Greece – Athens Jews Unharmed By Violent Riots

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    Athenian demonstrators hurl projectiles at riot police in Athens during a nationwide strike in Greece, May 5, 2010.  Greece braced for a day of demonstrations during a nationwide strike by civil servants protesting the announcement of draconian austeristy measures.   REUTERS/John Kolesidis Greece – The 3,000 members of the Jewish community of Athens have so far remained untouched by the violence that has swept through the streets. Tens of thousands of people gathered today outside the Greek parliament building during nationwide strikes to protest newly enacted austerity measures designed to save the country from bankruptcy. Enraged rioters attempted to storm Parliament, threw Molotov cocktails and paving stones at the police, and set fire to several buildings. Three people are reported dead after being trapped inside a burning bank.

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    Rabbi Mendel Hendel, Director of Chabad Lubavitch of Athens Greece, located just blocks away from the turmoil, told VIN News, “So far the violence has had no special effects on the community. The riots today were quite violent, but it quieted down in the afternoon and we hope it will stay like that. ”

    Greece has been virtually shut down in protest of imminent tax increases and spending cuts, with all flights in and out of the country suspended, trains and ferries shut down, government offices closed and hospitals working with only emergency medical staff. Journalists also walked off their jobs, suspending all television and radio news broadcasts.

    While the unrest closed public schools in Greece today, the Jewish community school remained open according to the Rabbi.

    Greece riots: 100,000 fight against harsh cuts in Athens financial crisis protests


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    14 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    How can you say they are unharmed? They are citizens like everyone else and will be affected by the austerity measures imposed. Why would you expect them to be targeted? I am sure there are Jewish students in the activist movement. Come on.

    MG
    MG
    13 years ago

    I work with a guy from Greece, he says the riots are no big deal, they happen all the time…. I’m not downplaying the financial crisis there, but the riots are just fodder for the cameras

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    a bunch of girls lol

    joey
    joey
    13 years ago

    of course the jews should worry about being harmed. they are crossing the picket line and opening their schools on a day that the whole country is on strike. the right thing to do would be to show solidarity with the people and shut the school and not provoke the rioting masses. why do they have to be different?

    HaNavon
    HaNavon
    13 years ago

    The rioting could get very scary, very quickly, especially for the Jews. Let’s not forget the Don Pacifico affair in 1847, when rioting in Athens turned anti-semitic and the mob vandalized and looted the stately home of Jewish trader and Portuguese Consul to Athens, Don Pacifico. He requested and was denied compensation from the Greek government, and turned to the British for help, since he was a British citizen. They sent Royal Navy warships to the port of Piraeus to blockade the Greek harbor and seize Greek ships and property to repay Don Pacifico. Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone would come to the aid of Greek Jews in distress if things got out of hand, so let’s hope our Grecian brothers are alright.
    Incidentally, I did a ‘Gorel’ about the Greek economic situation last week, in which I asked whether high yield Greek bonds would be worth investing in, and the Gorel’s answer was a passuk saying “wait 7 days and then you will see”, this was 7 days ago, and now it is eminently clear that investing in Greek bonds, no matter how high yielding, is unsound.

    anonymous
    anonymous
    13 years ago

    It would not be so funny if what is stated would resemble to the Greek Jewish community. Greek Jews were decimated worst especially thasssolinka and there are some in athens now. Jew have little influence on the Greek political life and here where your ignorance comes in a shining brilliant light better discuss cholent

    Asher Buchwalter
    Asher Buchwalter
    13 years ago

    Greece or Hellas even has a small neo-Nazi party

    anonymous
    anonymous
    13 years ago

    Greece main exportsare Olive oil, Feta cheese, olives and beautiful vacation spots on the agaen islands which competes poorly with Audis, Zeiss precision optics and mercedes or the Austrians guns , cars and precision steel. We had the same problem shuffeling dollars on wall street is not a product but we also have , IBM, Caterpillar , Merck, General Electric which compensate for the wall street fata morgana