMB. THE OFFICERS PARKED THEIR CAR AND RETURNED TO THE SPOT WHERE THE KIDS WERE ON FOOT. SEE THE VIDEO, THERE ARE CARS PASSING AND NO PETROL BOMB.

THE VIOLENCE MAY HAVE BEEN EXCESSIVE. IT IS NOT FOR YOU OR ME TO DECIDE. WE ARE NOT IN GREECE, WE DO NOT EXPERIENCE THIS FIRST-HAND. DO NOT CONDEMN WHEN YOUR KNOWLEDGE IS LIMITED.

PEOPLE IN LONDON - MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE PROTESTED IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER REGARDING THE KILLING OF THE BRAZILIAN ELECTRICIAN BY POLICE. CHARGES AGAINST THE OFFICERS WERE DROPPED THIS WEEK. YOU COULD BE NEXT.

Change is in the hands of those who want it. Violence is never the answer, but strong men with big guns will not listen to chants of peace. In times like these, be strong, be smart and run safe. But remember that if blood is shed, no matter what you're goal may be, we will all pay dues at the end. For every drop of blood and every tear, be ready to truly believe in your cause.

Wow, absolutely stunning photos. I feel absolutely horrible for all the fine Greeks who have been directly effected by this mayhem. To assume that this could not happen in your own home would just be ignorant. Being from "peaceful" Seattle, I have seen the WTO riots which took place only a few years ago. I'm all for peaceful demonstrations, but it's simply awful to see the damage done by rogue individuals. When you think about it, it seems to just be human nature. Just as there are a few troublemakers who do not seek change, but only destruction - There are "toll" posters here who purposely only try to create conflict.
We must look beyond the borders and pay no attention to the the "troll" posters and the anarchist trouble makers. There will always be those who are corrupted, but we should stand together against such corruption, no matter where you're from. We're all brothers and sisters, let's not fight amongst ourselves and let's not stereotype others.

SORRY HERE IS THE VIDEO

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jwJZHcMolUA&feature=related

Um... how is vandalizing, stealing, and destroying innocent people's stuff going to help fix the corruption over there? I don't really know all about the issue and why it's all happening, but this is clearly not going to help. These kids are just making things worse in my opinion. Ok sure it'll call some attention to the matter, but couldn't they do that in a different way? Or at least riot and destroy government buildings?

Now a bunch of people that have nothing to do with the government have to clean up the mess these kids are making. These innocent people have to deal with the financial repercussions of their destroyed stores, houses, schools, cars, etc. What if one of these fires they set kills another 15 yr old kid (I saw pictures of a burning school up there)? Doesn't that make the rioters just as bad as the police???

As an analogy: a bunch of high school students are angry because their teacher (wrongly) gave them a bad grade on their test, so to protest, they go and TP or egg one of their classmate's houses. How will this help anything??? It just succeeds in getting everyone pissed off at them and doesn't help the situation at all.

I think it is good to protest unethical treatment and oppression. Fighting back after the murder of an innocent teenager is justified. However, the violence and destruction caused by the rioters is doing absolutely nothing good for ANYONE. At the moment, rioters are doing far more damage to Greece than the police and government.

It's easy to say that peaceful protests are a load of rubbish and have no impact, but look what good the riots are doing. The only thing that rioting has accomplished is burning Greece to the ground.

Perhaps I'm naive, but I like to believe that there are better ways to accomplish change and equality than by destroying the everything in sight. That's something children do.

VIOLENCE IS THE WORST OPTION.. NO ONE GAINS FROM IT

Although I do agree with the statement that we need to demonstrate that we still have power, I cannot under any stretch of the mind fathom how one could justify looting and setting fire to a locally owned store that has nothing to do with the current turmoil. The protesters are using the death of an innocent child to loot from innocent store owners and ravage the living quarters of innocent citizens, some of which don't even believe in the cause. If you want to get the attention of the government, go after the government. It takes a man to stand up to the government, it takes a pussy to set fire to an innocent bystander's car.

i'm happy to see some people somewhere in the world standing up (i live in america, where it is very hard to get people to do so)
i understand though that the guy did throw a Molotov at a policeman, but i'm sure him being killed wasn't the only issue and that was just the spark
i myself am an anarchist, though i know it most likely will not work for a very long time in the world, until the human race has evolved more at least, because i have seen governments now a days do not work for the people, but for their own self interest, and for their own power, elections or no elections, democracy or communist dictatorship, its all the same at the roots, it is good to see my brothers and sisters out there fighting for what is right
for anyone around there
keep fighting
and please stay safe (though i understand the situation and it might be hard to stay safe)

So many people that did not watch the news on Nov 4. There was a revolution in America that day. We walked into booths, kicked out the government we didn't like and went on with our day. We had to have a violent revolution some 200 years prior which changed the face of revolution. We do have the right to own weapons and the responsibility to use them to overthrow tyranny. But before we use bullets, we use ballots. I don't know what is going on Greece to drive these actions so I won't pass judgement, but you need to fight the enemy...not your brother.

@283
You are correct Salvador Dalius, the victims of the protesters have nothing to do with the government. The ultimate irony of this madness that hotheads around the world try to sugarcoat with false intentions, is that one of the stores sucked in the name of Alexis was the jewelry store at Voukourestiou Street belonging to Alexis parents. This according to published reports.

the birthplace of civilization...how sad

@ 341: Not everyone in America agrees with you at all. I mean by all means this war in Iraq needs to end but how can you compare that to the FCC switching the TV signals from analog to digital? In case you didn't know the government made a HUGE profit by selling that band to private industry and we will get way cool cell phones in a few years as a result. And you may not care about that kind of stuff by I sure do, and so does well EVERY SINGLE PERSON I KNOW. And lets be honest, GM and Ford and Chrysler make big trucks because they sell well. The F-150 is the best selling automobile of all time. By FAR. We should be blaming ourselves for asking for economically unviable cars.

I think that it should be agreed that this is a very complex, multi-faceted issue that cannot be understood in broad generalizations. There are thousands of people rioting, and each of them has their own reasons for doing so.

Hi from Brazil.

FOR THOSE THAT STRUGGLE TO BELIEVE THAT THE OFFICER IS A MURDERER

police violence in Greece is becoming extreme. do you really wonder why the youths are rioting?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7782907.stm

Real revolution is beating the powers that be at their own game. Go to school, get your degree, play the game, join the ranks, THEN go about making a real change, from the inside out. That's how you empower yourself and your community. What they are doing in these pictures will only justify a continuation of the problems. This is not productive.

Embarrasing idiots. Greek youth have been out of control for years due to liberal policies brought on by the same politicians who have allowed the economy to be destroyed by socialist-communist thinkers. Now, because one misbehaving boy in a group has been killed by a non intended ricochet bullet..a country is destroyed. Police there should NOW be shooting every protester who starts a fire or assaults with a deadly weapon.

Only in America....oh wait.

I'm an American and I was reading Murat's comments. He can't be serious. You see, the reason we don't have revolutions like this is because we have checks and balances. If a police does something corrupt, anyone can get a lawyer and bring that cop to justice. So, don't call us pussies just because our system works.

people need a cause to make them feel alive. I remember doing the same thing in December 1990 in Albania, next door. Yes, i was 18.

Interestingly in Greece the utopian idea of Communism was never consumed because they never felt the "warm hug" of mother Russia after WWII. Regrettably for some of University professors and their impressionable students, the longing for Communism is still there.

The only way humanity learns, it seems, is through its own experience.

what a pity!

Marc from the USA (comment 251, I presume you mean USA, you just write America but most USA citizens simply identify as Americans): As another USA citizen I have to say if you don't understand the gravity of the change in mindset in our country reflected in the election of Obama, it is you who is stupid. If you don't like him, vote for a candidate you like better, if you can't find one, become one or support on so that he/she will run for office in the future. In the meantime, support the president who suits you better in achieving that goal. If you don't want to do any of these things, you shouldn't identify as American, you're simply a whiner.

To Eric from the Netherlands, you're not alone. I'm similarly confused by this utterly extreme violence inflicted by the greek rioters. As Gandhi said: "eye after eye will leave the whole world blind."

I am an American...........I live in USA.....am I proud of our Country.....I would have to say slowly but surely America has lost it's Freedom...we were a country founded on god....but now they are taking God out of everything here. A Nation that turns its back on god will surely falter.
Our Media is told what to say and censored by the Big Wigs and who is paid off by who. We never get the whole truth or even half of the truth. America has been dumb down on purpose through our so called educational system, to our TV shows and our News media. We are so lost in our stupid reality shows that the reality of it all is we don't even know what is going on in the real world.
fat on our porsperity and excess that

What the pictures don't show are the other battles going on. Shop owners are defending themselves against looters. Neo-fascists are coming out and fighting the Anarchists. Battle lines are being drawn for more bloodshed. The military sits waiting for the call to suppress all of it. Athena's streets will run red because our youth refuse to comprehend that neither Anarchy nor Fascism are viable alternatives to Democracy. These two groups are the true enemies of Greece. If the New Democracy party is so corrupt then vote them out of parliamentary and executive office. Look how many Republicans were ousted out of the American government in the latest elections. And lets face it, it does not get more corrupt then the 8 year Bush administration. Must we go through another Junta or can we learn from the past?

WOW, that punk prolly asked for it, you dont run at armed police officers with a burning cocktail in one hand and a sling shot in the other...

It was self-defense, I would've done the same, if a cop died guess who would've protested? nobody...

People are only upset by things that aren't expected to happen, 10 cops die in riot, eghh who cares, 1 drop-out high school student dies in self defense, world freaks out

"If the abolitionists, or the tenant farmers' lands rights movement, or the women's suffragists, or the labor movement, or the civil rights movement, or the anti-war movement, or a dozen lesser-known political and social movements in U.S. history had not resorted to violent protest against established authorities, what would the United States be like today?" Just saw that comment in there and had to say....Most of those weren't violent riots...Granted there was some more violent factions in Civil Rights(Malcolm X etc). I do admit, violence is sometimes needed, but in this case I think its horrible the damage there are causing to people who did NOTHING, I can see the whole fighting the police, but burning random peoples cares and destroying there shops is not productive, also, if they wanted to go against police violence they should go about it in a peaceful way to shwo they are better, I know that not all of them are doing things violently but the one's that are should look at themselkves

Car* themselves* Just needed those corrections so I didn't look like an idiot.

377.

God has no place in government.

For the people that think "it won't happen here": guess again. The global economy is on the brink of collapse. And when that happens... well... we're about to find out.

"I'm an American and I was reading Murat's comments. He can't be serious. You see, the reason we don't have revolutions like this is because we have checks and balances. If a police does something corrupt, anyone can get a lawyer and bring that cop to justice. So, don't call us pussies just because our system works."

Yeah, when was the last time a cop was brought to justice in America? They protect their ranks the minute one of them gets in trouble making it hard for justice to happen. Oh yeah, I'm American also.

378:
To Greek American:

I see what you're saying, no one is innocent. The reason the Greek youth says your suggestion of voting in a new party will not work is because they're sick of voting in new parties.. it might be a new party but its the same government. We don't have true democracies in the world anymore, our democracies are bought and paid for. And the United States is the prime example of a society in delusion. If you think the choice between the Democrats and Republicans constitutes a democracy then you need to study what democracy is about.

Humans have exhausted every form of government ever imagined, and all have failed. In the near future we will see governments around the globe collapse as is already being seen in many countries. Perhaps then the problem isn't what type of government to use, but in fact whether we should have government at all. I'm not talking about returning to a state of chaos. I'm talking about a society which can not only sustain itself, but in fact flourish - free of government.

That's the purest ideal of anarchy. I guarantee the majority of kids throwing stones don't know what they're fighting for, but the truest members of that movement act with noble intentions - no matter how much you may disagree with their point of view.

Frankly, I don't very well understand why this is happening. Why was the boy shot? Why is everyone mad? Just because of that one event? Or a culmination of many events and that being the tipping point? What is the point of this "rebellion" and riots?

