Latest posts by Asteris Masouras
Greece: Police Violence Against Immigrants on the Rise
Greek social media has been in uproar over a video posted on Facebook and Twitter, showing police officers overtly abusing a detained immigrant in downtown Athens. Racist and police violence in Greece has been on a worrying rise in recent years, while the promised administrative police reform is still pending.
Greece: A Poem and a Song for Dimitris Christoulas
“He has the touch of history / And white hair / Mister Dimitris”. On April 6, the anniversary of the German invasion in Greece during World War 2, Stamatis Kalogeropoulos posted a poem [el] and a song on his blog, Ποίηση κι Αφήγηση (Poetry and Narration), written in memory of 77-year old Dimitris Christoulas, whose...
Global Voices in Greek Celebrates 1,000 Posts
Launched in March 2011, at a time of increasing hardships and intense international criticism for Greece due to the financial crisis, Global Voices in Greek has reached 1,000 published translations. A team of more than 20 volunteer translators have been working together to bring to Greek speakers a selection of news from around the world.
Greece: Photos, Videos and Liveblogs from Anti-Austerity Protests, Clashes in Athens
Photos and videos from the latest massive anti-austerity protests in downtown Athens on February 12, 2012, the extensive clashes that ensued and their aftermath were posted on Real Democracy Now, while 19 photosets were uploaded on Demotix. Photos were also posted by Odysseas Galinos Paparounis and John Carnessiotis on Flickr, and on Athensville....
Europe: Radio Documentary to Chronicle Long-Term Effects of Crisis
Chronicles of a European Winter is a radio documentary series project focused on the actual effects of austerity measures amongst the populations of different European countries. It will be shot and edited between December 2011 and May 2012 in Greece, Ireland and Spain, and episodes will be licensed under Creative...
MENA: Amnesty International's Forecast for 2012
“Repression and state violence is likely to continue to plague the Middle East and North Africa in 2012,” forecasts Amnesty International in an 80-page report. It documents the extreme violence deployed by MENA regimes when resisting the unprecedented calls for fundamental reform heard in the region in 2011, as well as...
European Union: ACTA and Citizens’ Digital Rights
Greek blogger Michalis Panagiotakis writes [el] about the upcoming ratification of ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) in the European Parliament, and the issues arising with regard to the restriction of citizens’ digital rights.
Greece: Twitter Campaign to Release Arrested Activist Reporter
Several Greek users scrambled a Twitter campaign (#freemenacius) to demand the release of a young activist arrested while reporting for OmniaTV on protests in Athens on the third anniversary of the police killing of 15-year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos. @menacius and others arrested, including some minors, are charged with felony offenses and were allegedly...
Greece: Send Your Tale of the Financial Crisis
Sendyourtale is a Greek blog that invites readers, in the manner of the PostSecret project, to send in their personal tales of the financial crisis, to be published anonymously in Greek and English.
Greece: Giving Aid to Inmates of Elaionas Women's Prison
A team of bloggers [el] is cooperating with social workers at the Elaionas women's prison in Thebes, Greece, in order to give aid to imprisoned mothers and their children. The blog lists the team's actions, as well as inmates’ current needs, for anyone wishing to volunteer material aid.
Greece: Anti-Austerity Protests Disrupt Ochi Day Parades
Unprecedented protests in many Greek cities on October 28, disrupted parades for the national celebration of 'Ochi Day'. In Thessaloniki, the parade was brought to a halt and the president of the republic departed after being called a traitor by some protesters.
Greece: Vote of Confidence and the Future Referendum
On the evening of October 31, in a politically risk move, the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou called for an immediate vote of confidence in parliament and a referendum for or against the latest EU bailout loan. Greek Twitter users commented with unease, irony and humor.
Greece: Polarized Reactions to the Debt “Haircut” Deal
The Greek debt "haircut" deal reached by European politicians and banks was touted as a solution to stem the sovereign debt crisis. However, many Greek citizens have reacted with uncertainty and anger to the deal.
Greek Financial Crisis and Anti-Austerity Protests: The Story So Far
The Greek indignant movement seemingly foundered during the summer, but appears to be picking up steam again in September, at the imposition of yet another round of austerity measures. Asteris Masouras gives an overview of the protests so far.
Greece: Distributing Food From the Haves to the Have Nots
“We can” [el] (@boroume) is an initiative started by volunteers and restaurants to combat excess food waste, acting to utilize it for charitable purposes by supporting the Food Bank foundation.
Greece: “Hunger is coming” Blog Action Day 2011
On Blog Action Day 2011, themed this year around food to coincide with World Food Day, veteran Greek blogger Rodia writes [el] about the dangers of continuous austerity imposed on Greece: “We are in a state of siege, and food […] will soon be scarce in my country. It's already happening to...
Greece: “Europe, come be in my shoes, before judging me”
Global Voices in Greek translator Margie Lazou posts an open and unvarnished account of her daily struggles as a single mother in crisis-ridden Greece on her personal blog: “All those people out there in Europe, please, come live here, be in my shoes for some time before judging me.”
Bahrain: “By our silence we also incur a share in the guilt”
“By our silence we also incur a share in the guilt. This is why we have to support Bahrainis in their quest for freedom,” blogger Lina Ben Mhenni writes on A Tunisian Girl, reminding us of a forgotten and savagely repressed part of the Arab Spring.
Greece: Journalist suffers total hearing loss from police brutality
Greek journalist Manolis Kypraios has suffered total hearing loss from injuries sustained while photographing the general strike protests of June 15, 2011 in Athens, Greece. In his testimony [el] posted on Exandas Documentaries, he says he was fired on with a stun grenade at point blank range by a riot police officer, after...
Greece: Another victim of police brutality
Greek journalist and blogger Modestos Siotos on Protagon recounts being roughly accosted by police [el] when he tried to defend an immigrant they were beating. “Be more careful with your democratic sensitivities next time, you fake revolutionary rich kid!” they said, and threatened him with arrest for obstruction. Amnesty International...
Greece: Is it time for the #GreekRevolution?
The peaceful mass popular protests in cities across Spain, calling for democracy and protesting bipartisanship on the eve of elections, caught Greeks by surprise after a year of fruitless protests in Greece against IMF/ECB imposed austerity measures. Many Greek netizens reacted in solidarity to the sight and sounds of the “Spanish Revolution” and considered their own predicament.