Ursuline grad gives firsthand account of protests in Athens

Jimmy Hagan is an Ursuline High School graduate and a junior at Oberlin College studying ancient art in Athens, Greece, where he has been an eyewitness to several of the recent protests. He is a lifelong Youngstown resident and son of Michele and state Rep. Bob Hagan, D-60th.

ATHENS, Greece

Months of protests have escalated to fatal violence here. Three people were killed as the Magna Egnatia bank in the city center was fire-bombed. One of the dead, we are told, was pregnant.

The demonstrations are a reaction to austerity measures proposed in early March by the left-leaning government. The measures are conditions of a loan plan involving money mainly from the International Monetary Fund, Germany and France. On Wednesday, protesters had their second general strike in a week.

The initially peaceful gathering devolved into a full-fledged riot. Shauna Siggelkow, another Oberlin junior studying here, and I watched the situation.

A sea of people flooded Syntagma, the central square, and stood outside Parliament’s gates around 12:30 p.m. At first, PAME — a powerful labor union associated with the politically powerful communist party — blocked access to the main entrance. Suddenly, the stairs were stormed by hundreds of people trying to take Parliament. Tear gas and stunt grenades could not quell their anger.

Siggelkow said the violence intensified on a side ramp where protesters were throwing metal railing, sharpened wooden sticks and Molotov cocktails. One officer caught on fire as the crowd cheered. Siggelkow stumbled blindly after being tear-gassed, only to open her eyes to a Gypsy trying to sell her a parasol.

Soon after, the crowd charged down three major streets, incapacitating the city for more than six hours. Smoldering remains of firetrucks, news vans and one Mercedes were visible. Commercial trash bins were knocked over and set afire to block traffic. The sky was filled with black smoke. At one point, the gleaming temples of the Acropolis, only blocks away, became invisible.

Later, in a small, crowded square, protesters threw rocks at police. A can of tear gas landed next to me. For the next few moments I was on the ground. People were scattering, and police ran forward, hitting anyone in their way with clubs. “One man told us with a slightly severe tone that we better not tell the crowd [that we’re American] or they might kill us,” Siggelkow recalled.

Close by, graffiti in English declared: “Get out IMF, Get out USA”.

Demonstrations are scheduled throughout next week.