StopCartel livestream news from Athens

Greece: Strikes Gather Momentum; Siemens Scandal Refuses to be Whitewashed

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Sep 142012

StopCartel TV broadcasts live from Athens, Greece weeknights @ 6 pm Athens time. The following post is a loose transcript of the 13 September 2012 broadcast.

By greydogg and snake arbusto, 99GetSmart

- September ushers in a new wave of strikes and mobilizations throughout Greece. The strike bulletin is filled on a daily basis. Here is a partial list of this week’s rallies, marches and strikes:

- Municipalities remain closed for the second day of a 48-hour strike.

- Judges of the Court have decided to go on strike for 20 days. Beginning September 17, courtrooms will be closed from 10.30 a.m. until the end of the shift.

- Greece’s two largest trade-union federations, representing private- and public-sector workers, have called a 24-hour general strike on September 26, beginning with a rally at 11 a.m.

- Tax inspectors will strike daily from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

- Shipyard workers will gather at 8.30 a.m. for a march from the train station in Piraeus to the Ministry of Mercantile Marine.

- People who use public transportation await the decision of the workers, who will decide today whether to hold rallies in response to an increase in fares.

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- On Thursday the Hellenic Association of Paraplegics and Visually Impaired conducted a demonstration outside the Ministry of Finance building.

The Paraplegic Association, reacting to cuts in welfare benefits, used their wheelchairs in a symbolic blockade of the Victory Road entrance of the building. They accepted a request for a meeting with representatives of Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras.

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- Shortages of drugs have been reported in many national health fund (EOPPY) – dispensing pharmacies, as a result of an embargo placed by pharmaceutical companies. This is leading many patients to seek their prescriptions from hospital pharmacies. Pharmacists are refusing to provide prescriptions on credit to EOPPY insured. They are expected to meet on Saturday to consider whether to continue their protests.

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- OTE Management and unions at Hellenic Telecommunications (OTE) began exploratory talks on Thursday over a management plan to reduce the workforce by 2,000, through voluntary retirement and transfers, in an effort to cut costs. Under the plan, OTE would offer voluntary retirement, with full social insurance coverage, to workers nearing retirement age.

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- A bill to rubber-stamp an out-of-court settlement between the government and the Greek branch of Siemens – who in the past, has been accused of paying bribes to secure public contracts – was withdrawn from Parliament on Thursday amid concerns that the cobbled-together coalition would suffer a significant amount of defections.

Alternate Finance Minister Christos Staikouras announced that he was withdrawing the legislation, arguing that it was redundant because Siemens has already officially accepted the terms of the deal. He also accused opponents of the settlement of “demagoguery.”

SYRIZA had used parliamentary rules to ensure that the vote on the bill would not be a secret ballot, prompting fears that the coalition would be put under strain due to visible defections.

The 330€ million deal between Greece and Siemens involves a 100€-million investment in Siemens’s Greek branch, to construct a new factory that will employ 700 people.

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- During the roll-call vote requested by SYRIZA / CCL to withdraw the amendment which would ratify an out-of-court settlement between the Greek government and Siemens, SYRIZA parliamentary spokesman Dimitris Papadimoulis made the following statements:

“This is a tragic illustration of the government, a government so fearful and guilty that it resorted to a stampede by withdrawing the necessary provision to invalidate the miserable compromise signed with Siemens.

Today, the disorderly retreat by the government was prompted by their fear that Parliament would vote against the shameful, extrajudicial settlement with Siemens. But this action illustrates that the voice of SYRIZA / EKM in the House is stronger than the tentacles of the corrupt relationships forged during the era of the largest parliamentary money-laundering scandal.

Moreover, it shows that the government-of-the-regime trembles at the thought of a potential loss of a parliamentary majority, so it avoided the roll-call vote.

According to Mr. Stournaras’s admissions in Parliament, the agreement that the government made with Siemens is invalid. Samaras needs to notify Mrs. Merkel that the prize he offered her on August 24 has been withdrawn.

No public official and officer of the state is entitled to execute an agreement. SYRIZA / MCM will do whatever is required to ensure that money belonging to the Greek people will be claimed and refunded in full and that all persons involved will be held accountable, regardless of their position and tenure.”

