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Tear gas fills Thessaloniki’s riot-torn streets as running battles mark end of EU summit
Anti-capitalist goofs nuts rustics thugs communists anarchists rioters and Greek police were in an uneasy stand-off last night in Thessaloniki after a day of street battles that marred the end of the European Union summit held at a seaside resort outside the city.
By now it's a tradition. You have a summit, you have goofs breaking things outside.
More than 2,000 self-proclaimed small-minded wingnuts anarchists barricaded themselves inside the campus at the Aristotle University after rampaging through the city centre smashing shop fronts and fighting with police.
This was to prove how peaceful they were.
Under Greek law police cannot enter the campus but a large force of riot police surrounded it while police helicopters hovered overhead. The city's streets were carpeted with rocks and broken glass as fire crews toiled to put out fires left by a mob of leftist freaks rioters that had run amok earlier. Underfoot thousands of spent tear gas canisters mingled with trampled protest placards calling on people to "Stop Nato, US and EU".
But KCNA tells us that only reactionary Americans 'run amok.'
Late in the afternoon the anarchists broke from the group of 50,000 unwitting peaceful accomplices demonstrators, throwing petrol bombs and starting fires, while riot police responded with volleys of tear gas that filled the city centre with acrid smoke. The first major attack was against a McDonald's on Thessaloniki's main Egnatia Avenue. The steel shutters were torn and the property set alight. Hooded men attacked journalists trying to take pictures of the blaze.
I guess the old saying about how 'any press is good press' isn't true!
Rioters, dressed in black, many wearing gas masks, body armour and carrying sticks and metal bars fought a running battle with riot police, setting alight cars and targeting outlets of international brands like Vodafone. In the worst of the clashes hooded anarchists, from the so-called Black bloc and Salonika action group, wheeled supermarket trolleys filled with rocks into Aristotle Square to throw at police.
They wouldn't stand a chance against Chicago cops. Wonder why the Greek cops were so restrained?
Thousands of protesters from Greece's General Workers' Union were caught in the crossfire and had to run for cover under a hail of gas canisters, petrol bombs and rocks. "This is like Iraq, you can't breath and they've turned this into a war zone," complained resident Yiannis Fantis.
Come with us to Baghdad, Yiannis, and we'll show you a realwar zone, and some mass graves as well.
The main mob of violent protesters escaped the police cordon to retreat to the university, which they have used as a base throughout the three days of protests, staged to coincide with EU meetings on immigration and security. "There have been around 25 to 30 arrests and several people have been rushed to hospital," the police said.
Arrests are pretty useless unless there's a punishment involved. The arrest becomes a badge of honor for the anarchokiddy. He and his buds sit around and sneer at the "system."
Controlling the violence was made more difficult by organisers' decision to stage five separate and simultaneous marches, with thousands of demonstrators spread across the whole city. The main bloc of peaceful demonstrators converged on the American and British consulates, both protected by a huge security force. Marchers carried banners denouncing Tony Blair and the US President, George Bush, as "Imperialist Murderers".
I'm sure the protesters feel like they did something.
Posted by: Steve White 2003-06-22
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=15708