From what I understand, the boy was holding a bomb (or perhaps a molotov cocktail) and a police member believed his life was in danger, and shot him. I don't know if this the exact story, but would someone be kind enough to explain?

A

LA riots 1992, after the Rodney King trial
"The news of acquittal triggered the Los Angeles riots of 1992. By the time the police, the US Army, the Marines and the National Guard restored order, the casualties included 53 deaths, 2,383 injuries, more than 7,000 fires, damages to 3,100 businesses, and nearly $1 billion in financial losses. Smaller riots occurred in other cities such as Las Vegas and Atlanta.
Source: Wikipedia

Probably most Americans have forgotten about that already. It's not in the news everyday and some Americans have a very bad memory...

Most

@ Salvador Dalius, that's called black humor, sarcasm is hard to portray in type.

These images shock and horrify me, I only know that a teenager was shot by police, I don't know the circumstances. But I am sure that they do not justify such violence, I hope that this conflict will eventually be resolved peacefully.

Okay first please stop turning this into a USA vs Europe bashing because it's banal and irrelevant. Also stop criticising and generalising and bashing the Greeks from the pictures you see, because the fact is that you're asking criticism on something that you don't know or understand.
Some more facts:
-The boy was ASSASSINATED, there was no petrol bomb, no anarchists, no riots, no nothing, just some f****tard cop with problems at home drew his gun and shot at a bunch of children because he thought he could get away with it.
-No burning cars and breaking small businesses won't make the country better DIRECTLY, but like someone else pointed out earlier all great changes in history have been achieved through riots and war. It's very easy to say "stupid bastards are burning cars bla bla bla" but this reveals nothing but ignorance about the world we live in, as well as the history behind it. Just because you live in a rich country and you have food on your table everyday, and maybe a computer, a house, tv and xbox 360 it doesn't mean the whole world is like this, nor that you were chosen by god to be in such a privileged position because you're better than the rest of the world. The fact is that you belong to the tiny minority of the world's population that lives like this, the majority of the world faces starvation, poverty, illnesses, war and lack of freedom. The fact that you are in such a privileged position today is because your ancestors FOUGHT for it. So if you don't understand rioting and protest then at least respect your own ancestors who died so that you can be rich and play on your xbox today.
-And yeah, no normal person is happy with seeing a car or a small business getting burned down, but protestors/anarchist does NOT equal to vandals. The vandals are but a small minority of the people who protest, and in many cases they are undercover pigs/cops. So again this is much more complicated than you think.
-Finally, everything that goes on is a REVOLT against a CORRUPT government and system which has been drinking our blood, and raping us for years and years. Frankly I don't give a f**** about those banks and big businesses getting smashed up, they have sucked so much of our blood so it's practically us who is paying their insurance who is paying the damage. You see what the banks did to the US and world economy, how can you have sympathy for those thieves, and like Pavlos Sidiropoulos said it "[they are] full of millions while even God was starving". The death of Grigoropoulos was the damn cherry on the cake, we can't stand this anymore and we've been apathic for too damn long, they steal us, they rape us, they drain our blood like vampires and now they're slaughtering our children in cold blood?! NO! We're not gonna take it, we're not gonna bend over to let them rape us naymore! We want a change and we want it now and we want all those corrupt useless pigs out of the government. We want JUSTICE!

@365, James Madison, you are a weirdo

Well, I was hoping my fellow Americans could actually learn from the Greeks here. Evidently, they feel they are, as they always do, above everybody else and know what is best for everybody. Apparently, they also know what it is like to grow up in a country on the other side of the planet and all of its policies and current practices. I say, good for the Greeks. We should learn from them. Let them have their revolution/protests. Stop being so ignorant as to think you are "holier than thou." People of the world could learn from this. Everybody always says to "stand up for what you believe in." Yet, when it comes down to it and people actually have the balls to act upon that famous saying, they are condemned for it. Hypocrites. The people of Greece have definitely earned my respect for doing what they believe in.

Overlooked is that the communists are orchistrating the riots. You will not have freedom if they rule. That is the difference with the American revolution.

Hey, but 100,000,000 people have been killed by their governments in the name of collectivism, you're bound to get it right sooner or later.

Okay, they do have a right to protest, but the police were getting attacked by the boy and his mates, thugs. Now surely he didnt deserve getting shot, but it was do or die in a sense for the officer, the kid wasnt as innocent as he looks

As an American, I am offended by the lie so often parroted by my ignorant neighbors that "we were a country founded on god...." as even a cursory overview of the history of our founding shows exactly the opposite.

Sadly, my countrymen still support the barbaric and illogical practice of capital punishment while simultaneously attacking and murdering innocents in the name of the so-called "Pro-Life" movement. I don't understand the religious mind, it seems somewhat insane from all the contridictions between the religious dogma and the obvious reality that surrounds it. It's no surprise that without constant refreshing by preachers and shamen, religious beliefs wane in the minds of even the most apparently devout--consider the case of Mother Theresa.

I do know that no one can judge or understand the reasons behind the protests and riots in Greece from a few pictures and brief captions on a web site. However, content, happy people don't spend time protesting and rioting and it is the foremost duty of any government to keep it's people happy. And it is the duty of all people to not be blissfully ignorant of the government that serves them. The ultimate check on power are the people overwhom power is held.

Power to the People! All people everywhere, for they know when they have been wronged and they will speak out.

I fully support the destroying of capitalist/state property.
I fully endorse the ongoing uprising.

I would like to know why people are saying "F*ck the Police." I just do not understand. The one man made a mistake. And if someone tries to break into your house/apartment, what is the first number you are going to dial? Without the police, there is no peace. Peace through intimidation and force is the only way for any Government to work. It was one child, and as sad as that may be, life goes on. Making hundreds if not thousands of others miserable because of the damage done by the riots is not the way to honor that boys life.

all riots look the same

To understand why the Greeks are rioting you have to understand Greek history.

When it comes to politics the Greeks are ahead of the rest of the world at least three thousand years.
When the rest were living still on trees eating acorns and ruled by tyrants the Greeks were Free citizens (Eleutheroi ).
The idea of freedom is uniquely Greek. The Idea of slave (Doulos) belongs to non Greeks.
Often people become slaves to their own governments and aristocracy who become corrupt and begin to exploit their own citizens.
This is common in the world today. Whether the government is Capitalist, Socialist or communist does not matter.

The Greeks are no fools.

Remember it takes two Englishmen to cheat a Irishman. Two Irishmen to cheat a Scott and two Scots to cheat a Jew.
It takes two Jews to cheat a Greek.

The Greeks know when they are cheated by their own government and they are protesting and rioting. Is that bad?
You are naive to think they don't know what is happening.
There were so many scandals with millions and millions of euros ending in the pockets of the politicians and corruption running rampant
that something had to be done.

I know some of you believe in Santa the enjoy eating grass. I say keep eating it. It is good for you

Almost every nation faces similar problems as Greece but only the Greeks have the courage to protest.

Benjamin Franklin:
They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security

The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree. ~Thomas Campbell

prefer liberty with danger to peace with slavery. ~Author Unknown

Thomas Jefferson quotes:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
Already they have raised up a moneyed aristocracy that has set the Government at defiance.
The issuing power should be taken from the banks.

Thomas Jefferson quotes:
Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper.
Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle.

Seasons Greetings to All and Hope the New Year Brings Justice to those who lost
their retirements and eliminate corruption.

Wow. I seriously thought Greeks were smarter than this. What a bunch of Yoohoos.

I have no sympathy for the rich and the governments who just give them more money and allow the middle class/working class to falter and pay for the burdens of a country. Too bad it hasn't happened in the U.S. yet.

Look at those greek police men....

If this was happened in China, you people would bash the country for its 'Human Rights issue"......

So if a riot occurs in China, the police men should not care and just let it be right.

To the person who said riots never happen in the US: I guess you've never heard of the Rodney King Riots? Much of Los Angeles was burning for days. I remember the smell of smoke in the air and ashes all over everything. Yes, it even included senseless looting.

I'm not condoning it, but it was such an emotionally charged situation that when the officers who beat Rodney King were determined to be not guilty, all h3ll broke loose.

It's too bad that they happen, but they do...all over the world. this one sounds similar to the one in LA.

I am an american and I wish our people would rise up like the greeks have. It is NOT a good thing that our people just accept what govt. does to us. They work for US. Our govt. Steals from us, start wars of aggression, use our children as machine gun fodder so that the elite can reap the benefits of empire. Enough is Enough. We must all be free, we must fight tryanny at all costs and on ever front. We were given god given rights. We shall protect it with fire!!!!!

I find it amazing on this site and on a lot of other sites by the way that people judge other people's actions, not being bothered by any further information than a few pictures.
I don't know the complete story, but I did read Oriana Fallaci's Un uomo (= a man) and a few background articles on that book which make me understand the current situation in Greece a better. It seems to me that Greece has known corrupt governments for decades and from different dutch news sources I've learned that the Greek social economic situation has been deteriorating rapidly over the past 5 years and that's where this is about mostly.

"1. those that didn't have money to buy "Grand Theft Auto"
2. those that got bored of playing "Grand Theft Auto"

Both are great (greek) tragedies of life
You can recognize who is who by attire (like #17 Kid Anarchist with his $100+ ski glasses)
PS: now that I think of it, it's America's fault, you came up with the video game:-)"

Actually, it was made by Rockstar North, a Scottish company

Truly impressive photography. Kudos to the skilled photographers and the editors of this page for presenting to the world the multiple sides, emotions, reactions and results of this protest with these powerful images.

Does everyone remember the story of the frog in the pot? Well, the Greek frogs are jumping out of the pot while frogs from other countries are comfortably awaiting to be ...boiled (in the meanwhile they can criticize all they want).

One of the pictures shows a policeman on fire. I can't say the people who set him in flames are any better than the people who killed the child.

305, you have your head up your ass? Do you not remember the LA riots? Or how about all the civil unrest in Watts in the 60's?

When people feel disenfranchised and oppressed, they will rise up and revolt.

Yes, some american of nazi orientations have short memory -- LA Watts ('65), LA, Rodney King '92, Harlem, Washington DC (Luther K), WSU, MSU (East Lansing, MI), WTO (Seattle, 1999).

Those who are "against violence" should not that the US was indeed founded on violence.... and much of the much-loved constitutional rights exist because of violence wayyyyy worse than this. Capitalism OPERATES on violence because private property is violence.

PROPS to greek anarchists.
the uprising is coming.

So you might want to review history.

"Seriously, this is why the US is so great. This kind of thing doesn't happen here."

Cincinnati Riots (2001) - 3.6 million in damages, curfews for three days

Rodney King riots in Los Angeles (1992, lasted for 6 days) 1,100 buildings destroyed, 53 dead, $1 billion in damages

Dozens of race-related riots in the 1960s - Newark, NJ, once a thriving city, began its decline into the big fat ghetto it is today. Kent State, Vietnam...

Is a revolution not a riot that builds towards something more organized?

ae - There have been PLENTY of Riots in USA, dozens of riots in the Civil Rights movement (between 1959 and 1965) of course they rioted Jim Crow laws and slavery were both crimes against humanity(as many of the imperialist wars that USA has committed for more than 200 years. In New York there were MASSIVE riots during the Civil War (watch the movie Gangs of New York) with HUNDREDS of civilians massacred by the Union Army(and that is not including the Civil War the first modern industrialized war in the world where casualties are enormous). In 1992 there where the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles which killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds and destroyed many buildings. In Ohio State University in the 60s there was a riot in which the National Guard murdered 3 students and injured others. In Chicago in 1968 there were terrible riots in which police indiscriminately beat people up and jailed them as well as the FBI murdering revolutionaries like Fred Hampton and Huey Newton etc. As early as the Republican National Convention in October there were riots and protest in St. Paul, Minnesota. There are plenty of more examples. Obama is not socialist the problem is that George W. Bush and his cabinet ran an unregulated economy, sold out to oil, construction, weapon & health insurance corporations, extreme pork barrel spending and expensive failures like both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama only wants to tax the rich a little more and give tax breaks to the middle and lower classes. That is not socialist that is having compassion for your countrymen and wanting a better future from them without bowing down to economic, geopolitical and economic benefits & interests. Greece’s problem is not its socialism or its welfare state(which is successful in Netherlands, Canada, Spain, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway etc.), its suffering from a bad global economy like most other countries in the world, it has high unemployment because of it but it can be fixed gradually and an oppressive police force that murders children and adults they need to be brought to justice. Those problems are inflicting many CAPITALIST countries INCLUDING the United States who its police especially New York police, Chicago police, New Orleans police, and Los Angeles police are masters of oppression and abuse.