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Information is the backbone of the effort to liberate ourselves, not just in Greece or Europe, but the whole world. Independent media is an important conduit of unfiltered information. We must build and support a network of information in order to succeed.

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Greece: The Troika Demands the Dismantling of Greece’s Labor Law

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Sep 102012

StopCartel TV broadcasts live from Athens, Greece weeknights @ 6 pm Athens time. The following post is a loose transcript of the 5 September 2012 broadcast.

By greydogg and snake arbusto, 99GetSmart

- A ‘leaked’ e-mail sent to the Greek Ministers of Finance and Labor from the Troika’s representatives calls for several changes in labor regulations, including the extension of the work week from 5 to 6 days and demands to reduce compensation for dismissal by half!

The Troika’s new demands are expected to meet with massive resistance, further de-legitimizing the cobbled together government-of-the-regime, which many Greeks believe is already ‘dead.’

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- On Wednesday, about 200 people, including senior judges, prosecutors and court workers, demonstrated in front of the Greek Supreme Court to oppose looming reductions in their salaries and pensions.

Organizers of the protest threatened to cut operating hours at the country’s severely backlogged courts if salaries are slashed as part of the government’s new austerity measures for 2013-14. Greece’s courts, which work notoriously short hours and have long vacation breaks, are backed up for 10 years or more in some cases.

Vassiliki Thanou-Christofilou, head of the Association of Judges and Public Prosecutors, told the AP:

“Of course it’s not common to see judges protesting but we were obliged to gather today to express our opposition to the planned new cuts. The cuts are likely to be 20 percent or more, on top of previous reductions worth 38 percent of our salaries. So the pay levels will no longer safeguard the court officials’ ability to live in a dignified way.”

From the Greek Reporter:

Most Greek civil servants have seen similar pay cuts. Police, Fire Service, and Coast Guard associations held a protest in central Athens on Thursday with officers in uniform. Earlier this week, pharmacists and doctors stopped extending credit to the state EOPPY health fund, which insures nearly 90 percent of Greeks, who have been forced to pay doctors and pharmacists in cash even though the workers have money withheld from their checks for health insurance.

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- About 3000 Greek police, firefighters and coast guard officers organized a demonstration in central Athens on Thursday (link: HYPERLINK “http://www.nasdaq.com/article/greek-police-uniform-services-protest-paycuts-20120906-01280″ http://www.nasdaq.com/article/greek-police-uniform-services-protest-paycuts-20120906-01280) to protest impending wage and pension cuts as part of the new round of austerity measures totaling 17€ billion, demanded by the Troika.

The police join a new wave of public-sector protests. State hospital doctors and judges organized strikes on Wednesday, while university professors and tax officials have protests planned for upcoming days.

Mass demonstrations of both public- and private-sector workers will take place in Thessaloniki on Saturday. The StopCartel TV crew will be there Livestreaming on location. The protests were planned to coincide with Greek Prime Minister Antonio Samaras’s visit to Thessaloniki this weekend.

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- Athens News reports that in the second quarter, Greece’s GDP is down 6.3%. International organizations are predicting a decline of 7% this year, which will keep the country in a recession for the fifth consecutive year. The new austerity package will further deteriorate the economy, and consequently Greek society.

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- Thousands of Greeks took to the streets at the annual International Fair in Thessaloniki on Saturday, to protest a new austerity package, which includes another round of wage and pension cuts.

About 15,000 people marched through the streets. A few protesters burned a European flag while another group threw watermelons and peaches onto the street in support of struggling farmers. Even though the protest was largely peaceful, 3,500 rioting police were dispatched to the streets.

Breaking with 75 years of tradition, Greek Prime Minister Antonios Samaras made only a brief appearance to inaugurate the event and to defend his anti-Greek policies. Samaras told politicians and local officials, “We are trying to minimize the pain from the cuts as much as possible but we have to make the cuts, because there is no other way. I am telling you the truth, there is no other way.”

SYRIZA opposition leader Alexis Tsipras, who participated in the rallies had this to say: “The Prime Minister came and left like a thief – perhaps he is ashamed.”

