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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (54255)	8/27/2004 3:16:16 PM
From: abuelita	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 89467

Protest in Athens Turns Violent By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATHENS, Greece — Angered by a weekend visit by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, about 2,000 demonstrators marched Friday though downtown Athens in the first protest during the Olympics, shouting slogans against the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Hundreds of riot police with shields prevented the protesters from heading toward the U.S. Embassy, and the two sides faced off in front of the Greek Parliament building. There were minor scuffles and police used pepper spray on some demonstrators to push them back. The protesters marched in front of Athens University, beating drums, spraying graffiti on the walls and unfurling banners criticizing U.S. President George W. Bush. ‘‘Powell is the man who peddled Bush’s lies on Iraq,’’ said protest organizer, Yiannis Sifahakis. ‘‘He is a murderer and we don’t want him here.’’ Some of the demonstrators shouted slogans in English, taking advantage of the international TV crews covering the event. They called on passers-by to join them on a march to the U.S. Embassy. A spectacular, moonlit Acropolis served as a backdrop to more than 500 riot police who were positioned in the central Syntagma Square in front of the Parliament building and elsewhere in central Athens. Powell was expected to arrive Saturday to meet Premier Costas Caramanlis and attend the Olympics closing ceremony Sunday night. One Olympics volunteer in the trademark Athens 2004 polo shirt and shorts held up a sign that read: ‘‘Any volunteers against U.S. policy?’’ Other demonstrators sprayed an obscenity in red paint on a mustard-colored neoclassical building. Another demonstration by 200 people in Thessaloniki, a northern port and Greece’s second-largest city, dispersed peacefully after protesters marched by the U.S. consulate to complain about Powell’s visit. The Greek Social Forum, an anti-globalization group that opposes U.S. policies in the Middle East and Iraq, had called on opponents of the war in Iraq to gather and resist ‘‘world injustice and brutality.’’ Greece’s top law enforcement official said the demonstrators had a right to protest but asked them not to cause any trouble. ‘‘We organized games in an environment of security and discretion. Everyone recognizes this,’’ Public Order Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis said. ‘‘I want to believe that the events that have been planned will respect what with great effort all Greeks have accomplished.’’ Some Greeks worried that Powell’s visit could destroy the festive atmosphere that has been present in Syntagma Square and the rest of the capital in recent days. ‘‘I hope it won’t spoil the party because the city is buzzing and everyone’s pro-Olympics,’’ said Marissa Daras, 26, a human resources specialist, as she walked through the square. The right to demonstrate is cherished by Greeks, following harsh restrictions imposed during a 1967-74 military dictatorship. Protest groups have said they would oppose any police attempt to prevent them from marching on the U.S. Embassy. The embassy is not near any Olympic venues, but it is near the hotel being used by the International Olympic Committee and located on a major Olympic traffic lane. Greece’s small but influential Communist Party also said it was organizing a protest march on Saturday from central Athens to the embassy.