Greek Government in Denial?
Posted by evdomada on December 17, 2008
The debate in the Greek parliament continued about the riots and its causes. Ministers from the New Democracy party are adamant that the reason of the uprising from the students was in protest to the shooting of Alexandros Grigoropoulos and it had nothing to do with the state of the Greek economy or the state of affairs in Greece.
Although most of us may agree that the death of Alexandros was the initial spark to the riots, the government must be in denial if they believe that there was nothing else fuelling the anger. Students have come out in numbers in interviews on television, radio, newspapers, blogs and wherever else they can express themselves, informing us all that the state of Greece’s affairs is definitely what is making them angry.
And here is one for those of you that bring up this usual line “where are the parents of the rioters?”
A mother was on a television show saying to a television presenter, where are the parents of these children protesting and rioting? Why aren’t they controlling their children? To which her daughter, that was sitting next to her says to her mother, I too have been out protesting in the streets.
There are many reports like that one, of children and youthsthat have never partaken in any demonstrations, protests or riots before that are proud to have been part of this uprising. These are young people who feel that their parents are having a hard time, that there future in Greece does not have many options available to them.
Why is it that the international news agencies such as the BBC seem to be able to better capture and express the feelings of the youth of Greece than what we are seeing on Greek television and what the Greek government seems to have occured.
The article from the BBC “New generation flexes its muscles” is a great example of one of these news stories that seems to best describe the situation in Greece. In particular the journalist raises the point of the pledge the Karamanlis government made to stamp out corruption and how they have failed to make a positive change.
But brace yourselves, in a few hours we will have an official statement regarding the investigations of the ballistics in the incident of Alexandros Grigoropoulos death. One can only imagine what the public reaction will be if the scientific proof finds that the victim was shot directly and not as a result of a ricochet.
