Story

Athens

December 28, 2008 | Pulitzer Center
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“Destroy Athens” was an anarchist slogan that began popping up around the capital in the months leading up to the Athens 2004 Olympics. It was also the name of the first Athens biennale in 2007. Over the past two weeks, some anarchist groups did their best to make this a reality.

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General view of central Athens

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Tanks roll through the streets of the centre during a military parade. During the riots last week, there were serious fears that the government would declare martial law.

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Ermou is one of Athens’ prime commercial avenues. Dozens of businesses were attacked during the riots, causing about $350 million of damages.

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Last Boston

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Greece’s riot police are almost exclusively male and have a well-deserved reputation for brutality.

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Greece has always had a strong protest culture and Athens is scene to hundreds of demonstrations every year, only a small minority of which turn violent. A scene from a past demonstration.

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Trendy faux-leftist bars such as Socialista have sprung up in former slum areas currently undergoing selective gentrification. At night, immigrant squatters, Gypsy dwellers and itinerants brush up against a high-income group of chic Greeks and tourists. Last week’s riots prompted the temporary closure of many of these bars

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A Greek couple kiss on Constitution Square to a background of the Parliament. This area was turned into a war zone last week as thousands of demonstrators burned down a giant municipal Christmas tree and battled riot police.

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“HOPE?” says the graffiti. “What hope” someone scrawled underneath in marker pen. The thousands of students who took to the streets were dubbed the “500 Euro generation” by the Greek media and were protesting their lack of prospects.

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Athens August 20, 2005

Photos by Iason Athanasiadis