As a follow to my posts on the riots in Athens just over a week ago, (here and here), this is an interesting article from Greek journalist Chronis Polychroniou (professor and head of Academic Affairs at Mediterranean University College, University of Teesside (UK) in Athens, Greece) at the Online Journal
Published photographs showing members of Chryssi Avgi attacking, side by side with the police riot units, members of the extra-parliamentary left brought back dark memories of Greece’s fairly recent political past where anti-communist hysteria generated close alliances of official state structures (police, military, intelligence services) with parasitic political organizations and led to the brutal suppression of dissent, liberty and human rights, to concentration camps and torture, to a climate of fear and intimidation
The extreme right in Greece is largely represented by groups such as Chryssi Avgi. To say that they pose any immediate or direct threat to constitutional democracy would be a far fetched proposition. On the contrary, they have — and should have — the right to openly profess their political ideas and beliefs, just like any other political group or organization, as long as they abstain from violence and the use of hate for political aims. The problem is that they don’t. Members of Chryssi Avgi have embarked on a course of political discourse and action for whom hate and political violence is a way of life. Its members are known to carry knives and other deadly instruments whenever they march and there have been many recorded occasions of stabbings and beatings of their opponents. As such, Chryssi Avgi represents a carcinogen on the body of contemporary Greek political culture and the apparent association of sections of the Greek police with this group is a reflection of the road that the political culture of the country still has to travel for the full purging of its authoritarian past
Technorati: greece, police, fascists, neo-nazi, chryssi avgi, golden dawn
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Hey DD,
You should check out: Το Κουτί της Πανδώρας on Alpha tomorrow (Tuesday 12/2). I saw a clip for it, and it appears to look at this very topic.
Unfortunately I won’t be in tonight to see it but would really appreciate it if you (or anyone else who watches it) would let me know about it.
Diva and Martin, I am not sure you can read Greek. I suppose you expects Greeks to learn your language. Nevertheless, this is an excellent article on the riots. Good too see that the main concern are the citizens and not some wild conspiracy theory.
http://www.paron.gr/v3/new.php.....2008-02-10 0:0:0
legein, are you serious ? Do you really think that anyone here expects Greeks to learn English for our sake ? Greek is a hard language to learn but NO-ONE here has ever suggested that Greece should change its language ! I find your snide comments very tiring. You could have just posted the link to the article and perhaps offered help to people who do not read Greek very well. Please remember I have many visitors here who are not Greek and do not live here so it might also be more interesting to be a facilitator rather than just come here and annoy people.
I am the first to admit that I am not gifted in the language learning department but I do my best. I do find it difficult to read political articles/posts in Greek. I do try but I miss much of the nuance and subtlety. I really appreciate any help that is offered by Greek speakers in helping me and I am not too proud to admit that I need it.
I really do not appreciate your attempts to discredit me (or anyone else here) with things I have not said or even thought.
Tha fact is, legein, that most educated Greeks speak and write good or even excellent English. This arises from the relative unimportance of Greek in the modern world, and the primacy within it of a few languages such as English. The approach of Greek people in learning these other languages is rational and hardly something to criticise.
On the other hand, it is true that there is almost no need for British and Americans etc to learn foreign languages: this is unfortunate, and something of a disadvantage for those of us who grew up in that environment. Yet we try, and some succeed.
The problem with your post, legein, is that you wilfully minsinterpret the situation and ascribe some sort of colonial-style malice to foreigners who struggle with the Greek(or other) language. This seems to continue the nationalist approach that you continually advocate, and benefits neither Greeks nor others.
I would have never even thought of penalising or criticising someone for not being skilful in learning a foreign language! But MBE let me correct you for one thing! It is not the importance or the unimportance of the Greek language that makes us learn this or the other foreign language. But we are doing so because we want to learn and many of us try to be tune with what’s happening around! This I believe makes us a bit more cosmopolitan that perhaps you thought and a little less peasants that you may prepare to admit!
My English are not that good and still expand my vocabulary and my understanding in the more subtle sides of the language! My Tutor has been Jeremy Paxman in Newsnight! I have learnt a lot and not only the language!
In the end my opinion is that not withstanding the fact that Greek is indeed a difficult language (my spelling is still awful) it is very rich and any effort you put into will offer rewards in terms to understand perhaps a bit better many aspects dear to your hearts including many sides of the Greek life that we may feel don’t understand as well s you think! Persevere and don’t bother if you are doing mistakes! Its just human….
Martin, Spanish, Mandarin and Hindi are now the fastest growing languages in the world. The bastardised Germanic dialect, where nothing of important has been written apart from Shakespeare and financial reports, called English is on a relative decline. Diva, I am not sure Roma or any African language has any important for the world apart from specific ethnic groups using it to communicate with each other. No great text has been written in Roma or Xhosa. This is a fact, not some ideological position. However, Greek is important in many ways for non-Greek people because it gives them access to some of the greatest works of literature ever written. Just like a person hopes to understand himself by looking at their parents, our culture seeks to understand itself by understanding the Greeks. I think it is admirable you are trying and good luck in your future endeavours.
legein: you are just plain ridiculous. I feel no nationalist attachment to British things, but to claim that nothing of importance has been written in English other than the works of Shakespeare is so childish. Furthermore, English is not a dialect of German: relatively few words are Saxon, and even those are mostly shunned by educated people. The roots of English are a curious mix of Latin (via French), Saxon, Greek and far-flung origins including Arabic and Indian.
Far from being in decline, it is regrettable that English is now the world’s dominant language in science and scholarship. It is likely to remain there for some time, simply because people who are serious about research and communicating with each other do need a common tongue.
Martin, there are many good resources on the Internet for learning Greek that can help you to become enlightened. Who knows, one day we may converse in Greek in some ouzeri together. Wouldn’t that be grand?
Von Raivo Pommer
Tiefster Stand seit mehr als sechs Jahren
Der Dow-Jones-Index für 30 führende Industriewerte hat am Donnerstag mit dem niedrigsten Stand seit Herbst 2002 geschlossen. Er sank auf 7.465 Zähler.
Sorgen über eine Ausweitung der Wirtschaftskrise und Spekulationen über die Verstaatlichung von US-Banken haben den Leitindex Dow Jones an der New Yorker Börse auf den tiefsten Stand seit Oktober 2002 gedrückt. Der weltweit meistbeachtete Aktienindex verlor am Donnerstag 1,2 Prozent auf 7465 Zähler und sackte damit auch auf den tiefsten Stand seit Beginn der Finanz- und Kreditmarktkrise im Jahr 2008.
Aktuelle Zahlen zum Arbeitsmarkt und zur Wirtschaftsaktivität hatten im Tagesverlauf auf eine weitere Verschlechterung der Lage hingedeutet. Da half es nichts, dass nach der jüngsten Talfahrt Schnäppchenjäger zum Teil wieder von einem günstigen Zeitpunkt für den Kauf bestimmter Papiere sprachen. Der Ölpreis stieg nach einem überraschenden Rückgang der US-Lagerbestände um 12,2 Prozent auf 38,85 Dollar je Fass.