Tear gas and police brutality against general strikes and movement of the Enraged
Deploying tear gas and threats, the Greek Pasok government passed new austerity policies during a protest 48 hour general strike and the movement of the ‘Enraged’. Tens of thousands went on to the streets of Athens on 28 June during trade union demonstrations to Syntagma Square, next to the parliament buildings. During the evening, around 50,000 attended a ‘rebellion’ concert. On Wednesday 29 June, tens of thousands came together in the centre of Athens to show their anger. The trade union confederations called for a 48 hour general strike. The support was solid. Public transport – except the metro, which was asked to transport people to the demonstrations – came to a halt and the public sector participation was overwhelming.
The Fianna Fáil/ Green Party Government has just about limped to the shelter of the Dáil summer recess, battered and severely frayed at the edges. Now there must be serious questions about how long more it can stagger from crisis to crisis.
This is the most despised government in the history of the Irish State. It is a government with not a shred of credibility or moral authority, elected three years ago on a programme that is utterly unrecognisable from the vicious policies of cuts that it has been implementing for the past two years.
