Protest and urban disruption
The traffic chaos caused by the protest rally held by Olympic Airlines workers in the center of Athens yesterday – against the New Democracy government’s plans to privatize the troubled national carrier – was an early indication that the 4 million people living in the capital are in for a really tough winter. That said, the patience of the capital’s residents is running out and this is something that mustn’t be underestimated under any circumstances. The warning goes out to both the trade union leaders as well as the PASOK opposition and its leader, George Papandreou, who have sought to put the Olympic Airlines workers’ mobilizations under the Socialist party umbrella. Maintaining a trouble-free city is the responsibility of all parties. No political party has the right to sacrifice this on the altar of political expediency. The right to protest is inviolable. But any form of mobilization, strike or protest that does not respect the rest of society is bound to backfire.
