Pouring oil onto the flames
It’s hard not to notice that protest rallies in Greece are becoming more and more violent. It’s easy to see that a continuation of this trend could result in a state of anarchy, even deaths. Responsibility for this lies mostly with politicians, mayors and union leaders. Their fiery populism and vitriolic language – members of Greece’s Communist Party, KKE, have compared the country’s economic supervision by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union to an «all-out war» – is effectively throwing oil on the flames. However, responsibility also lies with Greek state officials who have for years turned a blind eye to lawless behavior – in fact, they continue to do so, as seen in the case of former conservative minister Costis Hatzidakis when he was attacked by a mob during a recent public protest. The daunting financial measures have brought Greek society near to breaking point. But that does not mean that we can allow society to slide into a lawless abyss dominated by blind violence.
