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Indignant go on leave. Meeting in early September

02 August 2011 / 18:08:36  GRReporter
2564 reads

Victoria Mindova 

Lackadaisical campaign undertook the participants in the Indignant movement in the first day of August. Less than 100 people gathered in the late afternoon on Sintagma to express their discontent against the decision of Mayor George Kaminis to collect the remaining tents outside parliament after the nearly three-month protest of the Greek citizens. 

The mayor took action to clear the square on Friday morning at 4.30 in the morning. Town Hall trucks cleared all slogans, tents, tables, chairs and sleeping bags and the square awoke as if it never hosted the angry people. According to eyewitnesses in recent weeks camping in the square were mainly homeless or people with addictions. However, when the "gypsy camp", as the Justice Minister Miltiadis Papaioannou called it, was cleared it provoked negative reaction from the citizens. 

"The parliament may burn but we will stay on Sintagma" cried out the few protesters, among whom there were some anarchists. Other protesters were disgruntled supporters of leftist organizations, people of artistic groups and ordinary supporters of the idea that citizens should remain in the square, until the situation in Greece improves. Whenever this moment may come. 

"Things have changed here, but we should not despair. All of us will gather in a national protest on September 3," said a girl from the artistic group of the Indignant especially for GRReporter. This group consists of young musicians, actors, artists who are not happy with the situation in the country. 

When the Indignant saw that there were not too many people present, they took their protest march to city hall on the central square of Athens Kodzya. The first procession passed through the central shopping street Ermou. Frightened shop owners went out of their stores and feared attacks, tear gas and riots. None of this happened. Shouting "War against the ruling”, "Go people, do not bowing your head. The answer is Syntagma " and several other similar slogans were shouted without much passion. 

Enthusiastic tourists took pictures in front of the procession in heroic poses with raised fists. Others had taken the tourist train and the view of the Indignant was just another metropolitan landmark that they could take with them as a memory after visiting the Acropolis. 

Protesters carried signs against with slogans against the International Monetary Fund, the global banking system, mayor Kaminis and the government. When the procession reached the main entrance of city hall there were 10 policemen standing in front. A young enthusiast, who held a red banner saying "Down junta" quickly darted from the general crowd and stood with hands raised high to the police. Slogans began to escalate until someone from the crowd threw a bottle of water against the policemen. 

"This is a provocation" shouted some of the protesters. This was a way to open clashes between police and anarchists. All rushed to the place from which the bottle flew and quickly the tension broke down. Things did not reach a fighting level and the march continued peacefully. After the Indignant made a tour of Athens center, they scattered with a promise that in early September Syntagma will again be filled by angry Greeks. 

Tags: Greece economy Athens indignant protest
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