Actions during the Strike (Athens-Thessaloniki, 13/2/2008)

Thousands of demonstrators marched through the major cities of Greece, responding to the call of trade unions, syndicates and workers associations for a General Strike against cutting backs on the pension system. The strike crippled all transportation, including the grounding of all airplanes, and shut down public services. Some of the street actions mentioned mostly at athens.indymedia.org and also via e-mail to directactiongr@yahoo.gr are noted below:

Athens:

Around 11:30 an initiative of workers in commerce stores("Day Off"), and of the "employees-unemployed open assembly" forced main stores (plaisio, papasotiriou bookshop) to shut down, so that the employees inside could participate in the strike. Other anarchist/antiautoritarian collectives forced other major stores (protoporia bookshop, e-shop, plaisio once again-it managed to open back) to shut down.

At Mouseio area, there was an attack against special police units, two police vehicles were burnt up, and equipment from the police "arrest squads" was expropriated by protesters. A cop fired his gun around ten times against demonstrators, but fortunately, did n't hurt anyone.

During the march, the riot-police attacked a part of the demonstration where there were many anarchists/antiautoritarians, but was pushed back.

There was later known that policemen arrested one person, whom they accuse of two felonies (manufacturing/possession of explosive device)

Thessaloniki:

During the march, groups that moved throughout the demonstration destroyed several CCTV cameras of banks and shops, while they threw paints, eggs, potatoes, and stones against 3 banks and a super-market. There were also lots of minor damages against shops in Tsimiski street (commercial zone) that were open at the time of the demonstration, keeping employees working. A Zara shop (also working at the time of the demo) was damaged with stones and hammers and then forced to shut down. Also, a sex-shop and a fur trade shop were damaged with sticks and stones, and a strip-club had its glass windows broken down.

An initiative against precarity blocked an "everest" and two "goody's" fast food shops, 3 Zara, 1 Benetton, 1 Marks&Spencer, "Fokas" and "Notos Galleries".