Asteris Masouras

Latest posts by Asteris Masouras

Greece: Police Violence Against Immigrants on the Rise

  12 May 2012

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

  10 April 2012

“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

  22 March 2012

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.

Europe: Radio Documentary to Chronicle Long-Term Effects of Crisis

  23 January 2012

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

  19 January 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...

Greece: Twitter Campaign to Release Arrested Activist Reporter

  8 December 2011

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: Giving Aid to Inmates of Elaionas Women's Prison

  16 November 2011

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

  2 November 2011

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

  2 November 2011

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: “Hunger is coming” Blog Action Day 2011

  16 October 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”

  29 September 2011

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.”

Greece: Journalist suffers total hearing loss from police brutality

  9 July 2011

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

  2 June 2011

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?

  23 May 2011

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.