Aπεργία! Strike!

What’s most interesting about the time I spend here is not why I’m here but, rather, when. Greece is the first country to finally buckle under the weight of the global economic downturn, and is now faced with an almost impossible situation. No thanks to its lax approach to work and constant tax evasion, she is now paying the price. The atmosphere in Athens right now is extremely tense, and the people are very angry. One in five are unemployed and 50% of youths are out of work. With the new cut backs (around the ninth wave of cuts so far) the people feel that they cannot take anymore. They keep receiving measure after measure, but see no outcome. What the government faces is changing the attitude of the people. The Greek culture is second to none, but the country is a nation of shopkeepers that has an economic mentality 50 years behind the rest of europe.

I recently found a list published concerning the top ten tax evaders in Greece (evidently some of the most wealthy in the country). Until today, not one person has been forced to pay back what they owe. Simply making them repay their debts will obviously not solve the current problem, but at least it would set some examples, at least it would help change the "if he's not going to pay his taxes, why should I" attitude. It's about changing the dog-eat-dog character, which, in the present climate, is close to impossible. Moreover, what's hilarious about the entire situation is that no matter what the government do, no matter what agreement the EU come to, a multi-billion dollar loan at an extortionate interest rate is never going to be paid back anyway!

I had my own little experience of the current upheaval when walking through Syntagma square on Friday. As I approached the centre, I saw hundreds of protest police running towards the house of parliament and thought I was headed straight for the strike. Luckily, I just missed the protest, which I'm quite glad of, given that apparently rocks were being hauled at the crowd at one point. As I made my way through the square, there was clear anger and frustration in the atmosphere, so I grabbed some shots and quickly headed away from the area. I started walking back towards home along the deserted streets, when I noticed everyone looking a little ill, coughing, red eyes etc; it felt like something out of a sci-fi movie! Suddenly, my eyes started streaming and burning until I couldn't see anymore, which was when I realised that I was actually in the middle of a cloud of teargas! Pretty freaky moment on my part, but I guess it was my christening as a Greek citizen in the crisis!

 The Bank of Greece