The girl with the flower in her hair is a Greek goddess, wow! Thanks for the pictures.
To my fellow Americans: look at these pictures and take notes. The Greeks are doing what we should have done a long time ago. Maybe we could achieve a better life for ourselves if we were not so ignorant, cowardly, judgmental, and obedient. We need to stop competing with one another and join together. Remember, "united we stand, divided we fall"?
As long as we allow the Federal Reserve and the World Bank control our monetary system, and our government, we will never be free. Watch the Zeitgeist.

These days in the U.S. rioters would be brandished "domestic terrorists" by the media.

I am a Greek 35, with post-graduate studies in US and a top managerial position in multinational company. This is just for you to know who is telling what. Thinking about the latest series of events in Greece I should say that for one thing I am happy: paople left their TVs and went out in the streets to defend their rights. In a wrong way? Maybe, but if the government is proven to be incompetent, corrupt and not willing to take any responsibility then a reaction should be waited. For my friend #311: I can really bet that I can draw a better world map than you and I also bet that more Greeks can do than Americans. I have travelled there and I can tell that although Americans are great people they tend to think that US is the center of Universe....Anyway, this riot now is expected to grow also in other major cities due to economic global situation but mostly because of the values our children have (at least most of them).
We have (our generation and the previous ones) accepted money as the ultimate good. We count our deficit but we cannot count that money given to education and health society cannot be valued. As the other American was saying about communists and socialists destroying Greece I can say that non of them had any government until now. Also speaking about GDP and everybody in Greece expecting everything from the state partially is right but you have to think that the state reproduced it and that we pay skyhigh taxes and social contribution that no american pays so we have to ask for something back! (personally I pay €25.000 in taxes and around €33.000 in social contribution annually).
I am afraid that the generation of €700 is going to go on because they have no real option left. Kids study until 26 (university, post graduate etc giving a fortune to auxiliary education system ) and then they are paid €700, maybe without social contribution, with a short term contract and they are forced to live with family to survive....
We all have our portion of guilt.....but we can also contribute to change our world....

that although Americans are

I honestly have to say, go Greece! peaceful protest works if you want to drive away a more developed style of governing, like Britain out of India, (also driving a different gov. out of your country) but when it comes time to change your own, tyrants wont give up. not only does violence overwhelm the leaders, but it also shows them "if change doesn't come soon, this will get worse, and we will throw you out" a very clear statement if I'm correct. and there are more riots in the U.S. than most people know about. the L.A. riots were (somewhat) worse, considering people were standing on roofs with shotguns and rifles, gang wars, there have been dozens of riots in wisconsin, texas, all over america,

Forgot to say that there is proof that some of the people that really broke and burned properties were secret policemen (cought in video before the actual confrontment to speak with policemen for lomg - even explaining the plot afterwards). This is to saome saying that communists are orchistrating these events.......

@403
too bad most of america is too lazy to get up and fight with you.

One said...
"Seriously, this is why the US is so great. This kind of thing doesn't happen here."
What are you talking about? The US is so great? Peace in US is kept with terror! If something goes wrong the policeman shoots and kills, no hesitation, no delay. And for what the police cannot handle you let everyone have a rifle to shoot at somebody and claim self defense. 13.000 deaths by GUN every year. And you are not afraid? Not even 100 destroyed banks (cause it was banks that were bearnt...i am here and i can truly see what happens) are worth a human life.
I thought only the previous generations were so naive, and its sad o see that the new generation are such conservative and brainwashed people. Stop killing people and burn a bank

There are three distict issues here. One is the shooting, the second is the general unhappiness with the situation and the third is the government handling of the situation.On the first issue, the last similar case was the shooting of another 16year old who however threw a molotof cocktail on a police car. So by any standards, you have a lot more deaths by traffic accidents, ordinary crime or drugs than 1/23 years.The second is general unhappiness which has to do with the fact that especially young people face a very bleak future,as they will see a drop in the standrs of living. Thethird issue is the dismal government reaction which resulted in citizens taking matters in their own hands and fend off the vandals

Bunch of left wing radicals, the police should have beaten their sense back into them.

I am from greece and i am a mother of a 16 and 13 yerars old children i feel a same of all this things i see.... it can be hapening this they can not not kill an distroy like this i feel so sorry for all, this is not the way of make a better world of our children!!!!!

hi there.....
u know some times its bad to say what u think without knowing the facts !
i want to say to the friend that said:
"The whole incident with the 15 year-old is very sad and tragic, but let the policeman responsible face his consequences."
here is Greece ! same situation happened in 1985....a police officer shout and killed a kid and he got away !
This time also !
As we speak government tries to find a way so the bastard will get away !

anyway....the facts as recorded by witnesses.

a police car was a target for a group of ppl that where throwing empty beer cans. The police car asked for directions from the central. Central says get the hell out of there ! They left but the Rambo police officer u shout the kid wasn’t pleased with that ! they parked the car and went back ! they didn’t find the guys that where throughing beers at them, but they found a group of 15year old kids that just came out from an Internet Café and they thought it was them ! started saying bad things to them and the kids (as kids) replied the same way ! So the cop said something like “no you will c�…aimed and shout ! directly to the boys hart ! and then he left like nothing happened…..
there is a bad quality video that saws that there was nothing going on there
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_DXzqxzvnc

Now they say that the cop shout because of the riots, to make them scare ! but no riot on the video ! they even say that the cop never shout right at the kid but he shot at the air and the bullets hit something and went directly to the kids hart !

But the real facts of the riot is a rotten government ! u hear every day about ways the found to steal money ! secret aregments with the church …. And everything in Greece turns more expensive ! no government mechanism to help the weak !

Picture 7, wow !
I can change the world for you baby !!

Crisis is here, rebellion is closer ...

Being angry with the government is fine. After all this is a minority of the popular vote(42%) with a(narrow) absolute majority in the parliament. Which from a democracy point of view means it does not represent the people(but then again noone else does, to be fair). The issue is how to express that discontent in a way that will make the country and our lives better, not worse. This is the hard part. Because the opposition is no paragon of virtue or competence either. To bring about change for the better on emust know what one does not want, what one wants and HOW to get there. Protests alone or riots do not get anyone there.

Greece's children have actually the strength and guts to fight against the fears they sense like the majority of us (Europeans at least ).
These children ARE FIGHTING FOR OUR FUTURE(the only way they can)!

Listening to people posting here flaming countries and not goverments makes me sad as they aren't smarter than that police humanoid that pulled the trigger.

On the other hand there are people that flame goverments without flaming people
that actually voted for them for at least in greece the last 30+ years is equally sad too.
One major thing on the comments on those pic's : riots were Students, Workers, Parents, Grandparents and some minorities. (if you don't get it why, well it will take several forum pages to explain).

I've also read a post that "If he was attacked (with a bottle), I understand why he shot". Well apart from the fact that those people need professional attention and should be isolated from the society cause they are Dangerous (in my opinion of course),
it is illegal in Greece for police officers to even use their pistol against people under 18. Which is a fact. It's illegal even to use it to scare them off.

One reason that made greek society (cause its about the majority of greeks, 92% think it was right) go mad is the " jardiniere :case" where 7-8 police humanoids were hitting a protester in front of a camera and they claimed he sliped and smashed his face on a jardiniere, while trying to escape. Those police officers aren't in jail of course, trial is still up after 3-4 years. So what an average Greek can see through that? Police being illegal it's ok. That should enrage All Civilized Societies, and Im using this word for a certain previous post about Civilized Societies etc. In short words about police. Using that kind of force is illegal in Greece. Stick to that. And its illegal BY LAW for people that still find it funny.

I wont go deep into financial state of greeks since its relative and Im the least capable to do it. Together with the world crisis these days (or years) none clearly can make a state for that.

In short words, The majority of riots were students (and im dam happy for that, I just hope they will remember these days when they make it through to the system)
there were buildings/cars burned, but not from the majority (seperate those two at the following posts please). Some people took advantage of that and looted stores which in my eyes are the worst of this case since they are spoiled a part of the protest and took advantage of that incident, but hey it happens worldwide too, i remember video's people crabbing TV's, VCR's while others suffered from a hurricane.
So, stop blaming people, try to understand them. If you don't, at least don't shoot' em

im american and i am once again embarrased by my fellow americans. why are so many americans absolute clowns. some americans hold themselves so high and mighty above other countries. ethnocentric much...these guys seem to quickly forget things like hurricane katrina and the huge riots in los angeles in the 90's. you know those riots actually did do good. i in know way apporove of looting, but as history proves violent protests get the message across much stronger than non violent. after the los angeles riots the police fixed up many of the racial problems that lied within. In New Orleans the looting etc. forced the issue of how badly the the us dealt with the issue. without tthe looting not as much of a deal would have been made of the us's poor ways of dealing with the issue. whats going on in greece right now is not much different to what happened here. they are forcing an issue on the gov't that has been ignored for too long.

and even though some of you people that say thank god i dont have to deal with this sort of thing here in america. well thats because you're nice and protected in the suburbs. do you know of the incredible violence that occurs everyday in the inner city here in america which the gov't completely ignores. guess not...i know that isn't relevant, but some people are just so ignorant

That’s why my American friends you will always come second.
First of all you are a baby nation no more that 500 years of life history bla bla bla…and let me remind you that 50 years ago (2 generations ) black person were killed just because of there skin color. And now you are trying to give democracy to us? Come on… I used to watch the cups show there you have it just for fun.
Democracy every now and then has its explosions… at the end of the day it was only Alexis.. And not one human every minute.

Greeks - we give you solidarity, we should be getting off the internet and getting into the streets with you!

The Greek anarchists who shouted "This is our life!" just before Army tanks and paratroopers stormed their campuses in 1973 is burned into the memories of many survivors, and so too now the memory of Alexis, the murdered and tortured migrants, the fascists who coordinate with the police, the unemployed whose bank accounts were undermined by the Karamanlis government. Those of us around the world who heard the shot knew that the bullet may have hit one person - but it was meant for us all.

This is now “the longest week of our lives” but at least – these days belong to us! This is our life!

In my city, banks are getting their windows broken and their ATMs glued shut. The rage that has accumulated since the banking system bailout had to be expressed and should not, by any means, end.

Worldwide solidarity – make sure American cities like the ones we live in never see another black youth or an “undesirable” get shot in the streets again. When the youth is murdered, the old people should not go to sleep thinking they do not understand today's youth or bicker amongst themselves before its too late. Why? Because we are the image of the future, we are the world's youth, we are world's students, and we are all working for the better world that is possible.

@305
Don't be such a retard, Like nobody remembers the riots in Los Angeles with the Rodney King bullshit.
6 days long and it was worse than Athens, and I quote "Gunfire killed 35, including eight people shot by law enforcement and two by National Guardsmen. Six died in arson fires. Attackers used sticks or boards to kill two others. Stabbings killed two. Six died in car accidents; two in hit-and-runs. One was strangled.
The violence crossed racial and ethnic lines. The dead included 25 African-Americans, 16 Latinos, eight Caucasians, two Asians, one Algerian, and one Indian or Middle Easterner. Men outnumbered women, 48 to 5"
People fighting against the police like this should be shot, if you are throwing firebombs and molotov cocktails to the cops you deserve to be shot, it's them or the cops. cops have guns. cop wins.