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“In the beginning fascism is for the “others” and later for everyone ... “ - Anthony Verias

Neo Nazi Party, Golden Dawn smashing immigrant shops in Greece Sept. 7, 2012:

VIDEO @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhJntEn4ddA&feature=player_embedded

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- From Tyler Durden @ zerohedge:

The chart below needs no commentary, neither does what it represents. In May Greek unemployment, pre revision, was 23.1%. It was subsequently revised higher to 23.5%, but this is merely to make the jump to the June number more palatable. What was June? 24.4%. In other words, no matter how one looks at it, the unemployment rate rose by 1% in one month.

In other words, Greece may or may not be kicked out out Europe. At this rate, in 75 months there won’t be a Greece left.

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StopCartel TV broadcasts live from Athens, Greece on weeknights at 6pm Athens time @ http://www.livestream.com/stopcarteltvgr

GREECE: Will the Worsening Humanitarian Catastrophe Lead to Social Rebellion?

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Aug 302012

StopCartel TV broadcasts live from Athens, Greece weeknights @ 6 pm Athens time. The following post is a loose transcript of the 28 August 2012 broadcast.

By greydogg and snake arbusto, 99GetSmart

- Samaras says Greece won first round in bid to remain in euro: After Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras briefed Karolos Papoulias, the President of the Republic, on his recent meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande, he spoke briefly to the press:

“We are in a struggle to avoid the danger of our country’s exit from the euro. We are in a struggle to bolster the country’s negotiating position and get us closer to the goal that all three coalition party leaders have promised: Recovery. More jobs, especially for young people. And finally to have growth in this country. The drachma lobby has lost a decisive round. But we have much work ahead of us. We have our last but very tough decisions to make. Thank you very much.”

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- SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras made several comments regarding Samaras’s press briefing:

“Greek society is facing the reality of a humanitarian catastrophe and the local government is responding by strangling the people with ever shrinking social services, wage cuts, pension cuts, job cuts, new emergency taxes and the privatization of public assets.”

“How can the three ruling parties so easily promise the Troika, Merkel and other European leaders that they are going to realize the terms of the Memorandum? And how can they have promised that they will find new austerity measures totaling over 15€ billion?”

“We are stating the obvious. We are sounding the alarm because the current government in Greece is going to disappear. If we don’t change directions, then within a short time we will experience unbelievable social tension. Let’s hope that through future battles, we will manage to claim the obvious.”

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- Communist Party (KKE) leader Aleka Papariga also weighed in on Samaras’s statements.

“The austerity measures must be confronted by the Greek people with a general strike and escalating battles with the government.”

“Every sector of the Greek society is going to fight for issues that concern them. But at the same time they will participate and support the general movements. It’s not possible to watch the new package of austerity measures that will be tragic, by just simply staying inside our homes and mourning. And confronting the situation with disappointment and absolute paralysis.”

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- Max Keiser explains the manufactured global economic crisis:

“With the introduction of derivatives in the 70s and 80s what was made available to financial engineers was the ability to impose a financial irrigation system where this river of cash that was being generated by the economy is directed into one group of folks at the expense of everyone else. It’s clear that the gorillas in the equation keep getting fatter and fatter and the vast majority of the people are starving to death. This isn’t by accident. This is called financial engineering, derivatives enabled by using the new wave of computer-aided technologies to architect the global financial system. The people in Greece right now are facing utter collapse, but hey! the islands are for sale.”

“Now is that a coincidence that all of their income-producing assets are for sale? The infrastructure, the lottery, toll booths shipping, and the islands are for sale that are worth three or four times the debt that is being said they must pay off. Of course if they had control of their own destiny, they could pay back the debt quickly and retain their sovereignty. But no, the Troika comes in and says ‘you no longer have your sovereignty, and by the way, we are going to sell your assets for many times more than the debt that we say you owe us.’ That is nothing more than a grand heist perpetrated by the IMF on these people. And of course they have resisted. They have been in the street. They’ve protested; but they get no solidarity. People from all over the world should be in Athens right now protesting against this confiscation of wealth.”

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- A trader in Greece gives Business Insider a grim assessment of the mood in the country right now:

“Right now, I am afraid there is very little visibility regarding the political developments in the next few months. You might as well toss a coin.”

