At about 21:45 GMT+2 tonight, while the Nine O’clock News were live on air, dozens of teachers entered the headquarters of the State TV station (ERT) in Athens. After the news the channel had planned an interview with the minister of education. The teachers demanded to be present in the studio during the interview of the minister and to be allowed to talk as well.
While the news were on air suddenly noises and arguments were heard from the background and from that point on the program’s normal flow was stopped for several hours. Police special forces have invaded the building since, beating teachers in the corridors.
Eventually, after negotiations and more violence from the police at 23:00 local time the protesters managed to get a short recorded message on air (see video below). The teachers are members of the national union of teachers; their statement talks against the IMF and calls everyone to participate in the general strike of Wednesday 5th of May. They also talk about the new law of the Ministry of Education which will decrease the quality of public free education and will make several thousands of teachers unemployed.
“We are members of the Teachers’ with Limited Working Rights Coordination and the Pan-Hellenic Union of Unemployed Teachers. We decided to come hear today, in the studios of the government’s TV-station, for two reasons: The first one is that for six months now the Mass Media keep silent about the government’s economical measures. And the second one is that we want to break, in praxis the monologe of Education’s Ministry, the monologe of Mrs. Diamantopoulou who keeps silent about the multi-law agreement that wants to be voted and destroys the public and uncomercial education. We were “welcomed” inside and outside the studio by a team of MAT (Unions of Order Recovery) ready to beat us up. We condemn both the Education Ministry and the NET-channel Authorities for the certain event: You see that there is evidence of violence on us.
The government brings the “Stability Program” in reality by packing more than 30 students in each classroom and keeping out of schools some thousands of unemployed educators. The “New School” like the government wants to name it, in reality it is not new at all. It is really old and brings us back in time. It will be against the needs and the rights of the society in Greece. Against the workers, the parents, the students, the teachers. The government calls us to pay for the cost of Education. Calls you the parents, your children who study, us who teach. After the multi-law of Mrs. Diamantopoulou we get dismissed; she fires around 17.000 teachers who are paid by hour or are temporary employed! We thought that we were the minority, but as it seems we become the majority after they brought the IMF to us, which will result in increase of poverty and unemployment of thousands of workers. Everybody on the streets to block the economical measures, kick out IMF and all those who brought it here. Tomorow we demonstrate to block the economical measures that destroy the Education System. On Wednesday 5th of May everybody is striking, nobody works. We gather infront of the Archeological Museum at 11:00 to block the economical measures.
We take out to the streets, we rise up!”
11 Comments
Callout for solidarity-action by attac and lefties for the 5th at 10 a.m. in front of Mrs Merkel’s office!
Tell it the Greeks, put it on greek community blogs pl !
Soli-Action am Bundeskanzleramt am 5.5. um 10 Uhr morgens, aufgerufen von Attac und linken Gruppen
Here’s the translation in English about what’s spoken by the teacher:
https://linksunten.indymedia.org/en/node/19943
@ELEFTHERIA: where did you got this information about the gathering? I cannot find anything. There’s nothing announced at attac’s homepage and what other leftists groups do you refer to???
The Greek people better wake up.
The bankers (IMF, Private Central Banks) will take everything if you don’t stop it now.
Dont pay the debts!! Kick out Goldman Sachs or you will be slaves for generations.
even the conservative Communist Party of Greece has done some impressive moves. Today they went up to Akropolis and hang a big banner: “PEOPLE OF EUROPE, RISE UP!” photo: http://prezatv.blogspot.com/2010/05/blog-post_5514.html
this is WAR by international capitalism against Greece. default on the debt! occupy workplaces! kick out the bosses and politicians!
actions in greece are once again getting much TV coverage in the US because of the IMF and debt crisis. of course they don’t explain it right. but it is very inspiring. go comrades go!
Do not trust the American news sources. Do not even pay attention to what they say. I’m in New York, I’m going to work with a bunch of people at CUNY to organize a demonstration. KICK OUT THE IMF.
TALPINA, you are right! there is no verification of this. The only thing is that the disabled make a chain around this house but i don’t know the time. also the phone# of the “attac” isn’t working. looks like a hoax…
it’s better to meet sumwhere and organize a real demo and it’s not important if today or later, the fight just started!
Comrade ‘WAR’, i disagree. This is not war by international capitalism against Greece. It’s class war, doesn’t matter that one front is in the area of Greece right now.
For the world—We know nothing about what is going on out there purposely in the states and most definitley the world. THERE IS AND HAS BEEN A MEDIA BLACKOUT ON WHAT IS GOING ON. My heart goes out to all of you wonderful people. I cry for the pain and agony that you have gone through. With out the media no one can accomplish local and world knowledge thereby controlling the world population. I am so very sorry for all the pain and anguish you are going through. Your Greek papers and world news have said that you accepted the outcome of this poverty. Another sad example of the media controlling the world population.
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