Another police intervention to a squat in Athens

Less than a week after the Greek police's second attack against Villa Amalias squat and the evacuation of Skaramaga squat, and only 3 days after the big demonstration in solidarity to all squats in Greece, the Greek police invaded another one yesterday. This time it was the Lelas Karagianni squat turn in downtown Athens, next to a flea market.

Shortly after noon, police forces entered the Lelas Karagianni squat and arrested 16 people on the roof of the building, while a police helicopter was hoovering above their heads. The detained people were brought to the Athens Police Headquarters for "a control", while other policemen conducted a research in the building. Many people gathered in front of the squat building in solidarity to the arrested, who were released some hours later, as no evidences came out. A solidarity demo took place in the afternoon and an assembly was also organised.

These events took place after police interventions to other similar self-organised spaces, like Villa Amalias (hit twice), Skaramaga squat, Radio Entassi in the Athens Economics University and Xanadu squat in the north of the country. Further to the police interventions to the first two, 92 people have been arrested and charged with felonies.  

#rbnews international show 29 December 2012 - The year in review

On #rbnews international on 29 December, we reviewed the key events of 2012 with (almost) the whole international team in the studio and contributions from radiobubble's citizen journalists, listeners and friends.

You can listen to the podcast after the jump.

#rbnews international show 22 December 2012 - Skouries special (again)

On #rbnews international on 22 December 2012, we had the privilege to interview Tolis Papageorgiou and Maria Kadoglou from Ierissos, Halkidiki, northern Greece, where an ore mining project will cause massive damage to the environment and to local communities. Tolis and Maria run the Hellenic Mining Watch observatory, and are currently focusing their efforts on saving the Skouries forest.
You can learn more about Hellenic Mining Watch on the Anti-Gold Greece blog and follow them on Twitter @antigoldgreece.
You will find the podcast, as usual, after the jump.

The Greek news bulletin 08-14 December 2012

The text companion of this week's #rbnews international show is now online. You can read and/or download and print the Greek news bulletin for the week 08-14 December after the jump.

#rbnews international show 15 December 2012 - Immigration special

Picture by Debbie Valencia, Kasapi - Union of Filipino Migrants in Greece

On #rbnews international on 15 December 2012, in preparation of International Migrants Day on 18 December, we focused the show on the issue of immigration in Greece. Our three guests were: 

• Debbie Valencia from from Kasapi, the Union of Filipino Migrants in Greece  
• Marie Kanama from the second-generation migrant group Asante (website currently under construction)
• Kusha Bahrami, a refugee from Iran who recently arrived in Greece. 

You can listen to the podcast and watch a slideshow of Kasapi's activities after the jump. 

The Greek news bulletin 01-07 December 2012

The text companion of this week's #rbnews international show is now online. You can read and/or download and print the Greek news bulletin for the week 01-07 December after the jump.

#rbnews international show 08 Dec 2012 - Privatizations special

On #rbnews international on 08 December, we presented the key findings of the study conducted by Radiobubble on privatizations in Greece. The study was funded by the Isvara Foundation. Commenting on our findings is Greek economist Leonidas Vatikiotis (@LeonidasV), whom we interviewed earlier during the week.

You can listen to the podcast after the jump.

The Greek news bulletin 24 - 30 November 2012

The text companion of this week's #rbnews international show is now online. You can read and/or download and print the Greek news bulletin for the week 17-23 November after the jump.

#rbnews international show 01 December 2012 - Skouries special

On the #rbnews international show on 01 December 2012, our guest was @ypopto_mousi. We dicussed at length the issue of gold mining in northern Greece and in particular the Skouries forest in Halkidiki.

In tribute to the struggle of the people of Halkidiki, who are threatened by a massive environmental disaster should the mining project materialize, the music we chose to play this week is taken from a compilation of traditional songs produced by the Cultural Association of Ierissos in the 1960s.

You can listen to the podcast after the jump.

A 17y.o. youth shot dead by a policeman in the Netherlands

by @iptamenos33

A 17y.o. youth was shot dead by a policeman in The Hague, Netherlands, on Saturday 24 November in the morning,  at the Holland Spoor Railway Station.

Police got to the Railway Station, after it was denounced that an armed man was around.
The young boy was at one of the platforms, when the policemen asked him to put hands on the air. The boy moved his hands to his wrist, and then a policeman shot him. The boy succumbed to his injuries later in hospital.

During the weekend, the State police took statements from witnesses. Prosecutors said they got pictures and that a post-mortem examination was conducted. They also reported that the young man did not carry a weapon.

A silent march took place on Sunday evening:150 people attended. It was organized by friends of the boy and ended up at the platform where the boy was shot.

It was the fifth time this year that someone was fatally hit by a policeman's bullet. Last year five fatal incidents involving police officers were reported.

Source

The Greek news bulletin 17 - 24 November 2012

The text companion of the #rbnews international show for this week is now online. You can read and/or download and print the Greek news bulletin for the week 17-23 November after the jump.

