A Test of Citizenship

I've been debating with myself whether to post something so serious here at the Casual Cafe, but I'm really disturbed by the continuous violence in Greece. I wrote about this elsewhere, but then my fellow blogger, Doctor [who also has a couple posts on this subject], sent me a link with these pictures...

It's easy to have an emotional reaction to all this, but some deeper thinking is required. What are the causes of this mayhem? Why is it necessary for young (?) Greeks to demand their rights by trampling on the rights of others? Of course, I understand the frustration and anger, but employing such methods of violence?...

I don't live in Greece, so I writing this from abroad and trying to understand what's going on there. I've been asked by my friends, What do those Greeks want? I'm not sure I know the answer. What makes thousands yell, "pigs, murderers" (at the police), and "the state is the biggest terrorist"? Isn't the state of, by, and for the people? Is Greece under foreign occupation? The police represents the state. The police may be a manifestation of the state's incompetence, so it's in everyone's interest to reform it. But, when people demand change by destroying private and public property and putting lives at risk isn't a civilized way in my opinion to ask for improvements.

The killing of the 15-year old was not the reason for the revolt & destruction but it the trigger. I didn't see what most Greeks don't really know what happened when a number of youngster threw stuff at the police. I'm withholding my judgment until we know what happened between the police and the victim. The Greek police is ill-trained and serves as the convenient target of both the public & the government! As for the incident, a bunch of teenagers can be dangerous, so although I'm deeply sadened by the death of the 15 year old, I also accept the principle of self-defense. Many horrible wars & mass killings in Africa showed that children-soldiers can be deadly. Ballistic tests indicate the bullet ricocheted [Kathimerini] No well-trained police fires bullets into the air to scare of demonstrators, but if the Greek police did that in self defense, then the motive is different than murder.

Likewise, Prime Minister Karamanlis declaring, shortly after the incident, "there will be no leniency" for the policeman who shot the kid is a ridiculous statement. The PM and his government aren't in charge of the courts, are they? The police represents the state and if they're incompetent it reflects on his own government. At best, the government through the prosecutor can ask for certain penalties but it should be up to the court to decide what happened and evaluate the circumstances. The PM should wait for an official inquiry before he makes his judgment. Leniency should depend on the circumstances I reckon.

On the other hand, he should also make sure that the police are trained very well, because "firing in the air" to scare the protesters isn’t a technique used by well-trained police! Likewise, it’s appalling that the Greek police beat up the arrested persons. This is another example of an ill-trained force. The Greek government(s)are ultimately responsible for this.

Shifting the blame may be convenient but every citizen should look him/herself in the mirror first. Good parenting is necessary. For example, what were those youngsters doing skirmishing with the police? Good citizenship means being polite to your fellow human beings, that you do not litter, that you protect the forests, the sea and the environment--your own place where you live, your country. Oh, and that you show up on time and perform your duties to the best of your ability.

Little children, immature as they are, sometimes hate their parents but at the same time want them to solve all their problems. Some adults, too, behave like children: they hate the state but demand it solves all their problems!

Certain societies operate by solving their political differences with bullets. Violence against the current government? Sure, but such behavior sets the tone for the next one too. The hard question is this: assuming Greece is not under foreign occupation, what are those qualities that make some countries perform so much better, are more efficient, there’s less corruption, and their people record higher levels of happiness?

PS> I'm including the following because some of the responses to my editorial spoke about "enemies"(foreign and domestic), conspiracies, illegal aliens, etc.

I’m afraid that Greece isn’t being threatened by external enemies as much as from internal problems.The latest events are not the result of foreign enemies, illegal aliens, and a few anarchists. The violence spread all over Greece. If, indeed, those agents are present everywhere and are able to inflict this, then those enemies have won already.