Unrest in Greece: Were riots just the beginning?

The riots that swept Athens in early December may have been a wake-up call for Greece but experts warn the condition is still volatile.

The far-left militant group Revolutionary Struggle claimed responsibility for two bomb attacks against Citibank in Athens.Earlier this year, the newly-emerged group Sect of Rebels carried out grenade attacks on an Athens police station and the private news network Alter TV.

"There are few reasons to be optimistic," said Othon Anastasakis, director of Southeast European studies at Oxford University, indicating the country's dire economy and the limited options in the hands of the government.

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Despite a recent cabinet reshuffle aimed at restoring calm, Greece has lately seen unprecedented levels of unrest. Sappho Xenakis, a fellow at the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) said a lot remains to be seen.

"It is impossible to predict whether the situation will stabilise over the months to come or whether there will be another trigger that sets off social unrest," she said. "This does not mean that it could not flare up again, but it is likely to depend on whether, or how soon, a similar trigger arises."

The fatal police shooting of a teenage boy late last year sparked weeks of anti-government riots across Greece. The violent riots have shown that serious instability can occur in Greece despite its firm European orientation and role as a big investor in the Balkans, Dr. Anastasakis said.

"Until now we had the impression that Greece was an island of stability and prosperity in a turbulent region."

Economic downturn fuels discontent

But the global economic slowdown has fed the public's frustration with the country's wider political situation that is laden with scandals. "The student riots were, in a way, part and parcel of this negative climate," Dr. Anastasakis said.

He added: "Negative economic prospects usually feed nationalistic voices, introvert and reactionary tendencies, and a sense of social unrest."

He said a sense of potential social anxiety is likely to be on the agenda from now on.

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Anti-terror police believe there may be a link between the recent attacks and December's riots. But Dr. Xenakis said political violence is not new to Greece and warned against jumping to conclusions.

"Whilst there are a number of groups - more and less organised - that have been active in such violence, their political rationales are by no means identical," she said. "It would be a mistake to either assume that they share the same ideological platform or that they were all equally behind the violence of the December riots."

Dr Anastasakis said the economic crisis has brought about a sense of disaffection among young Greeks as many are forced to tolerate a suffering education system and have little prospects of finding work after graduation.

"The student riots were spontaneous and united in their solidarity with the pupil that was killed, and against police brutality," he said. "They were also united in their disaffection with the lack of perspectives for the future."

The disaffected youth

Maria-Manuela Stefanidis, 29, said the level of unrest revealed an angry youth without ideals and values, that feels disappointed and betrayed.

"The riots revealed that Greece has for years faced a rotten system of government, and that power can change hands but no substantial change is made." Ms Stefanidis said she took part in a peaceful demonstration alongside students, parents with their children, and the elderly to pay tribute to the deceased and to protest against those who she deems responsible: The government, the police.

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"When I heard about the murder of Alexandros Grigoropoulos I felt deep sadness and immense anger. I think that's what most people around me felt," she said. "For the first time in decades, a child's future looks more bleak than its parents'," she said. "Meritocracy, reform and modernization are all unfamiliar words."

Christos (not his real name), 25, a police officer at the Athens General Police Directorate (GADA) said the majority of those who demonstrated were "university students with nothing better to do."

"They suffer from inertia but not because they choose to," he said. He said students occasionally riot in the city centre but this time used the police shooting as an excuse. "Still, I have never seen such levels of violence," he said.

Christos said he cannot understand how why the officer reacted the way he did that night. "Our main concern is always to return calm and unharmed." He added that he believes it is unfair to discard the entire police force as corrupt based on "a tragic mistake" by a special guard who has not received proper training.