THERE’S a new version of the twelve days of Christmas doing the rounds in Athens it includes the lines: six soldiers a’shooting and five fire bombs. For it feels the days when one could hold a placard safely and protest against a government’s policies, or watch a march go by without having to barricade windows and protect your property are long gone.
Even in London recently where ‘good policing’ has on the whole has been able to historically marshal peaceful protest, things have soured. The student riots of last week might have been exacerbated by heavy handed police methods that ‘kettled’ groups into corrals denying access to toilets, food and drink and the ability to leave ,but it was also marred by idiots thinking it acceptable to toss heavy objects from tall buildings threatening life and smash and ruin ancient monuments.
Of course, we have memories and footage of the 70s when the picket lines were broken and miners were hit with truncheons from horse back, but I also have memories of standing silently in a candlelit vigil outside South Africa House; of being taken in a push chair on marches against nuclear proliferation and of holding a placard that said ‘not in my name’ outside the House of Commons: all done peacefully and without fear. Did it do any good our non violent and peaceful protest? I have no idea but it made us feel that at least we were able to make our voices heard.
Now, as an old CND campaigner down the Dog and Duck was lamenting vociferously over his pint, all protests seemed to be motivated by ‘bloody self interest’ and infiltrated by those just looking for a punch up with the ‘establishment’, whatever that might be. Where, he asked, were all the poncy students when something needed to be said about pensioners’ hardships or unjust wars or genocides in the world? “It’s all, ‘me me me’,” he added thumping his Badgers Best Bitter on the bar.
Can see his point, if we are to set an example to all these countries we keep invading, on the pretence of establishing human rights and democracy; we should be able to show we are mature enough to protest in our own countries without it degenerating into chaotic destruction and aggression. The horrible truth is that this year saw three people murdered in Athens by violent protesters, and numerous injuries in London last week. On Facebook a video is circulating, apparently off Greek TV, from last week’s marches and strikes of one of the policeman being burnt by a homemade fire bomb thrown from the crowd. It’s set to music, it’s meant to be comic and it’s sick.
It’s more a Greek tragedy if we find we relinquish our right to march not because of our governments but through fear of those who sabotage peaceful protest for their own ends and turn it into an excuse for revenge, riot and deliberate destruction.
