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Thursday 16 June 2011

Greek state starting to lose grip on functions of state



Athens, Greece, on the outskirts of a riot, 1500BST: 
 
The teargas hits us without warning, though I suppose being close to a bunch of people throwing bottles at riot police was warning enough. It explodes in mid-air, a thick cloud the colour of 1970s furniture. Those nearby run, everybody clutches their T-shirt to their face.

[...] And I will repeat the point about hostility to the media: it's not a problem for me and my colleagues to be hounded off demos as "representatives of big capital", "Zionists", "scum and police informers" etc. But to get this reaction from almost every demographic - from balaclava kids to pensioners - should be a warning sign to the policymaking elite. The "mainstream" - whether it's the media, politicians or business people - is beginning to seem illegitimate to large numbers of people.

As one old bloke put it to me, when I said: "Don't you want us to report what's happening to you?" - "No.

He was quite calm and rational as he waved his hand in my face: "It's too late for that."


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