Photos of the 2008 Greek Riots

[jackson_34]

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/12/2008_greek_riots.html

Some of these photos are absolutley amazing and perhaps some of the best photography I have yet to see. Just thought I would share the link with everyone on here.


 

[cordobes]

Why are these guys rioting because of the unemployment? It's natural they're unemployed, I wouldn't hire delinquents and terrorists as well.

[jackson_34]

Why are these guys rioting because of the unemployment? It's natural they're unemployed, I wouldn't hire delinquents and terrorists as well.

The riots stem from a clash between police and a group of teenagers where a fifteen year old kid was shot dead by a policeman who is now facing murder charges. Not much is known about what happened, some say the kid had a bomb/molotov is his hand and was threatning police. It's also not known if the bullet richoched or was a direct shot.

And btw cordobes why would you make such a bold political statement in the first reply when I clearly said the thread should be about the photos not the event?

[JSD]

jackson_34, Tp for sharing these. Absolutely breathtaking photography.

That riot policeman who was lit on fire "Rage against the machine style" will be on the cover of at least one future punk or hip-hop album.

[ederson]

Sorry Jackson but i must set the record straight

@cordobes

I feel the comment is a little inappropriate.
First of all because you seem to be uninformed. It`s not just unemployment. Currently in Greece (one of the most corrupted "west world" countries) the one political scandal follows the other Greece is a country where the average wage is almost lalf the wage in Germany or France but everything costs the same if not more.

Of course i`m not talking about the few as****s that destroyed the center of many cities but for the many thousands that protested.

From what witnesses say the kid didn`t have any kind of weapon (others around may have had) and that the policeman shot directly to the kid. I think balistic examination (is this right term?) proved it was a direct shot but i`m not 100% sure

2 years during another protest undecover policemen captured a student and beat the s**t out of him. In front of the incident were a few of the very high rank officers. Nobody tried to stop this
http://www.in.gr/kiosk/issue.asp?dtmIssueDate=21/11/2006&lngDtrId=11&lngPublicationID=2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNMwr3vI1js&feature=related

8 policemen were prosecuted and the court decided (yesterday) that 4.000 euro fine was the appropriate punishment.

At the same time a kid was held for months in jail without court order. He was arrested because he was wearing green shoes and a policeman saw in protests someone wearing similar shoes.

[cordobes]

Currently in Greece (one of the most corrupted "west world" countries) the one political scandal follows the other Greece is a country where the average wage is almost lalf the wage in Germany or France but everything costs the same if not more.

Yeah, I live in a similar country and I don't start destroying others people property just because I'm mad for not having the living standard of a Swissman. I don't even understand the point re: the wages. They want the government to increase the salaries by law or something? That would be a great solution, they can just promulgate a law stating that every wage is doubled from now on.

Of course i`m not talking about the few as****s that destroyed the center of many cities but for the many thousands that protested.

Well, but I am.

I'm sorry about the police abuses. They happen everywhere. It's the courts that have to deal with it, not popular justice.

[cordobes]

And btw cordobes why would you make such a bold political statement in the first reply when I clearly said the thread should be about the photos not the event?

There was nothing political about my statement, I just stated I wouldn't hire delinquents and outlaws. Since when is this political?

[Amonkey]

I am glad somebody raised this topic because I am still trying to understand this whole thing.  From what I have read, it all started because of the kid shot by the police.  Then they riot, fine.  That is totally understandable, but why is the rioting still going on?

It seems that the government is doing something (arresting the officers, performing an investigation) and most importantly, trying to end this "peacefully" but these kids seems to be really pushing the envelope here.  This thing happened 10 days ago and they're still going at it?  What's going on in their head?  'Oh, somebody on our age group got killed so let's start a rampage, destroy our neighborg's properties and stores and cause our country that is already at a economic crisis even more financial damage.'  It just doesn't make any sense.  There has gotta be something else that I am missing or else this just seems like a UMass riot going for an extended period of time.

I do have to give them credit for taking control of the media and having them display their message.  If this was a political rioting/protest (like the one in Thailand) then this would've been a great move, but this all seems like nonsense to me.

PS. Just to make sure, I by no mean am trying to offend the people of Greece, I seriously don't know the logic of this whole thing and am hoping that somebody could give me the deeper insight.

[Amonkey]

Also, at this point I am sure there will be some instances of police brutality, but I don't blame them.  I would be p---ed as hell if a bunch of teenagers were acting like lunatics for 10 straight days.  Come on guys, do it for a purpose.

[Amonkey]

You're right though, these pictures came out absolutely awesome!  TP for them.

[dark_lord]

wow!!!  those pictures are both powerful and beautifully taken.

no matter the motive, i just cant condone people rioting.  too many times innocent people that have nothing to do with the issue being rioted over are the ones that get hurt (not just physically, but financially, emotionally, etc)

[ederson]

Of course i`m not talking about the few as****s that destroyed the center of many cities but for the many thousands that protested.

Well, but I am.

I'm sorry about the police abuses. They happen everywhere. It's the courts that have to deal with it, not popular justice.

[/quote]

I just wanted to clarify that before the riots and the "destruction derby" there were peaceful protests
http://cache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/athens_12_15/a28_17303877.jpg
It didn`t start as a rage against everything and everyone. Unfortunately it turned into one. I didn`t want to justify the riots. On the contrary believe that the riots hurt the whole cause

But i`m afraid i  can`t agree that the courts will deal with police abuse. In a civilized country this would be the case but there are many examples that in Greece the justice is not blind(i already posted a few cases)



@Amonkey
The riots fortunately are finished.
Unfortunately it has nothing to do with the Greek state. The "troublemakers" decided to end it.

Why did this all happen ? I don`t know if it`s a Greek thing but there are groups of so called anarchists and they are mad with everyone literally. In any chance they get the cause this kind of troubles It`s not the first time that the center of Athens turns into a battlefield. Didn`t the same happen in LA a few years ago when policemen killed  a black guy?

I do have to give them credit for taking control of the media and having them display their message.

That`s the misunderstanding i tried to avoid. The people that took control of the national TV and other media are not the same as the ones that destroyed hundreds of shops.


So to sum up : there were some protests fired up by the kid`s death. the huge crowds in the streets gave the opportunity to  outcasts hidden in the masses the create havoc without any purpose hurting mainly completely innocent people.

Sorry for the long post

[ACF]

TP for the "lowdown", ederson.

[jackson_34]

And btw cordobes why would you make such a bold political statement in the first reply when I clearly said the thread should be about the photos not the event?

There was nothing political about my statement, I just stated I wouldn't hire delinquents and outlaws. Since when is this political?

Sorry mate you are right about that, I just wanted opinions on the photos not the event itself. However I guess there hasn't been a thread on the riots, so i guess this should be the place to discuss them.

[Roy Hobbs]

This one is pretty crazy, because at first you can't tell it's a mannequin:



The riots are disgusting (and at this stage, the police are showing remarkable restraint) but the pictures are amazing.