to whom it may concern

This was send to us from Niki Roubani, president of European Network of Women


Dear friends,

I am angry, frustrated but also feeling responsible as a teacher for not giving the young people the kind of education we should, so they can handle their frustration in more peaceful ways.
The young people are so angry because the death of the boy was something like ‘the last drop’. The handling of the tragedy by the government and many politicians is pathetic, so violence has not stopped.
To give you some backhistory: For the last years, the money from the insurance plans of working people were gambled and lost in the stock market. Unemployment of the young is rising all the time. 250.000 children of migrants born in Greece are not given birth certificates, so as not to have claim to citizenship. Existing jobs for young people get pathetically badly paid and with incredible working hours, mostly just part time or stage type but with long hours.
The recent financial scandals, first with the suicide attempt of the General Secretary of the Ministry of Culture handling huge funds, when his dirty business was exposed, then the involvement of other top Ministers of the government in obscure business with a monastery in Holy Mountain, Halkidiki, lead by a couple of Cypriot monks who had opened off shore businesses in Cyprus apparently robbing the Greek assets, of millions of euros and precious land, in Athens and in the North of Greece with the help of ‘eminent citizens’ who got profited as well.
Oil prices for heating and cars are the highest, in spite of lowering everywhere else.
The government does nothing for Health issues and hospitals are closing.
And in the middle of all this we get, like the whole world, the monetary crisis.
Over the last month we also had the information of six months delay for new pensioners and no medical care for public employees, because of no public funds given to the ministries to pay off existing debts.
At the same time one fourth of Greeks lies below the poverty line. Greece has not seen such a situation in many years.

Politicians just discuss...

Then a fifteen year old gets killed, just because a police officer decided to punish the demonstrators. He actually went, parked his car, came back with his colleague, made a gesture with his genitals and shot. The boy was coming back from a friend’s party, 9 in the evening. He fell dead immediately in front of people sipping their coffee in the cafeterias. Then anger flamed up, anger for everything.
The teenagers went to the streets. Some undressed and spread themselves in front of the Police Headquarters. Some offered policemen flowers with a picture of the boy. Some marched, or sat for hours in the middle of the streets. Some smashed everything in their way.

Police turned up at the funeral, very clever...more riots.

The defense lawyer said it was.. God's will, more riots.
My students in school are crying and feel death could have taken them. Other frustrated youth joined the teenagers. Some got violent with stones. They aimed at banks and police precincts. The destruction and the looting of 800 businesses all over the country of which about forty were completely destroyed was a hooligan outburst because in such situations this happens. A lot of migrants were arrested. Poor people saw their chance for free Christmas gifts.
I am discussing with teenagers all the time. I am listening. I am learning. The teenagers want us to prove we understand, we, teachers and parents. We hold meetings, pass resolutions, speak and encourage understanding for some who just want this to magically stop. It will not, we have to get the politicians to admit responsibility and to admit our own, especially as educators. I hope the violence stops. It is a chance to review a lot besides education. At times like this I think of all the Peace educators and activists I have been so privileged to co-train with. I am sorry that Greece where we had a lot of our training is not what you have known. The world seems to be getting worse, in spite of our visions and work but imagine what it would be if little people like us did not carry on dreaming.

Niki Roubani