Never have the state authorities been handed such a golden opportunity to massage the population into one large submissive herd, as the covid19 pandemic offers them now. States across the planet have all seized on the opportunity and brought in directives enforced my the force of their laws, that manage and control the population, submissive obedience is now seen as the right thing to do by the vast majority of the population. A far cry from freedom, justice and democracy.
All for our own good we are told, but the situation could have been handled much more efficiently and democratically if the communities were in control of how best to protect themselves from this disease, in conjunction with the necessary medical and scientific advisers. However, we are expected to sit back and wait for the directives from our lords and masters, all "following the science", of course. That little phrase has been swallowed and brought people to the position of not only obedience to the state, but sitting waiting for the next directive.
They have reshaped society to their desires, and at the same time have refinanced collapsing capitalism with trillions of pounds, which you and I will be obliged to pay back to the money lenders of the financial mafia. We will pay for it in unemployment, austerity, wage freezes, slashing of working conditions, destruction of social services, increase in poverty, and homelessness, and much more, blighting the next generation of ordinary kids. That's the price tag for the reshaping of the capitalist economic system. Of course we the ordinary people could seize this opportunity to take control of our lives, communities and workplaces, and reshape society to suit the needs of all our people, dismantling the pomp, privilege and power of the wealthy parasites that blight our everyday lives.
All for our own good we are told, but the situation could have been handled much more efficiently and democratically if the communities were in control of how best to protect themselves from this disease, in conjunction with the necessary medical and scientific advisers. However, we are expected to sit back and wait for the directives from our lords and masters, all "following the science", of course. That little phrase has been swallowed and brought people to the position of not only obedience to the state, but sitting waiting for the next directive.
They have reshaped society to their desires, and at the same time have refinanced collapsing capitalism with trillions of pounds, which you and I will be obliged to pay back to the money lenders of the financial mafia. We will pay for it in unemployment, austerity, wage freezes, slashing of working conditions, destruction of social services, increase in poverty, and homelessness, and much more, blighting the next generation of ordinary kids. That's the price tag for the reshaping of the capitalist economic system. Of course we the ordinary people could seize this opportunity to take control of our lives, communities and workplaces, and reshape society to suit the needs of all our people, dismantling the pomp, privilege and power of the wealthy parasites that blight our everyday lives.
The following from Crimethinc:
Greece is currently in a full lockdown. This includes no freedom of movement. To maintain such a lockdown without also expanding medical and financial support for those affected is an exercise in sheer authoritarianism.
There are only six recognized justifications for leaving the house: to shop at pharmacies and supermarkets, to exercise (as defined and allowed by police) or walk a dog, to go to work, to attend funerals, to visit a doctor or hospital, or to help a person in need. The latter usually only applies to Greeks helping their grandparents; police have ticketed many people who were trying to give needed supplies to homeless people or people in refugee or Roma camps. You have to text the state to receive permission to go outside and show the SMS confirmation to police if they stop you. These SMS requests to the state provide data and surveillance opportunities to state agencies. Violations can result in a 300 euro fine or other charges. The police most often stop people of color or establish checkpoints in less affluent neighborhoods.
A curfew is also mandated between 9 pm and 5 am, during which the only permitted activities are going to work, walking a dog, or going to the hospital.
Many people in Greece are homeless in the midst of the lockdown.
Though lockdown is nationally mandated, it is enforced differently in different neighborhoods. Exarchia, for example, is under intense surveillance with almost no one in the street, while wealthy suburbs see little supervision. In the United States, the right condemns safety measures and lockdowns as a liberal conspiracy to sabotage the economy; if they recognized the political opportunities that the pandemic has handed right-wing administrations across Europe, they might change their narrative.
The first lock down in March and April took place when cases were averaging around 150 to 200 per day; today, the numbers fluctuate between 2000 and 2500 per day, with ICU beds filling rapidly. The blame for the infection rates rests on the business elite who demanded open borders for tourism in August, despite the obvious danger. Although there was 90% less tourism than in previous years, these policies permitted a few wealthy tourists to spread the virus throughout the mainland and islands of Greece. The New Democracy regime continues to slash hospital and medical staff budgets, redirecting the funds to decorative urban renewal projects, police and prison staff, and an increased military budget. They prioritize adding fountains and potted plants to neighborhoods over addressing rampant homelessness and drug addiction. They have failed to adjust public transportation to allow for social distancing, so subways and buses remain packed with people, likely spreading the virus. This disproportionately affects those who cannot afford to travel to work by car. While failing to provide funding for protection, the government blames individuals for the alarming infection rates.
As in many other countries, elite scientists propose further lockdowns, taking everything into consideration except the plight of those already living precariously under capitalism. A lockdown without parallel support for the poor only offers protection for the wealthy elite, disregarding poverty as an excusable consequence of the pre-existing social order.
With everything closed, furloughed workers are paid even less than what was already too little to survive. “Essential” delivery workers, teachers, and grocery store workers receive no increase in pay or free protective equipment. Some wish their work was deemed “nonessential” so they could be paid a small unemployment salary rather than risking their health for so little money.
Homelessness has worsened in Greece as the New Democracy government has attempted to reinvent the country as a glamorous, heavily policed tourist destination in the midst of a pandemic.
Homeless people continue to face fines, arrest, and displacement. The state is using the virus as an excuse to prevent assemblies of any kind. Police recently attacked and beat people inside a social center in Patras for gathering food to distribute to those in need. Mutual aid efforts continue, despite the constant threats, arrests, and fines imposed by police; the simple act of helping those in need outside of the context of the church is now treated the way that much more controversial or confrontational actions were before. Many in Greece, especially the residents of Exarchia who witness the harshest enforcement of the lockdown in an urban environment, refer to the virus as a “Junta holiday.”
Doctors have mobilized to call for more investment in protective equipment and medical solutions to the pandemic, but they are ignored or repressed. Essential workers have faced fines for not having the correct paperwork while outside risking their safety to deliver essential services. People have organized small demonstrations against this sort of political opportunism, but police have responded by kettling them, further endangering the demonstrators with regard to virus transmission as well as police violence.
New Democracy and its European counterparts are implementing a lockdown that is designed to “save Christmas” for New Democracy’s right-wing base. In this strategy, a lockdown will be implemented to the fullest extent until retail stores open for those who have money to spend on Christmas shopping. The plan doesn’t go much further than this; except for this temporary period of consumption, the lockdown is expected to continue after the holiday. Formal announcements about this plan came as the state spent thousands of euros to temporarily project an image of Jesus Christ onto the parliament building for “Armed Forces Day,” an expression of New Democracy’s determination to reinvent Greece as an authoritarian Christian state.