This is a 100% government failure. Because the government had its hands dirty
they ordered the police to do nothing; hell, they even had the prosecutor charge the cop with voluntary manslaughter BEFORE they even had the autopsy and ballistics. Which meant that citizens in some places did fed off the rioters.
Kids are very sensitive about some things and completely insensitive about others. Instead of calmly explaining, the government was completely absent.
To the people of the US, although things may have gove south in the last decades,
they are not as bad as elsewhere!

I am a young, college educated American who fully supports the uprising in Greece, especially that of the anarchists. The commentors who try to link this with the communist party, the KKE, are dead wrong. They are actively trying to quash the riots, along side the police.

Those trying to disregard violent uprising as ignorant or unsavory clearly don't understand much about their own countries history, or the history of virtually any country in the world for that matter.

They are also protesting a murder by the police. The funny thing here is that they are rioting over one corrupt murder of a youth by the police, and there are similar riots going on throughout the world over this. In the United States, countless youths are murdered by the police and nothing ever comes of it. In the 60's and 70's, political leaders were assassinated by the police here, and things didn't erupt as they should have.

I wish all of you in Greece the best. Love, from one brother to an extended family.

NO MASTERS.

hahaha,
someone said that Greece was uncivilized for having these kinds of riots..
he also added that he tought he was lucky to live in the US, where no such thing can happen...

Perhaps one should really be aware of his country's history...before making such comments...

I mean, you dont even have to look so far back...dosent Seattle 1999 ring a bell??

I cannot believe those people. Sure it is a tragedy wenn a 15 year old boy is shot, but why take out your anger on innocent people. Those policemen are only doing their job. And what about the store owners whose businesses are burned too the ground.

I just think there are better ways to express you emotions. To be honest I look at those people and think they are just like those men who go to a bar to start a fight, not just to have a good time. Whatever happens, they will find an excuse to fight.

And what about the parents of these youths. If I was going out to riot and came back home, surely there was hell to pay. Parents should keep their kids inside at times like this and restore order.

Amazing pictures but sad very sad that Greece has reached this point. I love Greece and I think it's one of the most beautiful countries in the world but the corruption has taken over the system and the politicians don't care about the "simple" citizens any more. I told my friends several times that there will be an explosion soon from the ("young") people and they were laughing. I have left Greece 10 months ago with my fiancee to have a better life and I can say honestly that we have. We think a lot about Greece but we do not want to go back except for the holidays. It is sad to see that we had to go away from our own country to start building our future...but what bugs me the most is....HAVE YOU SEEN THE "PLATEIES" IN EVERY CITY EVERY TIME KARAMANLIS / PAPANDREOU IS VISITING. OVERLOADED WITH PEOPLE... SO WHO IS REALLY HERE TO BLAME ???

I think that this is kinda sad that this is the only way they can get the attention of there goverment , but any day i would rather live in a community where u can do sutch things that live in the US. the us is a democrativ goverment but they act like dictators. riots are the voice of the ppl its the picture one get when someone isnt listening.

[quote]but at least I don't have to worry about my car getting destroyed or my apartment being looted or torched. [/quote]

Nope all you have to worry about is some nutter coming to your work/school and shooting up the place......

But at least your pretty (fully insured) apartment and car will be untorched =D

@402 - To you looting may seem senseless, but LA saw looting because the black people had been looted by the system their whole lives. All the shops and markets opened up when they said the magic words "this is our life!"

The NYTimes article abstract says that in 1973 when Greeks ousted the military dictatorship that the US installed, "police estimates of damage caused to private and public property during riots are in 'tens of millions of dollars'"

Riots happened in the Czech Republic, riots happened .... in Boston. Yeah they do happen all over the world. It's not senseless and irrational.

To add to my first post -- the pictures are excellent, thank you. This is the first thing that drove me to comment.

As for all the confused and/or emotional responses to my post: if you actually read my post you'll find I addressed everything quite clearly the first time.

Many of us in the US do know what's going on, sadly, perhaps better than your average Greek youth do. We know about the KKE and the artifacts of communism in your universities and students and their warped socialist motivations. We know about the neo-fascists too.

Trust me, as a US Citizen, we know all about the spirit of rebellion. There are a lot of things going on in Greece now (slow collapse of your welfare state, political corruption, banking system rape and pillage) that are also going on in the US, and it makes me smile to see an openly displayed spirit of resistance from Hellenic people.

Unfortunately you're going about it in the wrong way. The worst possible way. You're hurting each other.

All of this is probably coming to the US too. It remains to be seen if we go quietly into the dark night of socialism and tyrrany and slavery, or if we see ourselves through to something new.

This is why I underscored the importance of being armed. It won't stop riots, but it does give citizens better odds of and more options for survival. Note the famous video of the lone man holding off over 200 members of an angry mob with one AR15 during the LA Riots.

Again, the thing that is probably hard for European serfs to understand -- is that there is a strong gun-culture that exists in the US. You can lash out and talk about dangers and violence of guns or whatever, but for a nation larger than Europe** our overall crime rate is low. Most of our gun crime occurs in "gun-free" zones and cities. Just like the most horrid crimes in Africa tend to occur in the UN "gun-free" zones, we have the same concentrated areas of issue.

It's easy to research and understand the facts, but I am not interested in debating the value/merit of an armed society (in this thread), or the likelyhood of riots, or whose culture is superior.

We all have problems, and in the US we are facing many of the same problems Greece is.

I was simply pointing out that US citizens have more options, and better odds of survival, against police, looters, rioters, radical islam, or really any defensive situation, than disarmed serfts in Europe. Since we (in the US) are allowed to defend ourselves.

Our legal system is a bit messed up, so the right to defend oneself in most states (the ones that do not support Castle Law) is far more complex than our Constituation and Bill of Rights dictate.

Some of the most memorable and stimuting times I've had abroad were in Greece and her islands. Thanks for all the intelligent posts by folks from Hellas, take care, again,

Best of luck to all you Greeks.

** Larger than Europe -- by this measurement I refer to the distance from Lisboa to Vienna is roughly 2,000 miles, 2/3rds the width of the US (roughly 3,000 miles from San Francisco to New York City)

In US you may protect your properties but you had the most &^%$# president in all times who caused a war in the Gulf and then you were all crying about your soldiers who got killed. So don't critisise the Greek when you vote for idiots...

Violence against Violence

It doesn't happen in The U.S.A. I guess you forgot: The Watts riots, The Rodney King Riots, The Battle in Seattle...
Riots happen everywhere people feel oppressed and ignored. Was the cop who killed the girl doing his job? Should he have not selected a target before firing his gun, isn't that what he was trained to do?
I don't agree with the desruction of personal property, but that's a small percentage of the people causing that type of damage.

I see here Americans with different opinions and points of view!The same happents everywhere because people is confiused since they cannot have a clear reception of what is happening!
Of course I cannot say that my country is great just because I can park my car with no worring or that I am able to do my shopping with no stress!Believe it or not even in the most ''small'' countries there are places where people are caring only about their cars and shoping activities so please dont say that you live in a''great'' country because of that!
Young people and old have died or been victims of brutalities by the forces of police of many goverments all over the world!
In Greece I saw the police forces to do their''job'' only against people who were protesting for their low or stolen salaries,their health-system,their school buildings with no heating or windows,the rain of taxes and ...well I can write about their reasons for pages!When it has to do with the ''bad guys''who throw molotov and breaking stores,police is not approaching but they just play tricks by guiding them to a specific places of Athens where they let them to do their ''job''!
Now you think that they are afraid to aproach because the anarchists are biger in number than the grups of the students who are protesting and they are armed!Just check carefully the photos and you'll see that they are not more than 50!Why they dont do their job then?Because they have orders and also because this group of 50 people has at least 20 policemen dressed like anarchist leading the more easy to convinced young people who thinks that they do a revolution this way(or not thinking at all)to break anything for giving food to the media to put the blame to the students!
The event of Greece is not so far away from any of you even if you think that you live in a great place because if you take a look around of any perfect neiburhood you'll realise that there are people in the same limits of your city,suffering and they dont care about matterials but only to work and live simple without been treated like slaves!

Turkish brothers and sisters thank you for your support,

it means a great deal to us. I hope that one day we will fight side by side against oppression, against corruption, against to all those who are stealing our lifes and our dreams.
all my love to you

I'm happy to see that not all americans think alike.
For those who do (the majority I'm afraid...), you know, the ones who elected Bush two times (like one was not enough to see how stupid they've been) I just want to say this:
At least in Greece, the students (thousands and thousands of them) are fighting for a cause, a right, noble and just cause. The don't take firearms, go to their schools and start killing their fellow students and teachers, like they do in the US.
So, before some people start passing judgement from their comfortable living room about a society they are not familiar with in any way, they should first open their eyes and ears and realise the mess they are living in.
Then maybe, just maybe, they could try to do something about it (and I don't mean checking if they locked their garage door so their precious car is safe).

#305: "Seriously, this is why the US is so great. This kind of thing doesn't happen here."

I was trying to detect a note of sarcasm in your comment and found none. Are you being *serious*? Have you never heard of the 1992 Los Angeles riots? Where 53 people died?

Sheesh, Americans...

Lets make one thing clear here, Alexis was not throwing Molotov Cocktails at the Police, he was basically killed in cold blood, the bullet did not rebound!

There is a good (or bad) reason why your American media is reporting such misinformations but I wont get into that

P.S. Also I noticed that your media is saying Greeks are calling Alexis a Martyr, what a lie.

The less safe place to live is the one where riot an unknown word.

These students don't just fight for the death of a class mate who died by a police man, this is just the water drop that overflowed the glass.

The fight is for the uncertain future the politics have build for them without asking them,
for the same system that will make them work 12 hours a day for 700euro/month,
for the free education system system that is not free at all,
for the anger they feel by realizing that after many generations, they will be the first one that quality of living will be worst that the previous ones,
and finally they fight because this is the only way to be heard.

TO Mr NOT GREEK: DON'T BE JEALOUS ABOUT GREEKS.
IN USA YOU WILL NOT HAVE YOUR CARS BURNT OR THE STORE TORCHED BUT, YOU ALREADY HAVE TWO TOWERS DEEP DOWN IN THE GROUND.

DON'T YOU KNOW THAT THE WHOLE PLANET EARTH HATES AMERICANS. SO, WHY DON'T YOU GO TO THE MOON?

''''Seriously, this is why the US is so great. This kind of thing doesn't happen here. It may not be a perfect place (for sure!) but at least I don't have to worry about my car getting destroyed or my apartment being looted or torched''''

to NoGreek, post no 305: it is not normal and usual to get killed by policeman in europe as in US... i understand, that you accept killing people, as you are american, but i would be really happy, if you could understand, that human life is much more valuable than some car or any other material stuff... I understand, that, you couldnt understand, that we all are living in lies... if you prefere material things and "safety" than freedom, its your own way, but not mine, nor european... one of your presidnet said (i think it was jefferson) : "Any society, that will give up a little liberty to gain a little security, deserves neither and loos both." You americans forgot your liberty, you gave up liberty... liberty is not safeness... liberty is liberty... which you do not deserv and which you will loos...

Keep on going Greeks!!!
Cause this is the birthplace of thinking!

For those readers outside of the European continent, especially the US, that do not understand why a cop is accused for "defending himself" from a 15year old. In Greece possession of a firearm is illegal, use of a firearm is illegal. The only people with arms are the army, the police, hunters (dismantled at all times), and people that can prove to a judge that their life is threatened. CRETE is an exception. If that professional experienced coward cop can prove to the court that his life was threatened by a 15year old 20meters away that through an empty bottle of water way before he was shot then we are doomed as a society
Best regards Taso from Greece

#389 comment describes what the majority of the Greeks feels right know, also describe the true story of the murder of the young boy.

According to many witnesses Alexander Grigoropoulos was just a boy who was eating with his friends , no bombs no molotov cocktails this is just police bullshits.

The guy in picture No29 is a NOT a protester, is NOT a student, is NOT an anarchist and is NOT a communist.

What is he???

