Skip to main content

Greece's silent coup – not with tanks, with the banks

weekend themes

by Stelios Kouloglou*

A few days ago, I was asked by Belgian journalists to participate in an act of solidarity with redundant workers in the Greek public broadcaster ERT.

I explained them that the closure of ERT in 2013 by an illegal act of force where, in one night, 2,500 people lost their jobs and found themselves on the street without any compensation, is the first anti-democratic act the country has recently experienced.

The story does not stop there.

After the national elections in January and the rise of SYRIZA to power, Greece has entered a new period of undemocratic deviation. Almost on a daily basis, the Government is exposed to threats, blackmails and ultimatums from lenders, Brussels and Berlin in order to disrespect the vote of the Greek citizens.

Greece is confronted by events that are unprecedented in the history of the European Union.

For instance, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble publicly mocked his Greek counterpart, Yanis Varoufakis. Unelected technocrats from Brussels put pressure on the government not to pass Bills that aim to face the humanitarian crisis. Credit rating agencies, the European Central Bank and loans are the weapons that are used for strangling the Greek economy.

The goal is to make the Greek Government either to bow down and fall because it failed to fulfill its promises to its voters or to fall due to economic suffocation.

The country is experiencing a silent, modern coup that is carried out by modern weapons.

Private media in Greece (controlled by local oligarchs) seeks to overthrow the new government of SYRIZA because it is stressing efforts to put an end to lawlessness and uncontrolled power. The closure of ERT was not a coincidence. Without a public service broadcaster, the government of SYRIZA has no effective means to explain its policy. Instead, Greek and international media also sabotage the Government by using misinformation and deliberate disputes, which are also weapons for the success of the modern coup.

The government thus has a double battle to wage – one against the harsh austerity measures imposed on the peoples of Europe, and another in favor of democracy in Greece and Europe.

What is feared is the fact that if the Government succeeds in Greece, then the Podemos Left in Spain and Sinn Féin in Ireland will follow. This is what they are trying to prevent by using this time not the tanks but the banks.

Source:


__________________________________________

*Stelios Kouloglou is a Greek journalist writer and documentaries director.

In 1996 Kouloglou created and introduced for the Greek national television Reportage Without Frontiers. His documentaries have won awards in Greece and abroad (2000 and 2001 "Euro-Comenius" historical documentary Award).[citation needed]

On November 1, 2008 he began an internet channel named "TV Without Frontiers", a news and political analysis website.

On May 12, 2008 the administration of ERT decided not to renew the cooperation with the journalist. As justification, they said that the emission had run its course. According to Kouloglou, the ERT administration had requested the cancellation of the broadcasting of his documentary show titled “Young Workers for 700 €”, while they also refused to cooperate in the organization of a documentary on human rights in China from Mao to the Olympic Games. The termination of his cooperation with ERT as a result of censorship has raised a solidarity movement in social media and many queries have been made from various deputies to the minister in charge.

In 2009, his documentary film Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, based on the book of the same name by John Perkins, was shown at film festivals in the U.S. and received awards in South Korea and Spain.

On January 28, 2010, as compensation for the previous censorship, Stelios Kouloglou returned to ERT was appointed member of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation's (ERT) board.

He is producer and director of numerous grand reportages and documentaries for ARTE, ERT, including «Whistleblowers»(2004). Among his documentaries stands out "Oligarchy" (2012) a documentary on the world financial crisis filmed in the US, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, Ecuador and Greece. «Holocaust of Memory»(2013), is a breathtaking documentary about personal testimonies on unreported nazi crimes in Greece. His documentary titled "The godmother" (2014) focuses on Angela Merkel and her strategy to impose German hegemony in Europe. His latest documentary "Escape from Amorgos" (2015) is a sensational story about the exiled politician Giorgos Mylonas and true face of the military dictatorship in Greece.

Early 2015, Stelios Koulogou was designated member of the European Parliament on behalf of Syriza

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Netanyahu Is Getting His War Between The U.S. & Iran!

The Jimmy Dore Show   Little progress is being made in negotiations between the United States and Iran over the latter’s nuclear program, and that may be by design. The U.S. is demanding a complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, which is a non-starter for the Iranians. Meanwhile, the U.S. appears to have reneged on a promise to get a ceasefire and humanitarian aid into Gaza in exchange for the release of the last American hostage, so Hamas — and by extension Iran — feel the U.S. cannot be trusted in negotiations. Jimmy Dore and Americans’ Comedian Kurt Metzger discuss how Israel appears to be orchestrating a U.S. attack on Iran that few Americans have any interest in.    Related: Trump makes key move to beat Biden in their race to start a war with Iran

Trump in SHOCK: Putin & China FLIP His Grave Mistake into STUNNING Victory

Danny Haiphong   Putin & China just gave Trump a rude BRICS awakening, and this bombshell will change everything for generations to come. Geopolitical analyst Ben Norton details the truth about Trump's biggest failure against the rising power of BRICS led by Russia and China, and why the US's role as super power is now in serious question.     Related: Trump's tariffs: A unique opportunity for BRICS and the Global South to fully escape from dollar tyranny

