SEPTEMBER 26, 2012
"Police spokesman
Panagiotis Papapetropoulos told CNN that some protesters had thrown
Molotov cocktails in Syntagma Square, opposite the Greek parliament
building in central Athens. Police responded with tear gas. Live footage from the
square as the trouble briefly flared showed smoke rising from burning
tires, as police in riot gear faced hooded protesters lobbing petrol
bombs." from CNN.com
As it turns out, I made the right call leaving Athens. I was in Syntagma Square less than 24 hours
before it got ugly.
Up north in Thessaloniki where I spent the night, there were
still protests, although much more peaceful.
The protests were not lead by idealistic students, the radical <pick
one: right/left>, or religious extremists.
They were lead by lawyers, public school teachers and hospital workers,
including doctors fed up by the current state of politics and the (relatively)
new tax structure.
Two days later at a Hostel in Skopje I would be recounting
my story of leaving Athens in the nick of time.
Two other travelers there actually thought I made the wrong
decision. One was an Aussie photographer
with an interest in disaster photography.
The other spoke calmly when he gave detailed instructions on how I could
have blocked the effects of the tear gas’s crystalline structure by covering my
mouth with a wet bandanna and keeping my eyes clear with either water or
enclosed glasses, like swim goggles, both of which I carry with me.
Another Aussie asked the guy the question we were all
wondering, “Where the fuck are you from that you know so much about surviving a
tear gas attack?”
In a word, he answered, “Detroit.”
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