So, this is the "Greek Democracy". I see now... MACEDONIA IS OUR NAME!!!

Pamme, ellada!!

Say what you want but the people will always be tha nation!! Respect from Europe

obviously you werent at the RNC a few months ago. It does happen in america.

Dam..... have read all the last 100 comments.......

I am Greek and Unfortunately not a Teenager…quite older!

I really am proud for the new Generation, they do what we should have done….

To all those Americans that express an opinion, just learn the facts and not through your media, search the net dudes!

The kid didn’t had any gun nor bomb of any sort just a bottle of water or 2.
Even if you were told that he had a bazooka you would believe it…..it is very
normal in Greece 15 year old to drink coffee with their Kalashnikovs, C4’s and
Bazookas! (this is a joke since most of you could believe it!)

Of Corse I see that some (minority) of US citizens do understand what is going on and want things to change….guys you are smart with an open mind
But in a country that any form of protest is criticized, Bush elected 2 times,
People stay in their houses in front of their tv waiting the time to pass to go to work. You have a lot of work to do……keep fighting and expressing your ideas. Do not let the system destroy you

For all others please learn the facts and history prior of expressing your opinions.

Those demonstrators should be ashamed of themselves, ruining their own country like that. Instead start a new political party and try to win elections. As these scenes show i think a new party would get enough votes... Change would be a nice campaign slogan :).... For the rest I think it is mainly antiglobalist behind these atrocities

I don't see how this makes the U.S. so great.

L.A riots, anyone?

u are all missing the point.
its not an american vs eu contest, or a right wing vs left wing quarell.
greece is a country where we have to pay more taxes than every eu citizen, where our work hours and productivity levels are in the top 3 of eu and our salaries are in the worst 5 of eu.
recently we watch a country falling apart, scandals emerging every single day, politicians more corrupt than the system itself. the health system is on a freefall for years now, the education system is gettin worse and worse. the currrent political structure has failed us miserably. so have the politicians and political parties. point me to another country that has the same names as primeministers over the period of the last 40 years. the same dirty families take charge of the country and more and more oppurtunists get their chance of eating our tax money and public property.
im not saying that burning down half the athens is a solution. but we wont stay at home anymore watching from the tv. this is not something pure or innocent, but its not a couple of thousand of anarchists taking over a city either. its a social reaction and unfortunately, the way things are going, more will come in the coming years all over the world. brace urselves.

The boy was not holding a bomb. Can you understand that?He was murdered by a policeman and there is no reason for that.
In my country we have not the right to kill somebody just like that. We have jails if the justice decides that somebody did something wrong, we dont kill him. If you in America kill each other and you all carry guns that thing doesnt make you civilized.
In my country we kknow how to fight for our rights and we do. When something is bad and wrong we protest, we don t let an idiot to make wars in other countries because he wants more money. We fight for our home in our country and not in country 15000 miles away from home.

Dear a.e. (comment 311),

Well, I just finished reading what you said and I started wondering why you spent so much of your time to write a piece of words just to show some one-eye perception.
I will tell you my opinion because your arguments need some straightforward answers since you think you have travelled a lot and “seen” a lot.
First of all, talking about geography knowledge in this thread is like showing-off like little kids. What more should I say? Should I mention all those red-necks in your country that do not know nothing not only about history but also today? Not really worth doing it, don’t you think?
Now, if you think that the rest of the world hates Americans in general, you are totally mistaken. We also don’t fall for the crap that because the US government (and NOT the Americans) fork money over to Greece, the Greeks should love the US. We know EXACTLY why your government spends money on Greece. Just try you Americans convince your government NOT to!!!! Your question will simply be denied. It is part of your country’s politcs, admit it!!! But don’t think I am a fool. My government would do the same against you (oh yes, against!!!)if they could. The difference is that you see yourself more of a citizen of a strong US country that you dream of, whereas I see myself more of a citizen of a better world I hope for.
If you want to talk about property, you should first ask yourself how someone created it. There are properties that have been made from one’s sweat and properties made from the blood AND sweat of others. What kind of property do YOU have?? Should I suppose it’s all legal??? OK, I will. Where does this legality come from actually? From some law I suppose. So, you accept the law that recognizes your property as legal but then you DENY the law that brings to justice all property violators and you want to enforce YOUR law to protect what you have by drawing out some well-polished M-16 or a 9mm pistol or a shotgun (or all of the above together…) and fire some proud owner’s bullets to the so called “anarchist”. Can you please explain to me the complexity of this legal system that you dream of? Because to me it seems that the next step you are going to take is to declare your ranch as “independent” from what you dislike and “dependable” from what you approve. It is obvious that there is only one kind of protection to you: the protection of what you have. Well, you should know that others just DON’T have. So when back in 1992, people rioted in L.A. due to the humiliation of Rodney King by the police at first and then by the American justice, they protected what they didn’t have: the stolen right of equal treatment before law and justice. It is so obvious that L.A. and Athens have the same thing in common, you on the other hand fail to recognize that when sad history is repeated something is definitely wrong and above all that you want to teach us another lesson of “American history” (either by not having seen the relative movie or by completely misunderstanding it).
Well, listen to this my dear: we, open-minded people, don’t need this kind of education.
Still don’t know what I am saying? Try “Bad Education” (La mala educacion), a film by Pedro Almodovar…
Spiros from Athens, Greece (nothing more than a location, really!!! ).

Thailand doesn't look so bad after all

i think this will happen more and more in all the richer countrys with more and more rich people and more and more poor people...also in the USA!!

to 305 the greek system is corrupted and these cops won't face their consequences. 23 years ago another kid(also anarcist), mihalis kaltezas, murdered by a police officer. after two years the courts decided that it's ok to let him go... in greece police brutallity is a common thing.

but we are humans and its something natural to defend yourself

however anarchists oppose themselves agaist all states and goverments so the fight will continue.

btw i think yr car shouln't be the most important thing in your life.

enough is enough

Thank you, "Greek American (Yes, we do care)", for the most accurate comment on this board.
In this world, there is no greater good than democracy and a constitutional state. Us Greeks should know, we came up with it. Yes, it is corrupt; yes, it is subjected to influences by the economy; yes, freedom of speech means having to listen to neo-fascists, brain-washers etc.; yes, it creates inequalities. But it is the ONLY system that will fight to the death for every single civilian's right to freedom, property and free speech. The only one. There is no other option. I come from the political left myself, and we know that everything else hasn't worked. All other systems are way more dangerous when corruption sets in - which it will, because that's human nature. All you people bashing the Greek police: have you any idea what would have happeed to the rioters in a non-democratic country like China? And we wouldn't even have heard about it, and there wouldn't have been any photos to comment on. So please get a reality check.
I personally understand the anger and frustration of the people. It just kills me that we don't understand how dangerous it is to create new (and revive old) battle lines and polarizations. This is how every single totalitarian system has started: with "angry people". And to all those saying that no civil rights movement would have worked without violence: are you kidding me? Please get your facts straight.
Be that as it may, I'm glad a political discussion has arised from this. If anything, that will be the only positive effect.

@#311:
''You sold yourselves out to your government long ago, and became servants and property of it while begging it to be a welfare state and take care of you.''

U r absolutely right.I'm a greek citizen(not proud of ) living at the heart of athens,where all the riots took place.
We keep voting the same political parties due to our personal interests,the same politicians that offer us a job at the Public Services.
This situation has been so perfectly rooted during the last 2 generations that it's simply impossible to change.
There is no hope for us.
We are every day at the mercy of God.We have no Public Insurance neither for our working rights,nor for our lives and our property.
After all,the media did their job quite well....They misinformed the citizens(they always do)persuading us that we live in a State of Insecurity.
Shame at the Greek State for the assassination of young Alexis....
Shame at the State for keeping and tranforming us into working monkeys....
SHAME ON US FOR LETTING THIS HAPPEN....

The best way to spread the word of Anarchy isn't by riots or revolting. Those just cause dictatorships and violence to reign superior to negotiations. The only way is by word of mouth and informing that Anarchy isn't supposed to be like this. Anarchy isn't meant to be a revolting violence towards anyone but a slow and peaceful process. Ignorant youth of the world just take anarchy to be a slick term to use whenever they disagree and decide to "push the government out of power."

I am Belgian, living in Athens and do NOT support the type of riots that followed the murder of the boy. There is no way in hell this can be justified. I saw a post of Carmen in NY saying that the change has to come from the inside and she is so right... To all those youngsters that are taking part in demonstration - either peaceful or not - Stop skipping school - that's all you're after anyway. Start studying and make the change yourselves! As to the older generation - stop weening about the government! Who puts the Papandreous and the Karamanlis' in power generation after generation? Right : you do by voting for them!
Greeks should finally stop their paranoia alltogether - they are never to blame, it's always someone else. Get real, stop weening and take your own fate in your hands. As for the riots - it is inexusable to destroy other people's property - already people are getting sacked as the businesses can't make it otherwise....

Yes, let's bring god into this!

I'm Polish, and what happened in Greece makes me feel sorry for the family of the boy. Why is it so hard , for people, to understand theirselves , their needs and so on ? Are we really brainwashed so much by the system ? I was in police academy for some time then I dropped as I could not stand the brainwashing they did to us. Or it is our fault that things like that happen ? Not all of us are good people , I think people are naive thinking that they can change things by riots. We need somebody who will act like president , politics etc. in order to get to a position where he will be able to make significant decisions and change something. I wish Greece good luck and want to congratulate the courage.

Violent protestors are the world's biggest idiots.

Protesting a wrongful death is one thing but burning Policemen, looting stores, torching stores and personal vehicles is nothing more than mob-mentality at it's worse. Maybe a few instigators are creating this furor creating a situation where they can probably rob stores and banks without getting caught.
The Police need to use rubber bullets and more force to stop these from continuing.

I believe that the documentaire Zeitgeist might be relevant to this discussion, it is available on video google and lasts 2 hours. In religion, terrorism, both worldwars and vietnam are discussed and some very interesting points come up. Although I do not believe this vid gives an objective vision on America as a corrupted nation, but it does shed a different angle of light on it.

Personnally I am a proud European from the Netherlands, I do not really know what trouble is going on in Greece, but I hope those that riot have an idea about how the government should then look at and I also hope they are undivided in doing so.

I'm all for protest, but once you start looting, you lose a lot of credibility in your argument..."We demand freedom, we demand justice, and to show it we're going to set this innocent person's car on fire and steal this television from this shop", or "hey, I have an idea! Let's show our anger at the govt. by breaking into this store and robbing it. That'll teach them that social injustice must not be tolerated". If you want to get your point across, you have to have a bit more imagination than petty thugs.

Andrew 374 - Your right, we don't have riots in our country... well except for about one large one every ten years or so. Were you alive during any of the LA riots? Surely you remember the small riots after Rodney King? Any of the race riots? How quickly we forget our own history.

Assume that you are civilized(!), have never raised your head and your job is paying all your needs. Would you try to understand where that money come from. That's why civilised(!) people don't understand what all this mass is about. Stop accusing the real civilised lands/nations for demanding their needs.
Many similar incidents (irresponsible police shots, torture, etc.) happened in Turkey and are still happenning. It seems we are losing our fight but I hope, our Greek brothers don't...

"Wow. I seriously thought Greeks were smarter than this. What a bunch of Yoohoos. ---Posted by Desolder"
On the other hand, comments of the likes of yours are expected. You do not seem smart at all, just conformed, misinformed and forgeting. I thought the Americans celebrated the 4th of July. Who's to judge what's a riot and what's a revolution, if not history itself.
Greeks have stayed dormant way too long. No sane person applauds to the mindless destruction of little shops and random vehicles... but guess what: there are also videos and pictures that PROVE that people that worked ALONGSIDE THE POLICE, even policemen, burned and destroyed in order to guide people's rage against the rioters. Those photos, of course, are cleverly hidden from public, by the traditional media.