“At some point, however, I believe we shall reach some kind of ‘social tipping point’ regarding the ability of the Greek households and society to absorb more austerity measures, the resulting continuing steep decline in economic activity, and ever-rising unemployment. The result may well be social rebellion, maybe even civic mutiny and the associated political and parliamentary instability. This is the game plan that the neo-communists of Syriza have been preparing for over the past year or so and the one that they have actually reinforced whenever and wherever that was possible. Unfortunately, I cannot see a ‘good ending’ scenario, under the present circumstances. Now, when this tipping point may be reached is anybody’s guess. It could very well be as close as only a few months away. I do not believe that you can find anybody, within or outside Greece, that still sincerely and truly believes that the Troika process of ‘internal devaluation’ shall lead to a positive socioeconomic outcome, since no effective counter-balancing economic development measures and incentives were ever implemented, or even seriously considered.”

“Sorry I could not offer a more optimistic or positive picture and I hope that developments soon prove me wrong.”

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- Citizens in Crete are fighting back against the sell-off of Greek ports. A resolution published by the citizens and institutions against the sellout of the ports of Crete stated:

“We, the ordinary citizens, are representatives of social and political institutions and citizens’ groups. We oppose the exploitations / concessions of the ports of Crete, as well as any other public property under the conditions described in the Memorandum. We consider the sale of public assets an act of treason and we will use all of our power to prevent it.”

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- Dairy farmers / breeders of Epirus react to the sale of DODONI

On Tuesday morning, in a gathering held in the courtyard of the public dairy company, DODONI, dairy farmers and breeders expressed their strong opposition to the privatization of DODONI. Representatives of farmers from all prefectures of Epirus said that livestock throughout the country and especially in Epirus are in a very difficult position. As the cost of feed has multiplied, the state has not subsidized incremental measures to enhance primary production.

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Greece: Liquidating the Public Wealth Has Nothing to Do With Tackling the Debt

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Aug 222012

StopCartel TV broadcasts live from Athens, Greece weeknights @ 6 pm Athens time. The following post is a loose transcript of the 21 August 2012 broadcast.

By greydogg and snake arbusto, 99GetSmart

- Greece’s main opposition party, SYRIZA, released an official statement on Tuesday:

“The voracious Memorandum monster is constantly asking for more. The Troika demands 11.5€ billion now. Tomorrow they will demand 3.5€ billion, and after they will demand 15.5€ billion. The demands will continue until there is nothing left in the country for the lenders to steal. To complete this policy, incomes and workers’ rights have been slaughtered. Liquidating the public wealth has nothing to do with tackling the debt or with Greece’s staying in the euro. The goal of the domestic and foreign Troika is to eliminate any sense of democracy or the welfare state, in the name of neoliberalism and in the interests of capital. Workers and youth will put an end to the impasse of brutal, unpopular measures by reversing the policy and by designing a strategy for revitalizing the economy and protecting society.”

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- According to ADEDY, the Greek Civil Servants’ Confederation, the 2013-2014 austerity measures of €11.5 billion in cuts for Greece will be the ‘coup de grâce’ dealt to Greek society. Despite strong opposition from the unions, the ‘barbaric aggression’ against employees and society by the Troika and the government-of-the-regime continues.

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- Germany’s position on the Greek issue was expressed by Guido Westerwelle, the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his official visit to Athens on Tuesday after a meeting in Berlin with his Greek counterpart, Dimitris Avramopoulos (aka ‘Mr. Nothing’).

euronews TV reported that Germany is maintaining a hard line with Greece as Athens lobbies for two more years in which to reduce its deficit to promised levels. After Westerwelle and Greece’s Dimitris Avramopoulos met in Berlin, Westerwelle said that Greece must press on with the reforms and austerity measures in return for bailout money. He added that a substantial softening of the agreed reforms is not an option for the German government.

The Greek Foreign Minister put his case forward, saying austerity measures without stimulus for growth and liquidity of the market would not lead to an economic boom, but to less productivity and more people out of work.

‘Mr. Nothing’ said that his government will present additional spending cuts in several weeks, enough to satisfy the Troika, worth 11.5€ billion and will include further cuts to pensions, public sector wages, welfare benefits and healthcare expenses. Allegedly, the problem is that Greece has previously promised more than it has delivered.

