In most modern capitals, if the streets were filled with rioting youths four nights running, attacking police and hotels, torching banks and looting shops, it would signal, as in the 2005 Paris riots of young Muslims, that there was something seriously amiss with the troublemakers. However, while it is absolutely wrong to belittle the wanton destruction and lawlessness that has seized the streets of Athens this week, it is equally incorrect to exaggerate the significance of this criminal and rowdy behavior. Athens has a long and unfortunate history of often violent youthful riots. The trigger for the latest outbreak was the death on Saturday of a 15-year-old youth from a police bullet. However, at the core of the unrest is rising anger by the young at falling job prospects, rising economic stringency and an allegedly corrupt, anti-welfare center-right government led by Costas Karamanlis, which at snap elections a year ago clung to office with a single seat majority. Protesting youths were quickly joined by a hard core of anarchists and other radicals and the orgy of destruction began.
Karamanlis has declared the riots “an attack on democracy” and threatened to call a state of emergency. He has hesitated, however, because with over 15,000 police now deployed in Athens, the only way special powers could be deployed would be to impose curfew to clear the streets. Given that the Greek police have no special riot squads, there is no guarantee that the forces of law and order could, in fact, enforce emergency regulations. What is certain is that no Greek government would call in troops since in 1967. It was just such an intervention over riots that led to eight disastrous years of military dictatorship. Therefore Karamanlis may well continue to tough it out.
He will perhaps have been encouraged by the surprisingly small numbers of union members who took to the streets of the capital yesterday during a nationwide general strike. While the country was indeed paralyzed as workers obeyed the strike calls of left-wing opposition parties, Athens was not flooded with trade union demonstrators. This strike and the street protests were arranged before the youth riots. It is now being argued that opposition Socialist leader George Papandreou should have called off at least the street demonstrations.
Greeks now appear fed up with the violence and even striking workers seem not to have been prepared to demonstrate and risk adding to the chaos. Many may also have been influenced by a ballistic report that confirms the slain youth was hit by the ricochet from a warning shot fired by the policeman, who with a colleague is now under arrest.
Rioting and attacking perennially unpopular police officers may have been an unsavory rite of passage for young Greeks, but there can be no doubt that such violent street actions ought to become a thing of the past. In 2004 against all expectations, Athens hosted a highly successful summer Olympics and laid claim to be considered a newly efficient and mature European state. These outrageous riots undermine that standing.