#rbnews international show 24 November 2012

On the #rbnews international show on 17 November 2012, our guest was Radiobubble's resident lawyer @xasodikis. We discussed threats to the Greek Constitution and the functioning of the institutions of the Republic in the current crisis, as well as the deterioration of the human rights situation in the country.

You can listen to the podcast after the jump.

#17Ngr from the #rbnews community

#rbnews international show 17 November 2012

On the #rbnews international show on 17 November 2012, our guest was Joanna Kakissis, journalist with National Public Radio and Time magazine. We discussed the commemoration of the 1973 Polytechnic University uprising, the delay in the disbursement of Greece's latest tranche of bailout loans, and the independence (or not) of the Greek judiciary. You can follow Joanna on Twitter @joannakakissis

In tribute to the 1973 Polytechnic uprising but also to celebrate World Tolerance Day on 16 November, we played songs from "Our Great Circus", an anti-Junta musical first performed in Athens in the summer of 1973. The promotion of World Tolerance Day is supported by the 1 Against Racism network.

You can listen to the podcast and download the weekly news bulletin in English after the jump.

Walid's story

Damian Mac Con Uladh (@damomac) investigated the case of Walid, a 29-year-old Egyptian immigrant who was kidnapped and tortured by his employer, a Greek baker, on the island of Salamina last week-end, in what must be one of the most freakish racist crimes committed in Greece. Here is the section of this week's #rbnews international show where he summarized what he found out.

Walid's story by Irategreek on Mixcloud

#rbnews international weekly show - 10 November 2012

On the #rbnews international show on 10 November 2012, our guest was Damian Mac Con Uladh, journalist with the Athens News and the Irish Times. We discussed the international media coverage of Greece in the past two weeks, the challenges facing democracy in Greece and the case the freakish racist attack on Walid, a 29-year-old Egyptian man who was kidnapped and tortured by his employer on the island of Salamina near Piraeus.
You can listen to the podcast after the jump.

What happened in the morning of #7ngr in the Greek Parliament

by @doleross

When discussions over the draft law on the new austerity measures (Memorandum III) started in the Greek Parliament this morning, Syriza and Independent Greeks questioned the compatibility of thedraft law with the Constitution. According to the rapporteurs of the two parties, paragraphs on salary and pension cuts were unconstitutional, and so was the way the draft law came to discussion in Parliament: that is the emergency procedure which limits discussion time to 10 hours, even though many members of the Parliament only received the final, very long text of the law, on the same morning.

The Speaker of the Parliament, Mr. Evaggelos Meimarakis, asked those Members of Parliament who were present to stand up if they agreed with the unconstitutionality objection. As he judged that those standing up were fewer than those who remained seated, he stated that the objection was rejected. MPs of Syriza and Independent Greeks strongly insisted that the objection had been approved and asked for a roll-call vote; this was accepted by the Speaker, but he suspended the session  for 30 minutes "according to parliamentary regulation", as he said. However, parliament regulations provide for only 10 minutes suspension time.

Facts and figures of "Lagarde List" in a nutshell

The text below is an extract from this week’s issue of HOT DOC magazine featuring extensive report and commentary by editor Kostas Vaxevanis and his team, over the leaked “Lagarde List” published on Saturday in an extra edition.

In a nutshell

• ·        The 2,059 HSBC clients listed hold 2,846 accounts in total
• ·        Accounts make a total of €4,5 billion in deposits
• ·        55% of the accounts showed no transactions during 2005, 2006 and the first 2 months of 2007, apparently when Herve Falciani stole HSBC data. In February 2007, 26% of the accounts were active whilst the rest remained inactive, closed, abandoned, blocked or without sufficient data.
• ·        Swiss banks allow their customers to open an account in their name or alternatively in a code number. This is convenient for those seeking funds from controversial sources – as evidence shows from Tsochatzopoulos scandal too. For example a probe can be funded from a well known source to a numbered bank account whose holder cannot be identified. Later on in case a minister is inquired amid investigation, he may claim that this does not refer to a bank account but…a telephone number.  

#rbnews international weekly show - 27 October 2012

Our guest on the #rbnews international weekly show today was Aris Chatzistefanou (@xstefanou), of Debtocracy and Catastroika fame. We discussed Golden Dawn, its links with the Greek police force, the many failures of Greek media to handle these issues and the publication of the Lagarde list" in Hot Doc magazine. The weekly news section is a little longer than usual, as there were many things to report this week.
You can listen to the podcast after the jump.

#rbnews international weekly show - 20 October 2012

On the #rbnews international weekly show on 20 October 2012, we discussed the news of the week with SYRIZA's chief economist Yiannis Milios. Topics include the Israeli boarding of the Estelle, which was sailing to Gaza, the 18 October general strike and EU summit, and the links between Golden Dawn and the police,which were exposed in international media. You can listen to the podcast after the jump.