Revolutionary Greek revolt continues

The continuing revolt in Greece was sparked in December by the police killing of an unarmed youth. It began in an artsy, left-wing neighborhood of Athens and spread to all sectors of Greek society and throughout the country. Alexandros Grigoropoulos, a 15-year-old student whose crime was merely a verbal altercation, was murdered by a police officer.

The revolt made headlines around the world for weeks, and was almost invariably referred to as "riots." The media focus on burning cars and graffiti projected a sensationalized image to international audiences, papering over the social antagonisms and aspirations for new social relations in the revolt that continued well into January. The word they're using in Greece for the events is exergersi, which means "uprising" or "insurrection" and not "riot."

ROOTS OF THE REVOLT

Greek radicals refer to the almost decade of military rule during the sixties and seventies as a major reason for widespread distrust of the government and police. Lethal force by police is not accepted by any segment of the population, but that hasn't stopped rising attacks on immigrants. One example is the Pakistani man who was murdered by riot police while standing in line to seek asylum at an Athens immigration office in October.

Greece has not been immune to all of the multiple crises confronting global capitalism. Racist attacks on immigrants, youth with diminishing prospects of anything resembling a stable future, massive job cuts for workers, and widespread political corruption are all underlying causes of the anger that exploded when Alexandros was murdered. The government's massive modernization project of the last decade has not improved the lives of most Greeks.

At the high point of the revolt, students and youth occupied thousands of learning institutions. The mainstream Greek media reported occupations in "800 high schools and 200 university departments around the country." As in the Paris revolt of 1968, a major issue is the alienation inherent in the education system. The Athens Polytechnic was the center of the revolt of Greek youth in 1973 against the then-ruling military junta, and was occupied again as a center of revolutionary activity from the time of Alexandros' murder until Dec. 24. It is just outside the Exarchia neighborhood where Alexandros was murdered.

Greek workers used the space opened up by the youth to exercise power not only against the police and the Greek state, but also against the largest trade union in the country, the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE). One commentator put it into perspective by saying that the occupation of the building of the GSEE was akin to American workers taking over the AFL-CIO. Not only did workers occupy the building, but renamed it the General Assembly of Insurgent Workers. The stirring declaration in which they justify and explain their decision to take over the GSEE can be read in full: http://jameshorrox.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/greek-workers-occupy-union-hq/.

As in past European revolts, the entrenched "Left" parties, like the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), aligned themselves against any revolutionary action, shamelessly condemning any radical action as "American-directed." Incredibly, some KKE members went so far as to occupy university buildings so that revolutionary elements could not implement the free and open popular assemblies that were being created all over the country! Is there still any serious radical around who does not see the complete invalidity of the myopic "party-to-lead" that has so deadened and betrayed near-revolutions for close to a century?

STUDENTS AND WORKERS UNITE

The high point of both France in 1968 and today's Greek revolt, was a new unity between student and worker revolutionaries. The youth reached out in writing to those who can shake capitalist society to its knees, the workers. Greek workers reciprocated in a letter written to the students:

"So, you've gone beyond us, as always happens in history...You've already occupied your schools and you tell us that the most important reason is that you don't like your schools. Nice. Since you've already occupied them change their role. Share your occupations with other people. Let your schools become the first buildings to house our new relations. Dividing us is their most powerful weapon. Just like you are not afraid of attacking their police stations because you are together, don't be afraid to call us to change our life all together."

To some, the most remarkable thing about the revolt in Greece was its simple existence. It's important to not just stand in awe of the revolt, which showed that such an event can explode at any given moment in what appears to be "stable" and "modern" Western society. Though the uprising failed to sustain itself long enough to be a full revolution, we need to learn from the amazing events in Greece. The continuing question is: How do we make a revolution, and what is needed to allow it to develop on its own ground?

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