Trump's attempt to divide Russia & China is failing, badly

Geopolitical Economy Report   Donald Trump claimed he would "un-unite" Russia and China, but the US divide-and-conquer strategy is failing. In a meeting in Moscow celebrating the 80th anniversary of their nations' victory in World War Two, Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that "China-Russia relations have reached the highest level in history" and will "jointly resist any attempts to interfere with and disrupt the traditional friendship and deep mutual trust between China and Russia". Ben Norton explains.     Related:   Why China supports Russia

Inside Iran's Savak torture museum

The Grayzone   Caution: This report contains depictions of simulated violence that may upset some viewers. Max Blumenthal tours one of the most disturbing museums on the planet. Set in Tehran's former Ebrat Prison run by the anti-sabotage unit of Shah Reza Pahlavi's Savak intelligence services, the museum is filled with shockingly graphic exhibits featuring lifelike mannequins recreating the hideous torture tactics deployed to repress dissidents rebelling against Iran's monarchy. Many mannequins on display represent notorious torturers who either fled or were executed after the Islamic revolution in 1979, while others are modeled after famous prisoners locked away in Ebrat like the current Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamanei.  

14,000 babies could die if aid doesn’t enter Gaza in 48 hours, UN warns

Some 14,000 babies could die in Gaza in 48 hours if aid does not reach them in time, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, told the BBC today. Though Israel said it would allow “basic aid” into Gaza, only five trucks entered the enclave yesterday, two carrying shrouds to help bury Palestinians killed in Israel’s bombs. Others were in Gaza, but were being held by occupation forces and had not reached Palestinians. This was the first delivery of aid since 2 March, when Israel completely sealed the enclave. This, Fletcher explained, is a “drop in the ocean” and totally inadequate for a population of over 2.3 million, and for which no aid has been allowed to enter for 80 days.    “Tonnes of food is blocked at the [Gaza] border” by Israel, Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said yesterday. This comes just weeks after the UN agency of Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians eat only one mea...

"Kidnapped in Int'l Waters": Israel Intercepts Gaza-Bound Aid Ship, Detains Greta Thunberg & Others

Democracy Now!   Eleven peace activists and one journalist on board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla ship, the "Madleen," were detained by Israeli soldiers as their ship carrying vital humanitarian aid for starving Palestinians approached Gaza.    The ship was intercepted by Israeli forces in the middle of the night in international waters. Its supplies were seized and communications jammed. The unarmed activists will likely be transported to Israeli detention or "immediately deported," says Ann Wright, a U.S. military veteran who has participated in four Freedom Flotilla journeys and now serves on the steering committee of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. She calls on citizens of countries around the world to push for the activists' release and an end to Israel's war on Gaza. 

Latest on Los Angeles anti-ICE protests in US

CGTN     Views of downtown Los Angeles where protests against immigration raids entered their third day on Sunday local time.   Protesters clashed with National Guard troops in downtown Los Angeles during the latest wave of demonstrations against statewide immigration enforcement operations that swept across California over the weekend.  

Never, Ever Let Anyone Forget What They Did To Gaza

by Caitlin Johnstone   I will never forget the Gaza holocaust. I will never let anyone else forget about the Gaza holocaust. No matter what happens or how this thing turns out, I will never let anyone my voice touches forget that our rulers did the most evil things imaginable right in front of us and lied to us about it the entire time. I will never stop doing everything I can with my own small platform to help ensure that the perpetrators of this mass atrocity are brought to justice. I will never stop doing everything I can to help bring down the western empire and to help free Palestine from the Zionist entity. I will never forget those shaking children. Those tiny shredded bodies. Those starved, skeletal forms. The explosions followed by screams. The atrocities followed by western media silence.   I will never forget, and I will never forgive. I will never forgive our leaders. I will never forgive the western press. I will never forgive Israel. I will never forgive the main...

They Will Starve You In A Killing Cage Too

by Nate Bear   Starvation is taking hold in Gaza. Twenty-nine people have starved to death in the last few days.  Death by starvation is horrific, the body feeding on itself, first consuming carbohydrates and fats, and then moving on to the protein parts of tissue. Once these are used up, vital organs and tissues start to fail as they aren’t being nourished by essential nutrients. The heart, lungs, muscles, ovaries, testes and brain physically shrink and shrivel. The kidneys start to fail. Eventually the body begins scavenging muscle, including the heart muscle. When this starts to happen, death is hours away, preceded by hallucinations, severe mental disturbances and convulsions. With less stored fat and higher metabolic needs, children die first. Starving parents hold their dying children, at this point nothing but skin and bone, in their arms. Adults can survive anywhere between twenty and forty days without food. Those already weak, chronically ill or immuno-compromised di...