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- The Troika has made familiar demands on the ‘new government’ in Greece – to continue to force-feed the same unsustainable policies of the previous governments, against the will of the majority of the Greek people. The Troika’s policies have created unemployment rates in Greece that stand at an unprecedented historical record. For young people between the ages of 18-25 the unemployment rate is over 50%.

The new package of measures put forward by the ND-PASOK-Democratic Left coalition will lead to even greater decline and decay of the economy for years to come. The high unemployment among the population in general and youth in particular is plunging Greece into even greater economic and social devastation. The current humanitarian catastrophe in Greece is forcing more and more young men and women to migrate.

SYRIZA stated that its first priority is to tackle unemployment and to support the unemployed. SYRIZA urges workers, young people, and the unemployed to join the struggle to overthrow the policies and claim another political development of reconstruction.

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- In an exclusive interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned of the danger of the euro project and expressed concern over the ‘wrong tone’ that officials from both countries have publicly taken. He said that it only serves to aggravate relations between the two countries.

Westerwelle said that the German government wants to maintain the unity of the Eurozone. He added that Berlin will not accept anything less than the agreed reforms and highlighted the need for fiscal consolidation to be combined with strengthening competitiveness and a commitment to solidarity between the partners.

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- On Tuesday, the Flemish newspaper De Standaard weighed in on the manufactured economic crisis in Greece in a recent comprehensive analysis entitled, “The Euro Crisis Returns, Again.”

According to the newspaper, Greece remains center stage and is expected to remain in the spotlight next week. De Standaard notes that the future looks bleak for Greece, to the extent that Greece has failed to disengage from the deadly spiral of draconian cuts, which is plunging the country into an ever deeper recession and unsustainable debt accumulation.

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- Greece received a vote of confidence from Wolfgang Bernsen, a member of the Culture Committee of the German Parliament, who was in Athens and met with the Prefect of the South Aegean, Ioannis Machairidis.

Mr. Bernsen attributes his visit to his personal interest and in the interests of his committee. He expressed concerns over the impact of the economic crisis on culture, the function of archaeological services, and the maintenance of monuments around the country.

Bernsen said that he belongs to the large group of German parliamentarians who support Greece. He concluded his remarks by saying that “without Greece, Europe would lose half of its value.”

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- On Tuesday, the Public Power Corporation cut off the electricity to Aristotle University of Thessaloniki without any prior notice. Due to the economic crisis, the University is behind on its payments.

Administrators at the institution complained that the move severely damaged laboratory equipment.

The Director of the Laboratory of Agriculture at Aristotle University, Professor Andreas Thrasyvoulou, stated: “The laboratory is equipped with sensitive equipment. Cutting the power without warning has caused an estimated 500,000€ in damage. Where will the money to repair the damage come from?”

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- The combination of the economic crisis and diminished incomes is driving Greek families to find alternative methods of heating their homes this winter to help stem the costs of high-priced fuel. Thousands of Greek families are stocking up on wood for the winter. Fireplaces that were once mostly used as a decorative feature will now be used to heat Greek homes. Families that live in homes without fireplaces are purchasing wood-burning stoves.

This is but one example of how the quality of life in Greek society has been dramatically diminished.

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- The Troika is demanding even more drastic cuts from Greece pensioners. Those receiving between 800€ and 900€ a month will experience a further cut of 2% to 20%. An estimated 4,000 pensioners will be affected by these new cuts.

Further cuts of 35% will be applied for people receiving more than one pension and a ceiling of 1,000€ will be imposed on pensions at this level. This comes on top of past cuts and repeal of the so-called 13^th and 14^th salaries.

For example, pensioners who receive150€ a month will see a reduction of 240€ per year, while pensioners receiving 1,200€ a month will see a decrease in income of 432€ per year. The addition of the current austerity measures on top of past cuts dramatically reduces a pensioner’s ability to survive.

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- ECUADOR: The Ecuadorian President, Rafael Correa, said that if Britain storms the Ecuadorian Embassy in order to arrest and extradite Julian Assange, as they are threatening, Britain will be committing ‘diplomatic suicide.’

Speaking on state television, President Correa added that illegally storming the Ecuadorian Embassy would pave the way for the invasion of British embassies around the world.

