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Victoria Mindova

For the second day in a row, thousands of people flocked to the central Syntagma Square in Athens to protest against the austerity measures amounting to 13.5 billion euro that lawmakers must approve tonight. As usual, there were clashes between demonstrators and police. The protests took place along with the 48-hour strike announced by the two major Greek trade unions GSEE and ADEDY, which virtually paralyzed the country for two days.

On the second protest day in Athens, the people determined to participate in the meeting against the measures on Syntagma Square were prepared for confrontations with police. Even in the electric train to the centre of the capital, one could see young and old people, holding facemasks, protective hats and goggles for snowboarding – all of them means, which protect the eyes from the effects of tear gas. In groups or individually, people were walking from Omonia Square to the parliament because following the police orders, the underground in the capital did not stop at the University of Athens and at Syntagma either.

The beginning of the meeting had been announced for 5 pm. Many people and trade union representatives had arrived earlier to the parliament, where heated discussions before the final vote on the fiscal adjustment package had been running all day. Shouting, singing and chanting of anti-memoranda verses could be heard throughout the square while crowds were flocking from all over the city. There were also mobile carts selling sandwiches and skewers that we know from festivals and fairs, which provided for the protesters.

The general spirit at the beginning of the meeting was high as usual. The enthusiasm quickly began to vanish when an hour after the start, it began to rain heavily. However, people did not disperse. They were prepared with umbrellas, raincoats, hoods and hats. The most active were the unions of mayoral and municipal employees, who had rushed into the Ministry of Public Administration earlier in the day.  They reached the fifth floor of the building, where the office of the Minister is, to threaten him that if he did not withdraw the cuts of their salaries they would continue the active strike indefinitely.

Protesters’ discontent due to the policy pursued began to escalate. Different groups of people were jumping, shouting, and others began to flock in front of the police forces and to challenge them. Some of them were ordinary citizens and others were distinguished for their clothing or flags as supporters of anarchist organizations.

A group of public workers were singing the song familiar in the last two years, "Take your memorandum and get out of here." Others used exuberant phrases, which described the present government as German invaders. " ... Germany,  ... the euro. Grab your bags and get out of here," the protesters were yelling at the parliament.

Two hours after the start of the protest, the rain on Syntagma became heavier. Neither riot police forces were taking actions to "clear" the square, nor did anarchist groups provoke them with attacks or Molotov cocktails. Both parties were looking at each other on full alert, without taking any actions.

"The police are waiting until the rain stops. While it is raining, the tear gas has no effect. They will have to beat," an old opponent of any governmental authority explained to GRReporter, while everybody was waiting for something to happen. And it did not take long.

Shortly before 7:30 pm, the rain subsided and the crowds began to move towards the fence protecting the entrance of the parliament. The first gas bombs exploded in the direction of police detachments. They immediately responded with tear gas that began to disperse the protesters in the forefront. It could be heard in the megaphones, "Do not retreat! Keep the protest block!"

Meanwhile, the police opened the hydraulic door and two armoured trucks began to slowly move, spraying water streams at the crowd. A petrol bomb flew from the block of anarchists and partially set fire to the left tyre of one of the trucks, but the fire was extinguished quickly. In less than 30 seconds, Syntagma sank in tear gas because of which the illuminated building of the National Assembly could no longer be seen clearly. People were suffocating, coughing and running to the bottom of the square to be able to protect themselves from the toxic smoke. Once the majority of ordinary protesters had gone, the police resorted to the water streams to deter those determined to make a revolution to leave their actions for another day.

The members of anarchist organizations were well prepared for the developments that followed. Unlike other times, however, many people supported them at this meeting. If, in other cases, the ordinary people dissatisfied with the government's policy begged the boys in black not to spoil the peaceful protests, this time, there were applause and cheers for the groups that opposed the police.