Photo of policemen disguised as rioters, arresting an actual rioter:
http://www.to4ari.gr/printview.php?t=2678&start=0&sid=ccf62ca92db6013c80f1b6182c9bb645

Policemen and among them... *gasp!* masked rioters with crowbars!! Is the crowbar standard police equipment? Blue-jeans will eventually replace the police uniform, along with the scarfs and masks?
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uZASMP9vY5k/ST_PkJIim5I/AAAAAAAABRU/Uza259cMpq4/s1600-h/01331_0812100604.jpg

Do not judge rushly, just watch intendly, think productively and act accordingly.

Furthermore I would like to say that I do not believe in violence to change the system, I also have little faith in a proper system to work in the coming centuries, as money as we know now is just debt, it is no longer equivalent to gold, money has no real value anymore. If people realise what money nowadays really is, if all do and if all people would be rational and strive for a common happiness, happiness for everyone and not just for a few, than the world may become a better place. Making money what it was again, something of true value, is just the start, but it is an important one. If the constitution would say what it would have to by rational thinking on th emoral perspective, than we know the constitution would say: its is illegal to use other principles on yourself than on others and it is illegal to use persons as means only. In that way no one is used and everyone can work for their own goods, without being obstructed by others.

I am a greek from germany and I have to say that I full understand the greek citizen. For years the greek governement independent of parties has been making mistakes which has a terrible result of having one of the greatest unemployment throughout europe. The current government can't provide any alternatives to the next growing generation. Furthermore I don't really believe that changing party would be a solution. The protest shall express the nuisance in greece and the sad reality that recession, unemployment and the medical scheme has developed towards worst case scenario caused by the greek parties!!!
By the way, I love USA and hope that USA and greece will find a way to come over the actually problems they have to face.

I wish it turns out well.

Here we held a full 24hours protest for over 193 days in Thailand, a peaceful protest, except when the police starts using C4 and M79 on us. ( no, we didn't fight back)

You Americans. You'll never understand what is life and more over what democracy is. You only want to consume.

These Greek need to get a life. Wah some kid was shot! Big deal! Happens all the time here in the US. If a there were riots for every brat the cops shot - the whole country would be burning. Europeans have nothing better to do then to sit around and bitch and moan. Look at Paris a few years ago! We have unemployment here too and you dont see that stuff happening.

as a greek-american, i am saddened to see these pictures. i could never imagine this happening in the USA. i pray that the young people of greece and the government can resolve their issues and move on. it makes me sick to see such a beautiful country torn apart from the inside. my grandmother use to tell me, never fight with your brother because there are plenty of other people out there willing to fight you and you need your brother. peace, God bless.

democracy, is for humans to struggle. When you give up your right to pursue the reconstruction of everyday structures after they have stopped fulfilling their purpose - then you have been won over by the sources of power that put those structures in place so they can drain people of their creativity and productivity.

What greeks are doing with their riots, is communicating.

politicians and billionaires out there, will simply never listen to the concerns of common folks, especially young people - especially in greece. Greeks have seen their country turn from greatness to Europe’s anus. And they can’t do nothing to stop it cause whoever gets voted at elections will always fall victim to the money trap.

you call it corruption… i call it survival.

when young people work for nothing - just enough to cover bills and rent - and see doctors, lawyers, politicians and nowadays even priests! earning millions of black money from bribes. Sometimes they might get “seduced” from the benefits of “corruption”, others they will live their life in mediocrity and often in/near poverty. Laslty others (much like in our case) will just get angry and without / or not knowing how / a way to go about correcting this, they will go out and burn things.
Struggle in whatever way possible to break this vicious cycle that predetermines a sheepish life, of wasting their labor in order to accumulate “wants” that media is constantly trying to implant into their brains…

In fact, I keep wondering…

How on earth is it possible that the whole western world haven’t yet wised up to the whole money trick that is being played on them by the “banks” . how can 99% of the population on earth ignore it? How far have the media /politics gone to cover this up? have they made our brain this numb?
…and now we have an economic crisis and it is no wonder. And what do we do to fix this? we pull together even more of our resources and labor in order to save those who tricked us, from drowning…

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying go out and hurl molotov cocktails at the police or innocent shop owners and businesses. I am just saying wise up. We are being scammed and we need to react.

personally.. i just feel like lol.

Yes, we're idiots.
But idiots tired of our "smart masters" sucking us dry and then shooting us.

An attempt to answer the comment 311

Not much of the things you mentioned are wrong, but the comparison between Greece and US allow me to say that is at least entertaining. Your state was always following the policy to corrupt local governments and attack to economically weak states to control your ¡American interests¢ in the globe. Well, you do not have the power anymore to influence the world, as you are deeply hurt from your problems.

• So, you are left with your guns (¡armed¢, as you proudly mentioned)

For us Greeks an armed man/woman is synonymous to fascism that goes better with a dose of insanity.

Let me tell you something about Greeks. Although we parade every year against you as a custom we respect your society, as it is the only society in the world that unified all different nations/cultures. US at first was an experimental project that bleed many times and tried hard to understand that all different people are equal. Your progress towards this societal affiliation was a remarkable examine of acceptance to the Balkan region.

Always remember that your comments on our country are more than welcomed, but we do not want your wish of good luck. You will be probably need it in 2009, when recession hits your door hard and force you to take your gun. But I m wondering who are you going to shoot?

Keep returning to Greece and visit not the resorts but the inland you will probably find that our mentality deserves a better understanding and please do not bring your laws and guns are doors are open…

And support me on this I m afraid of planes do not let them to fly me to Guantanamo with CIA¢s plane…ooohhh and sorry for this but I¡m a Muslim but a good one…ok?

you ain't seen nothin yet................

Robert in Florida, here you go:
the boy wasn't holding a bomb or a molotov cocktail. Someone from his group of friends threw a plastic bottle towards the cops police car. the policemen were IN the car. His life was NOT in danger under any circumstances. The cop was told by his HQ to evacuate the area because it is known for rioting and he not only didn't listen to them, he returned on foot said clearly for all to hear " I'll show you now" and pointing towards the boy shot 3 times. More than 10 people testified to that effect. If you guys in florida think that murder is justified and that this is "one event" as you so intelligently call it, is no reason to be mad and angry and any other word you might want to use, then i pity anyone who has he same mentality as you. This woke up thought about how unfair things are for everyone, from salaries to education to anything you can imagine that people feel oppressed about. Oh! and watch out''cause its coming your way...

For the story..
The 15 year old boy was out for a Saturday night walk with 2-3 of his friends in
Exarchia, a place in the center on Athens, offering a lot of bars and cafés but also known for the many incidents between Police and protesters.
The boys met a police car with 2 police men and it is said that there was a quarrel between the 2 sides (a very common thing for this area).
The boys were then walking on a foot-walk street when the 2 police men left their car a block away (despite the Police center order that clearly asked them to disengage ) followed them and started arguing with them. The 2 police men were standing 20 meters behind the boys when one of the boys threw a plastic bottle of water to them. One of the police men, took out his gun, aimed, and shotted directly to the boy 3 times. After that the 2 police men left.
There were over 30 eye witnesses at the scene who stated the same story.

I am an American, but I wish I were a Greek.

To see all these people around me all the time, writhing in their schedules, doing the same thing every day, looking exactly alike, Starbucks, advertising campaigns... I'm so sick of so many things.

Any man that would call a greek a fool? I'd call them a simpleton. Anyone who says these riots aren't just or deserved, they obviously are oblivious to the things going on under the surface. I'm not saying I know the entire back story, but I'm smart enough to know that you don't just start a riot. I feel these riots were noble.

Just because romance and nobility and dignity are all dead in America, that doesn't mean the entire world has to follow our example. I applaud these young, these furious. They're truly alive. And they're truly aware of the things around them.

If only I could talk sense into fucking ANYone in America, I'd be happy. However, people in America just roll over and buy, buy, buy. They don't care about standing up for anything anymore. It's so jaded here.

Someone rescue me? Just take me away from all this. Bring me somewhere with some passion. Somewhere that isn't so diluted.

This riot--what it stands for--it's beautiful. It's compassion and understanding and unity manifest. Things common Americans don't seem to understand these days. Everyone's so seperated and self-involved. You don't see an American getting upset over something unless it affects them directly. And somehow, they don't realize that we're getting fucked just as hard from our government. Why is that?

Open your eyes, America. I'm in Oklahoma, of all places, and I can still see that you're all practically dead within yourselves. Why didn't we rise up against Bush? Have we ever risen up when we really needed to save from the aforementioned LA riots or the Revolutionary War?

Someone tell me why no one ever reported widely that an entire black side of town was burnt to the ground, murdering and destroying and raping the entirety of a community. We go to fucking war to escape religious persecution and shortly thereafter, we become racist? And I don't want to hear any Englishman bitch at me for this and act any better--if you're going to mock an orangutan sound when Thiery Henry enters the pitch, you shouldn't act special.

What happened to the world... Americans are practically zombies--and they have the audacity to pretend that we're better than Greeks fighting for a just cause simply because they're rioting? Fuck that. If anything, we should've roared up when 9/11 happened and Bush declared that he wanted to go to Iraq. We should've stopped so many things. And we could've, had we had the balls.

Had we had the balls, Vietnam would've never happened. How? We should've stood up. Too bad America's too lazy and diluted to care.

I feel derelict in my solitary state. I feel abandoned and betrayed by all Americans due to their sheer stupidity. Forgive my country. Please. There are only a few who can empathize, but those few understand. We're not all bad--and we're not all happy. Very few, like the rest of the world, are so pissed off that they can't even sleep at night.

WE WANT A BETTER WORLD!
HELP US

We are not terrorists, rebels without a cause, familiar- strangers
WE ARE YOUR CHILDREN
These, familiar – strangers…
We are having dreams, don’t kill our dreams
We have spirit, don’t kill our spirit
REMEMBER!
Once you were young too.
Now you are chasing money, you only care about “how you look”,
You are getting fatter, you are getting bolder,
YOU FORGOT!
We are waiting you to support us,
We are waiting you to be interested,
To make us, just once, proud for you.
POINTLESS!
You are living fake lives; you used to have your heads down,
You have lowered your pants and waiting
the day that you will die.
You can’t image any more, you can’t fall in love any more,
You can’t create any more!
You can only buy and sell.
MATERIALISM ANYWHERE
LOVE NOWHERE – TRUTH NOWHERE
Where are the parents? Where are the artists?
Why did they come out to protect us?
THEY ARE KILLING US!
HELP US

THE CHILDREN

P.S. Don’t shoot any more tear gas against us
WE are crying on ourselves.

Students distributed this letter in the funeral of young Alex. It clearly reflects the way that the young Greeks are viewing the WORLD and what they stand up for.
WAKE UP. Your societies are not much different than our. You are just too SHORT-SIGHTED to see it.

@Erik
hey,you could just read a bunch of newspapers dear.
it is true, there are lots of cases where muslims were jailed without accusation or trial.
There was a reportage in greece,im sure there is in netherlands too!
it was about 3 women,mother and 2 daughters, who lived in NYC and were jailed like that!
and then,set free
whoever sacrifices his freedom for "security" is not worth any freedom at all!

ACAB from Ukraine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will never understand the concept that an American could never know what it is like to be a citizen of another nation yet those same citizens of other nations presume to know precisely what it is like to live in the US.
Why is the US even in this discussion? This is entirely an internal issue for Greece. It's their problem to sort out. All countries have similar riots - France, Australia, the US, and many more. Hopefully the needed change will come from it and the people of Greece can vent their rage and move on feeling they've caused change for the better.

i congratulate the youngsters of greece... you are so brave, you are the youth we need to make the revolution... few yers ago the same reaction has been in venezuella, and chille, and argentina, and before them all cuba with che guevara and fidel castro...
u got the point from here, i'm a palestinian communist (also Israelian) andf i believe that the best solution is communism, so please go read some of engels and marks books, and believe me the greek communist party whom always has been in the opposition, should embrace the youth and should lead the demonstrations....

This ended up being discussion about America?! pheeewww

The last 25 years more than 50 people in Greece died from the police. And... surprise not once a policeman founded guilty. Nice democracy, nice freedom.