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The Current and Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis in Greece

Greece, StopCartel TV transcripts No Responses »

Jul 102012

StopCartel TV broadcasts live from Athens, Greece on weeknights @ 10pm Athens time. The following post is a loose transcript from the July 9, 2012 broadcast.

By greydogg and snake arbusto, 99GetSmart

- On Sunday evening, StopCartel broadcasted LIVE from Syntagma Square during the confidence vote in Parliament. Unfortunately, there was not a huge gathering in the square, but it did give StopCartel the opportunity to reflect on what was happening there a year ago.

From 22 May to the end of November, StopCartel broadcasted LIVE from Syntagma Square daily, reporting on the events, activities, and protests organized by OccupySyntagmaSquare.

StopCartel was also there recording the brutal attacks by the rioting police against the Greek citizens who were gathered in the Square to exercise their right to protest against the Memorandum, austerity measures, and the attack against their lives.

One year later, things are even worse than before. There is a current and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Greece.

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- On Sunday, there were two suicides and one suicide attempt.

In Preveza, a city in the northwestern region of Greece, a man climbed a very tall tree and threatened to jump to his death due to extreme financial problems. In the end, he could not go through with it.

Tragically, over the weekend, suicide claimed two more victims. A 42-year-old man hanged himself, and in a small town on the Island of Evia, another 40-year-old man shot and killed himself. Both men ended their lives in order to escape the suffering caused by extreme economic problems.

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- In Peristeri, a suburb 6 km. west of Athens, a free Socio-Medical Out-Patient Clinic is being initiated. StopCartel is organizing an ongoing medication drive to help supply the clinic, to enable it to offer free prescription drugs to its patients. Over the weekend, StopCartel received the first donation from friends in Belgium. Thank you, Belgium!

If you are interested in making a donation, please contact Giorgos via email at: info@stopcartel.org

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- While the government-of-the-regime discusses the best way to serve the interests of their masters, some EU officials have been loud and clear about their unwillingness to accept any changes in the Faustian pact they made with corrupt Greek politicians.

- Nikos Nikolopoulos has resigned from his post as Deputy Labor Minister, in protest of Antonis Samaras’s refusal to renegotiate changes to the Memorandum with the Troika, despite his campaign promise to do so. Nikolopoulos’s resignation is an early blow to the newly formed government. The resignation came just hours after a vote of confidence was won.

Nikolopoulos released an official statement explaining why he resigned:

The sole reason of my resignation is my personal conviction that the issue of renegotiating with the Troika, as well as the correction of significant distortions in labour, pension, social security and welfare issues, should have been emphatically put on the table from the start.

His resignation is a great political sign. Not only does it illustrate the current situation in Greece, it also confirms and validates what the protesters have been saying all along about the government – that the Greek government is a huge political fraud. Samaras lied. He said his government would attempt to renegotiate the terms of the Memorandum. But the day after the election, ND immediately forgot their promises.

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- There is a 30% decrease in the price of rents in Athens because of a depressed real-estate market and high unemployment.

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- The current news coming from Spain and Italy regarding climbing interest rates on government bonds is reminiscent of events unfolding in Greece a year ago.

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- Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the opposition party Syriza, commented on the recent developments in Greece. He stated that people who signed the agreement to sell off Greece’s public assets will go to jail for their treasonous pact.

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- Nouriel Roubini gave an extensive interview to Bloomberg over the weekend. He pointed out that not a single bankster has gone to jail for the financial crisis they caused.

Roubini stated:

‘Nobody has gone to jail since the financial crisis. The banks, they do things that are illegal and at best they slap on them a fine. If some people end up in jail, maybe that will teach a lesson to somebody. Or somebody hanging in the streets.’

Bloomberg’s video interview with Roubini can be seen here: http://tinyurl.com/c6r2t3z

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Information is the backbone of the effort to liberate ourselves, not just in Greece or Europe, but the whole world. Independent media is an extremely important conduit of unfiltered information. We must build and support a network of information in order to succeed.

Please consider contributing:

ONGOING FUNDRAISER FOR StopCartel Livestream from Athens: http://99getsmart.com/?p=3667

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StopCartel TV broadcasts live from Athens, Greece on weeknights at 10pm Athens time @ http://www.livestream.com/stopcarteltvgr