Soultana Kalligas-blast To The Past

ATHENSPLUS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2009

OPINION

Cops and robbers Milestones Footnotes + BY NIKOS KONSTANDARAS

It is one thing to see the aftermath of bomb attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where powerful, insurgent religious movements are trying to destabilize the countries so that they can impose their dictatorship, and another to see violence becoming a routine in Greece, where full democracy has bloomed over the past 35 years. And yet, for the past two days, Peshawar, Kabul and Athens have headed the catalog of terror on international news bulletins. This is the absurdity of our situation: In the rest of the world, the name Athens is becoming synonymous with violence at a time when there is no justification for that violence nor any specific goal behind it. The riots of last December are still fresh in everyone’s minds. They were sparked by a policeman’s killing of a teenager in the Exarchia district of the capital, where self-proclaimed anarchists and other street-smart youngsters held sway, allowing them to believe that any police presence – let alone a murderous one – was an assault on their independence. The rioting and looting were followed by sporadic sniper attempts to murder policemen, all leading up to Tuesday night’s attack on a suburban police station with assault rifles, where six young officers were injured – two of

In the dark. The latest terrorist attack underlines just how absurd these outbursts of violence are. [AFP] Greece’s low-level urban guerrilla movement sprang up in reaction to the right-wing military junta that ruled Greece from 1967-74. It picked up speed after the restoration of democracy, when the guerrillas faced lesser threats to their lives and freedom, until the core of the most dangerous gang – November 17 – was arrested and brought to trial in 2003. Since then, some small groups have tried to keep the flame of revolution burning, with attacks on policemen and banks. The murder of teenager Alexis

them seriously. (The Aghia Paraskevi precinct, by the way, spends most of its time issuing passports.) When violence has become so prevalent, when Panathinaikos and Olympiakos hooligans spread terror whenever they clash, when police are routinely attacked, when scores of riot police officers are trying to enforce the rule of law in Exarchia, then it is clear that Athens is beginning to live up to what had previously been an exaggerated image of lawlessness. So, what is going on? Why is this happening? Where is it leading?

Bad reputation In the rest of the world, the name Athens is becoming synonymous with violence at a time when there is no justification for that violence nor any specific goal behind it

Grigoropoulos last December, which triggered a wave of protests that police (under instructions from a supine government) allowed to rage out of control, gave new life to “anti-establishment” outrage. Since Greece is under neither foreign occupation nor a dictatorship, it is difficult to see what the terrorist attacks are all about. If the youngsters behind them are not aiming to topple the state and impose their own rule, then the only way to explain what is happening is that it is a rite of passage that has become an institution in itself. However, given that the latest attack came one day after the government announced a 600,000-euro bounty for information leading to the arrest of three bank robbers believed to have ties to the anti-establishment establishment, cynics might say that the “romantic” attacks against the state are driven by vengeance and a way to enhance the robbers’ revolutionary credentials. Whichever way one looks at it, Greece’s terrorism problem is a symptom of a country that cannot deal with its problems – either due to incompetence or a misplaced tolerance for sociopathic ideologues – until they do the most possible damage. The absurdity is that while these meaningless outbursts of violence have no real cause, they are the cause of real damage to the country’s image, its economy and its society. The game has become very serious. And it is far from over.

FREEZE FRAME

Blast to the past BY SOULTANA KALLIGAS

There is a gas station on a central road in Athens, where beautiful objects are (re-)born. The busy street is located in an industrial area, where the buildings are big, old and gray. Some even seem abandoned. Driving through there, you feel like you’re in a movie about the end of the world; but when the gas station comes into view, it is as if a time capsule has appeared. Three bright-red cars shine in the corner of the lot – the expensive antiques have been restored by the owner of the gas station and are parked there on permanent display. Inside the shop, there is a room filled with hundreds of other refurbished antiques: a jukebox, motorcycles, statues, pictures, hats, even a feather boa. Patrons are free to admire the objects, and perhaps wonder about the stories behind them, but only from outside – the collection is strictly private. Is the skilled antiques enthusiast resisting the colorlessness of his surroundings? Or does he perhaps hope that bringing these everyday ob-

[Soultana Kalligas]

Time capsule

Getting into it The beat put a fresh rhythm in my step and I had a difficult time controlling the urge to headbang

jects back to life will recreate the past? Whatever his motivation, he succeeds in giving passers-by tangible reminders of a time when life was more innocent.

Welcome to the jungle I While heading to the electric railway station after work one evening – cars parked in every conceivable space around the neighboring soccer stadi-

um for a match starting a few hours later – I wondered if it was wise to walk around there. Soccer chants could be heard, red flags could be seen and there wasn’t a single female in sight. But it was early, so I decided to take a deep breath and approach the platform. Soon a train pulled in packed with the visiting team’s fans and rocking sideto-side from their exuberance. This time my worries were justified. At the sight of a home fan close to me making lewd gestures at them, the visitors – testosterone levels already high – retaliated by throwing objects our way. Within seconds, dozens of riot police officers ran out of the train. How it all ended, I am not sure: As a woman fled to the street with eyes burning from some sort of chemical, I hailed a cab.

Welcome to the jungle II Two days later, I headed to the city center again. The walk to the station was quiet, the ride was uneventful and the shops were still open. In a carefree, urbanophile mood, I turned on the radio on my cell; as the escalator carried me up into Omonia Square, Guns N’ Ros-

es welcomed me to the jungle. The beat put a fresh rhythm in my step and I had a difficult time controlling the urge to headbang. As intense as Axl Rose’s singing was, though, I couldn’t ignore the muffled sound of chants. Alert, I removed my headphones and looked around. For a moment, it was December 2008 again: Several hundred people carrying red-and-black flags were slowly but determinedly making their way from Patission Street to Syntagma Square. Riot police officers – oh, hi boys, remember me? – walked ahead and to the side of the group, essentially surrounding them in case things got out of hand. Still in front of the demonstration, and feeling as if the protesters were glaring at me, I picked up the pace. Reaching the shopping arcade I was going to, I was greeted by metal shutters coming down. The stores – and the storekeepers – were being locked in for safety – and I was locked out. As the demonstrators passed by the dark passageway, I was surprised to realize not just that I was scared but that I wasn’t sure who I was scared of.

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