Do u really believe there is democracy in Europe or in USA? Haha, nice joke.

www.zeitgeistmovie.com

Watch it, then u may understand

For #365, I can't believe that now almost half of America believes that by voting in yet another corrupt idiot into office, a revolution took place in America. It's disgusting. Don't get me wrong, McCain wouldn't have been any better. But, how can voting in a man put up for votes by the government be VOTING OUT the government you don't like? Bush isn't to blame. (Once again, I'm not siding with him, I hate his guts) But he is just a puppet of the big corporations and those in power without a face. Christ... some "revolution."

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable."

My first reactions to the news of the rioting was "everyone has their breaking point" and I respected the people for standing up to what they believed in. Now, I see dozens of pictures of teenagers in designer jeans and fancy scarves running around and acting like they're fighting for their lives or something.

Someone please tell me these kids have a reason to be this angry, or at least that there are people with real grievances with their government out in the streets.
And no, as tragic as it is, a kid being shot by an assh*le cop isn't a reason to take the whole country apart.

I must say ... they are human fighters no riots, they are fighting for our future as well and maybe, all of as, have to give OUR fight!

I must say ... they are human fighters no riots, they are fighting for our future as well and maybe, all of as, have to give OUR fight!

These kids are not protesters, they are a bunch of thugs using an unfortunate incident to riot. If that was my businesses being burned, there would be a lot of dead protesters in front of it. No American jury would convict me. Anyone who would throw molotov cocktails is a criminal, not a protester. The fact that they threw them would be enough to convince a jury that my life was in danger. Thank you to to the American Founding Fathers for the second ammendment to the U.S. Constitution and it's guaranteeing the right to own firearms. And thank you Colt Firearms for the AR15.
Raymond

There are fools in every place of the world. One bad decision from a cop gave to A FEW hooligans the opportunity to destroy, burn and loot because the police and the government were too afraid that more deaths could occur.
Just a bunch of hooligans, I repeat. The real protestors were many more and protested peacefully. End of story.

C.K. -
If you would get off of your high horse for a second and read about the founding of the United States, then you might know that we eschewed Democracy (mob rule) in favor of a Representative Republic; you're an uninformed fool.

As a Greek, I have to apologize for the behaviour of these moronic pseudo-anarchists compatriots of mine, who in their relative illiteracy have been confused by philosophical and sociological theories that rae much above their mental caliber...Greece is not more corrupt then the rest developed European countries, and contary to the popular myth, it has a much more even distribution of wealth than a lot of other devoloped countries. What Greece has, and the rest countries do not, is a generation of parents brought up with delusions about the significance in history of Paris during May 68 as well as the role of Polytechneion in the fall of the Greek junta in 1974. They have portrayed resistance to the authorities as the ultimate act of bravery. Their kids brought up with these ideas, have the delusion that they are reenacting the commune of Paris, and , since the police, instead of controling them in the way the police does in all free democratic countries, leaves them utouched, feel free to break everything that is in front of them. All the "tearfull" discussions about police violence is pure fabrication-the Greek police is only capable of giving parking tickets these days...because that is the king of police that the pseudo-liberal journalistic establishment want. The fact that organized crime has become very strong because of that, the fact that private property is not protected (of the poor and middle class people of cource-the rich have bodyguards) is something that these whining, lazy half-literate, stone throwing little brats have never thought of. It is interesting to examine the lifes of the two people involved in the event that "triggered" the demonstrations. The rich kid, with a house with a pool in an exclusive suburb, goes for kicks everywhere where unrest exists, knowing that his parents can save him from anything-he is allowed to offend, to throw rocks, to burn other people's houses (his house is in an area where no rock-thrower can approach...). The unlucky policeman (poor guy with three kids, from a poor village) in attacked by the groups in which the rich kid mingles. The rich kid is shot by the policemen, after he is attacked by the rock throwing group of Alexis Grigoropoulos. Then the whole of Greece gets burned....If the story was not true, it would sound like a bad joke...One can ask the question who is the priviledged and who the unpriviledged, who is right and who is wrong, do the events have any relationship with what happened afterwards?

Fellow American leftists,

Notice that whenever there is a possibility for even mild forms of civil unrest here, we 1) get our guns taken away 2) suspension of posse comitatus and deployment of soldiers with real guns not just tear gas 3) media shaming and misunderstanding and 4) constantly reinforcing us with "obedience" "patriotism" "God Bless America" "American dream" "hippie liberal scum". Activists in my hometown of Tacoma, WA were called "seditious" and "traitors" by the media for protesting the Iraq war!

Maybe you didn't read up on all the martial law information that surfaced in October. Maybe you haven't woken up yet. Maybe you aren't really free...

Ahhh the ignorance...
What was gained from the rioting...
Banksy is going to have a field day...

All I hear is how good it was to do this, anti this, anti that...
I don't hear any solutions though.
Its good to react. Its healthy.
When you destroy something you better have something to put in its place.
Reacting for the sake of reaction.
One needs a vision to come with it..

@ 138 "So what if a policeman shot a 15 year old kid on accident."

You wouldn't say any of this if it was YOUR kid, MF!

it's so good thank you

I'm a Muslim girl living in Asia, and from what I've read and heard from the internet, there are a lot of useless bashing going on! To the Americans bashing Greeks, if you don't like the way they rebelled against their own goverment, then leave them to their own country. Don't bash them for what they believe in, because you don't know firsthand what they have been through. To the people in Greece, may you do what you think is right for your own country.

The road to Peace isn't smooth-- filled with deaths, riots, chaos, rebellions... but in the end, there will be Peace.

Anarchists believe that people are by nature good and that it is only institutions that corrupt them. Americans, a lot of you, are truly idiotic, because even your own founding fathers expressed their views anarchist ways. If the government ever becomes corrupt Jefferson said to "overthrow such government". Instead, you have erected barriers, institutional and ideological, to maintain corrupt institutions. Read Title 18 of the US Code of Law. It's the most “Anti-American” thing I have ever read because it criminalizes dissent. People do not even have local control over the decisions that affect their lives, as any anarchist wants. Police, troops, occupy your streets like foreign invaders, only to protect the upper and middle class from the landless and outlawed. Common people do not get to decide much of anything. You don't even have the “states' rights” that the founding fathers wanted, nothing close to autonomy. Yet you think you're the most important people on the planet.

Now is the time to start thinking about ideas like “anarcho-syndicalism” and other ways of organizing yourselves.

Respect to the greek FIGHTERS! We all are with you! Leave your couches and go in the streets! We all need to fight for a better future, for our children! THE END OF TOLERANCE.

Imagine what they have done if they had Bush to run their nation... They would have burnt down the whole Parthenon!

Thank you again Greece

I'm sorry for the english...i wrote this text in greek language and i translate with a online tool...it's not good,i try to "fix" it but i have no time...i hope to understand what i want to say and i'm sorry for the wrongs.. :)
Let' start.........

This is a side of currency…
Rather they did not remove photographs the police it strikes 14 years old girls that did not have relation with "against the power" while they had passed handcuffs in the children, rather they did not remove photographs police officers offend and they cause the world, rather they did not show pictures that they walloped in the middle of night a irrelevant citizen that asked them something, rather they did not remove photographs that show police officers that wore politically with hood and jemmies to break shops… All this they did not show! MISINFORMATION! OPEN YOUR EYES .....
Therefore you only see the side of destructions and no the deeper meaning.
And in order to not we flatten all they became tens of peaceful courses.
Those that we call “known-unknown” does their police know but never doesn't arrest them. .why i wonder? ;)
Each time in each course they make episodes and finally no one it does not deal with the meaning of course. .about the demands of demonstrators. .they tarnish all those that try for something better. .All those that are in the streets and protest peacefully!! They unfortunately turn their common opinion against and him they accomplish a joy!
Of course it should we condemn the destructions of cars and shops of innocent citizens. More specifically i condemn the burn of library of University of Law Athens and any destruction became in the academic spaces. For the banks and big enterprises that broke, me it doesn't interests… Specifically the banks they constitute enormous part of problem…
About the facts with the special guard and the child
The life of Special Guard that shot it WASN'T at risk! Did not exist reason for shooting! The Special Guard show in 15 years old boys that this is the power !... that this makes that it longs for!
Moreover the MAT it was very near and if wanted help the special guard he could shout them! With few reasons the history has as follows:
It was in the police car and they made patrol, they saw the children and they disagreed, they went and parked the police car enough below the special guards and they turned with the legs in order to they show that these are the power….THIS IS NOT SAID SELFDEFENCE…THIS CALLED MURDER!
Tragic the history it is that it has become again in the past and will become again in the future unfortunately. Of course no one has not been condemned for similar and not only murders in the past. .everybody has been acquitted.
However all this they did not become only for the death of Alexis Grigoropoylos but for the all situation that prevails in the society…
For the wage??
For the education??
For actuarial??
For the pensions??
For the work and the flexible relations that prevail (no gentlemen we do not long for we work 12+ hours in order to take 1000th….we do not have free time nor for.!you saw the proposals of EU for work??:D )
For the unemployment of new generation. .while many youngs have 2-3 degrees, postgraduate etc are unemployed…
For the state?
For the scandals? They believe that they can play with the money of world and say to us that they care for good us? So much stupid they think we are?
THEY TRAMPLING OUR RIGHTS THAT WERE ACQUIRED WITH BLOOD AND WE ANSWER WITH PEACEFUL COURSES......
Now there are above 600 schools and 150 universities closed from the students in clue of protest..
The joke is that in other countries (as in America) become much worse things but no one do not react. .everybody have learned in the television and believe that they say to us ........When you will understand that you hear only that they want to hear??Nothing more......

Believe that we live in a Democracy but you have been laughed my friends… DOES NOT EXIST DEMOCRACY IN NO COUNTRY… very intelligently they said that we have democracy in order to don't know who is the real enemy. .We don't know who we have to face.. “Democracy”… It is simply a word… it has been lost the meaning. ;)

Friendlily,
Panagiotis..

I'm an American of Greek descent and have family in Greece. I love the Greek people but I do not find Athenians to be characteristic of most of the people in Greece. I have been to Athens and would not wish living in that city on my worst enemy. I'm glad that the young people want to create change because when you live in a garbage heap you have to only look in the mirror to see who made the mess. So the people should demand change and get their own house in order but you cannot achieve anything with the tactics the demonstrators are using. The term demonstrators is used loosely. They are terrorists. I am usually proud to tell people of my Greek ancestry until recently. The scenes in these pictures could easily be construed as being from Baghdad or Pakistan. These are places where many of my Greek friends would describe the people as barbarians and uncivilized. How ironic and how ignorant of some posters here to think that change only comes with violence and destruction. Have they heard of Ghandi or Dr. MLK? Do these "demonstrators" ever stop to think who will want to invest in Greece and bring jobs there that will bolster the economy. I think even academics educated in Greece need to work because the last time I checked no one is paying them for pontificating. Students, get back to class because the world needs more Greek PhDs in government and philosophy and pigs might fly out of my butt!

To Asimos:

Yes! Thank you! I'm American and it's amazing to see the people who have forgotten about our founding fathers and about the Revolutionary War. Even the civil war that REUNITED this country. They died for us to be able to do the things we do today. They died so we could enjoy the fruits of their punishment. Many, Many peoples blood are all over this country with the only TWO wars ever fought on THIS soil in the past 300 years. The Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Protest helped shaped this country. Boston Tea Party, anyone? Do you think those people just sat back and said "Oh, well can you please not tax us?" Hell no, they went out and TOLD THEM they're not gonna do anything else and GTFO of their country. Thank you, for everything. They're probably turning in their graves because of the way the U.S. is now :(.

