[Marxism] Greece again

[sabocat59@xxxxxxx]

A second tense week of strikes and protest marches in Greece seeing hospital 
doctors, public transport and lorry drivers on strike, solidarity 
demonstrations with K. Kouneva erupt in riots, and a return of the spectre of 
urban guerrilla warfare.   

  As K. Kouneva is slowly recovering from the assassination attempt against her 
with sulphuric acid in December by corporate thugs, solidarity towards her and 
the cleaners subcontracted by OIKOMET and other companies to the civil service 
and state-owned enterprises is on the rise.  Protest marches took to the 
streets of major Greek cities on Thursday 19/2.

 In Salonica protesters marched in bitter cold and pelted riot police (MAT) 
with garbage. Later the same night, riots broke out when a large masked crowd 
gathered to celebrate the beginning of the Carnival erected barricades and 
attacked using rocks and other projectiles the riot police, who responded with 
extended use of tear gas and flash-blast grenades.  

In Athens, thousands protested in solidarity with the cleaners in a march to 
the Parliament. During the protest several banks were smashed and burned down 
leading to extended clashes with police behind erected barricades. Earlier this 
week protesters in solidarity with Kouneva attacked and smashed the offices of 
OIKOMET in Piraeus.

  At the same time hospital doctors started a second round of 48h strike on 
Thursday 19/2 demanding to serve only their legal shifts. The same day bus and 
trolley drivers in Athens staged a 09.00-17.00 stoppage, a particularly 
disruptive labour action for the particular day which signals the beginning of 
the Carnival. In addition, on 19/2 the cross-country lorry drivers have 
declared an unlimited strike blocking all custom control at the country’s 
harbours and land borders.  

The tense situation across the country has been underlined by the continuation 
of armed violence by Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla groups: on Monday 
guerrillas opened fire against cars of producers of the Alter TV channel in the 
TV station’s HQs (no one was wounded), while early on Tuesday a car packed with 
60Kg of ANFO was found outside Citybanks HQs in Kifisia, north Athens. The 
car-bomb which was deactivated by the police would have blown up the entire 
block.  Public opinion on the new circle of urban guerrilla that opened last 
December remains mixed, especially since a convicted member of the November 17 
urban guerrilla group, Mr Tzorzatos, declared the attacks look like the work of 
the Greek Intelligence Service (EYP) which has likely infiltrated inexperienced 
armed Marxist-Leninist groups. Tzortzatos, a controversial figure, gave 
extended technical details to substantiate his argument.

 Meanwhile, the park of Kyprou and Patision in downtown Athens, over which 
riots broke out at the end of January leading to the smashing of two police 
stations, is still under occupation by local protesters.  At the same time, in 
Alimos, south Athens, the occupation of the paper producing “Faros” factory by 
its workers is in its second week, with widespread support. 
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