We fight for our rights
If you do not know the facts how you can so easily judge americans?You are not here, you don tllive the facts like we do. After all you do not think that a human life is prsious enough. You country has murder thousands all thiese years. Another more soul is nothing for you. But for us is everything.
You do not even know the meaning of the word democracy and you talk so easily for it...Please read first abook

For anyone who has a little time to have a look at the link below,this text about the L.A. riots in 1965 might give you a little understanding on what is happening now in Greece and the actions of the rioters.

www.bopsecrets.org/SI/10.Watts.htm

Other than always protesting AGAINST, and expecting government handouts, what do Greek youths do FOR their communities? What civic engagement/community service do they organise to participate at the local level in their neighbourhoods -- as tutors, mentors, and role models for younger children to transform schools and the areas in which they live? Instead of always destroying and expecting more and more and endlessly more to be handed to them by their parents and government, what do they do to CREATE? As for the universities, the youth get what they ask for - poor institutions, as long as they oppose educational reforms to improve the system. I am sure this post will be responded to with angry, reactive, emotional responses that I do not understand, and have no idea what I am talking about. But as a civic community volunteer in numerous countries across Russia and Baltic States, Greece has been the only country where I have experienced youth asking withouth giving. The Greek youth only want to consume.

Dimitris you should be shame. You are jealous of a kid beacouse he was more rich than you. Eleos pia me ton kathe fasista. Ntropiazete ti xwra mas

I believe in protest. I believe in addressing wrongs done to society. I believe in free speech and assembly. I am proud of the students and young adults who willingly participated in shaking up their country. I can only wish we would have done the same if McCain had been elected president. Here in the U.S. we have become lazy. Power to the people!

It's incredible...NO more words, more action!!!

The riots in Greece are disgusting and disturbing to say the least. Yes, people are truly ignorant to what really happened and what the underlying current truly is. Did anyone visiting Greece ever wonder "why the coffee shops are constantly full of reasonably young people from the morning till night?" If you were to sit in one coffee shop and watch - you would see the same people sitting there ALL day (not working), drinking coffee, smoking and talking with their friends! Guess what, these individuals don't want to work - why should they when Mom, Dad, YiaYia & Papou each hand out money to them on a daily basis so that their precious son doesn't have to work. They claim he can't find a job in his "field" - however, God forbid he should become a waiter, cleaner, etc., in the meantime until something better comes up. Their parents wouldn't allow that to happen! These people don't have a clue what it means to work hard to make a living to support a family and pay your bills! Times are hard all over - that's just an excuse. Anarchists have always existed in Greece (fueled by the Communists) - it's the easy way out. If they are so adamantly believing in what they are doing - they should be proud and not have to cover their faces and try to hide their identity - they should be willing to take the consequences to become martyrs for their cause! HaHa - just like the terrorist - they have to hide their faces!!!!! A true bunch of useless wimps and chickens. The area of Athens where this all began is by far the very WORST and MOST dangerous in Athens - full of drugs, etc. What in God's name was a 16 yr old boy doing in that area with his friends. Of course, there is always a lot of police presence there - terrible things have happened there. My nephew, who owns a taxi, can tell you stories of that area and people he has driven there that will make your hair stand on end! Is that the place to spend your birthday? These losers were throwing bottles with liquid in them at the police car that was parked near to them. Hence the reaction by police - I, and ANYONE, would have done the same! I have no pity for the boy who lost his life - he should have had better judgement as to the company he kept and the places he spent his time (so much free time)! And his parents should have had better control over their precious little boy! You reap the seeds you sow! People are too eager today to blame the government for all that happens to them - start growing up and taking responsibility for yourselves!!! The people make the government ! I am an American who lived in Greece for many years, married to a Greek and I love Greece - but am realistic to what the true problems are there!

Keep going people! Just a reminder that don't whine when you don't get enough unemployment allowance when all the taxes go into repairing the stuff that has been broken/burnt. I understand protesting but why is everything destroyed?

ÔÏ 393

The F*** cops had been attacked some minutes earlier by a team of anarchists (a very usual scene in Athens...), but the "Rambo" murderer considered it would be wiser to show his ...shooting skills on the 15 y.o. boy.
However, do you really think that the cops should start shooting every time they "feel" they are getting attacked? Should we all walk around with a magnum and shoot every asshole who's provoking us? Or should the F*** cops do the same every time they are "in danger". Me, having the same wrights as the F*** cops, should I take a "Rambo" weapon and shoot all the Parliament just because they are sucking my blood and have turned my country into a chaos?
Have you ever been in a "do or die" scene in your Saturday night amusement? Because this is what the boy was doing and did mistake (if so, I don't know) by answering to the F*** cop's dammits.

@491... Go be a f'n Greek you pinko wuss.

"You Americans. You'll never understand what is life and more over what democracy is. You only want to consume"

Hey, it's what we do. We are consumers. Don't hate us for it.

All eye witnesses (plus a video) claim that nothing was being thrown at the policemen except insults and a few plastic water bottles. Insults and provocations came BOTH ways (How professional…).The incident with the glass bottle thrown at their police car had happened ten min EARLIER probably with another group of youth. The two policemen came without notifying their superiors, just for bravado exhibition (How professional… II). The victim (a shy well mannered upper-class kid), was probably caught in the middle, without even taking part at the insult exchange.
The general context is one of a series of corruption scandals, police brutality incidents against immigrants and large youth unemployment. But the local-historic context is even more important, look at wikipedia for Exarcheia and Athens Polytechnic Uprising.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exarcheia,_Athens
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens_Polytechnic_uprising

I am a greek that comes from Thessaloniki, but thank god I don't live there anymore. I leave in a small peaceful town, in which there are no punks like those that did what these amazing pictures show. The greek media infuriates and gives those hooligans an alibi. It is a tragedy what happened to the sixteen year old boy, but this is no excuse for the destruction that came after. Maybe a crazy cop killed a boy, that's not a reason to destroy and vandalize the lifes of so many. The economical crisis, unemployment for just being violent and cruel. To change things in our country, we must change the way we think. Seeing these pictures make me feel ashamed to be greek(usually I'm proud).........

what are those americans on about "the us is great" only a d*ckhead yank would say that.. the us is the worst for cop force, and the cia, and fbi rule by fear is the rule in the us. they onloy have the big gun to intimidate people. demcacy???? ha ha ha you gotta be kiddin man . i simapathise with the parents and family of the young kid who got shot,,, but why was he the line of fire anyway??? and to what were the cops reacting to??? what was the stroy leading up to the cops firing their guns.. no smoke without fire i think is the legend.

Do this kind of stuff in the U.S. and the police will just murder you - unless you're burning down your own black neighborhood, or assaulting white people.

Keep going people! Just a reminder that don't whine when you don't get enough unemployment allowance when all the taxes go into repairing the stuff that has been broken/burnt. I understand protesting but why is everything destroyed?

Dr.Martin Luther King : "A time comes when silence is a betrayal." So true... When you KNOW in your HEART and SOUL what is the TRUTH, what is RIGHT, then FIGHT for it! Are you going to sit back and take it when YOUR son is KILLED? NO!

The saying that 'ONLY WHEN IT HAPPENS TO YOU, ONLY THEN YOU WILL KNOW THE BITTERNESS OF THEIR LIES' is true. Halfway around the world in Malaysia, I salute the protestors who fight for a better future. For every drop of blood and every tear, be ready to truly believe in your cause.

WE LAUGH AT YOU WITH OUR FISTS HIGH AND OUR EYES CRYING...
WE DESTROY THE PRESENT BECAUSE WE BUILD THE FUTURE.

Greek Communists, Church and stupid religions chaotic dark management (Vatopedio), Corrupted politicians, stupid and no hesitants Greek reporters, Brainwashing Media, unhealthy social structure are the things that have to be removed, in order a society to live in peace and revive the old civilization of Greece.
We are in Europe, and Europe seemed to be a solution for small countries like Greece. Europe is not united, Europe does not help, where are their strict measures?
Greece is a State of Europe remember? Who is going to fire against the religions dominance, whatever this religion is? I believe in God Alah, and whomever God is. Who is going to believe to humans? Who is going to believe in young generations, in their dreams, who is going to help them overcome their fears?
Before looking to the economy, look as Maslow have said to the Hierarchy of Human Needs. If you take care of this then the Philip' s curve will better off, and there would not be bandalisms, unemployment, inflation and all these that you have constructed.
Just a simple thought from me to share with you, and for those who misunderstood me, I really believe in God, but not in Human-Priests and their game which interacts with the game of the Politicians.
Greeks woke up, and remember we may be few, but we never surrendered in the whole history and that is why we have a history of thousands years. This goes to both internal and external bodies or any type of "administration or management"
Go ahead brothers; If you cannot change something, demolish it so we can build it from the start again and make it better and better;

To all people outside the US .......... please don't view us, as you see us painted through the Media. That's too easy for you to find fault with us and then use it against us. Do you really believe we are not alike? and want the same things in life? The extreme always gets the news clips. But never the majority. Rememeber: Americans are a combination of all nationalities’ and races , religions, creeds, etc….. and we all basically want the same things in life. People from your race, your country, your religion and all nationalities live here too. Most of us (MOST OF US ) are very much a-like . Most of us live and work for our families, for all the others in the US who have time to protest, they are not at work improving the life for themselves or for our children. It’s all BS. The Bush elections were shady and possibly (very) were forced upon us. Look at Bush’s presidential approval rating ( the lowest in history ever) we are not all Bush loving People. I would say hardly any of us are. Look at out election this time , the people could not be denied and we didn’t elect another Bush and never will. And think about this: Even though we all disapprove of Bush for the most part, the shoes getting thrown at him the other day, ironically show the world a sign of the successful liberation, in the past, that reporter would have been beaten and Killed, but the mere fact he was able to protest is a sign of how the world has changed for the better. And he may just be released, how is that for change.

Ok, i read all the comments. I am proud to say i am GREEKAMERICAN. I understand why they are riotting, and i respect them for standing up to the government. I don't beleive however they should be trashing greece and it's cities.
They should go the people that run the government (the money hungry bastards ) and torch and trash their homes and property! Not mom and pop shops that are trying to make ends meet.
And by the way, George Bush was NOT elected 2 times!!! (not even sure he was elected the first time) The corrupt US government rigged the whole thing and put his STUPID A$$ BACK IN POWER! (How you think he won Florida? His brother was governor for crying out loud!!) It's all for their own interests/pockets and they don't give a crap about the people of America. Weapons of mass destruction my a$$.
Seems the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. :(

As an American living in America, I'd just like to say that I like all the unrest. If the 'man' is killing people for fun something needs to change. If I was there I would join in. I have many friends who feel the same way as many of these posters do about America. I find that they are lazy and don't want to create a better life for themselves, so they do the next best thing: blame Capitalists.

It's interesting how some of the comments here express anger at the rioters and claim the police are only doing their jobs, a warning shot should be fired *upwards* not at a 15 year old child.

One policeman is being arrested for murder and not the police as a whole, yet people blame all the other violence on ALL of the protesters - not just the ones who committed the crimes.

Not all of the rioters set fire to cars, not all of the rioters set fire to shops. Those people were individuals who should be accountable for their own actions.

I'm just glad that i see all these opinions, from american-european-asian people (it doesn't matter if i agree or not), but where are the africans??? Oh i forgot, we let them die from starvation!!!!
When will people understand that when people around them are happy, they will be happy too...
Greek found democracy a long ago... let us protest, let us riot, don't hurry up to judge us (especially from 10 or 20 photos), maybe something good will come out of it again, we promise we will give it to the whole world again :) maybe your life will get better also!
Supportttt

Brilliant. Destroy your own country, loot your own shops, drive international businesses out of your country, and leave it as a third-world pesthole nobody wants to invest in. And hurt innocent people, burn their cars, destroy their livelihood. Absolute GENIUS.

Also, I am quite glad I live in the United States. Here, in my state, it is legal to use lethal force to stop an act of arson, particularly against an occupied structure. Because that is attempted murder. You can bet I would have my legally owned rifle out, and if I saw such a thing on my street, the molotov-thrower would be very quickly put down. Because that's "maintaining civilization" to do so.

@527: You amaze me with your ignorance and stupidity. But what do I expect? You probably voted Bush in his second term.

FYI, consumers in other words are leechers.