Eine Endlose Ebbe - Neues aus Griechenland

Nach drei Wochen in Griechenland, verspüre ich den Drang all das aufzuschreiben was ich dort gehört und gesehen habe. Natürlich bin ich hier besonders den deutschen Medien ausgeliefert, und obwohl das zweifellos einen gewissen Einfluss auf mich hat, glaube ich trotzdem, dass ich mein Bestes getan habe die Dinge kritisch zu sehen, und nicht jeden Mist den die Bildzeitung gerade über die Griechen druckt naiv zu schlucken. Es war ja eigentlich die Wut über die schamlosen Lügen über die Finanzkrise die uns dazu bewegt hatte diesen Blog zu schreiben. Lasst uns also dahin zurückkehren, und darüber reden welchen Eindruck Griechenland auf einen Gast aus Leipzig machte.

Während die deutschen Medien im Chor Faulheit und Korruption als Ursachen der griechischen Tragödie ausgemacht haben, haben die griechischen Medien ihrerseits die wahren Wurzeln der Krise benannt. Die Wut über vergangene und gegenwärtige griechische Regierungen wird nur durch die Wut auf Deutschland und seine Politiker übertroffen. Aus mir rätselhaften Gründen, sehen sowohl griechische Fernsehsender als auch Tageszeitungen Deutschland als Erzschurken Europas, und deshalb auch als einen der Hauptgründe für die Verarmung der Bevölkerung. Sie ignorieren dabei dass die Forderungen der Kommission sich von den Deutschen kaum unterscheiden. Oft haben mich Leute gefragt wo ich her komme, und jedes Mal drehte sich bereits vor meiner Antwort bei mir der Magen um, wohlwissend welche Gedanken durch die Köpfe gehen würden, nachdem ich ‚Deutschland‘ gesagt habe. Ein Taxifahrer brachte es auf den Punkt, als er (humorvoll) antwortete: „Aha, dann bist du also der Feind!“

Eins der vielen verlassenen Geschäfte
in der Innenstadt Nafplios

Etwas anderes dass mir aufgefallen ist, war der unterschwellige Nationalismus, den ich als Deutscher wahrscheinlich besonders bemerkt habe. Die Nationalflagge, die an jeder Straßenlaterne, jedem Kiosk, und von vielen Balkonen hängt, erinnerte mich an die amerikanische Welle des Ultrapatriotismus, die wir in Europa so verstörend fanden. Ich hatte den Eindruck, dass Griechenland im Moment das gleiche Syndrom durchlebt, denn es ist zu einem Land geworden, wo die griechische Flagge auf dem Etikett ein Werbemechanismus ist. Ich kann natürlich verstehen warum man in Krisenzeiten Produkte aus dem eigenen Land kaufen will, aber ich halte es dennoch für bedenklich an einen Laden zu schreiben: „Wir verkaufen nur griechische Waren!“ Neben dem Nationalismus stört mich daran aber noch etwas anderes. Die Idee, dass man durch leicht verändertes Konsumverhalten das Land aus der Krise führen kann erweckt den Eindruck, dass die Verantwortung für alles Übel bei den einfachen Griechen liegt die früh in die Bäckerei gehen und Tiropites kaufen. Nein, die Verantwortung liegt bei denen die seit Beginn der Krise 2009 monatlich 4 Milliarden Euro außer Landes gebracht haben um den Steuern zu entgehen; diese Menschen verachten ihr Land, und deren Geld hätte so viel zur Lösung der Situation beitragen können. Verantwortung liegt bei den Banken, die Griechenland billige Kredite gegeben haben, und bei den korrupten Regierungen.

Die griechische Krise ist überall mit bloßem Auge sichtbar, besonders in den Touristenhochburgen. Wir haben in der Hauptstadt von Naxos mit einem Restaurantbesitzer gesprochen, der uns erzählte, dass seit 2009 jedes Jahr weniger Touristen auf die Insel kamen, und dass 2012 absolut katastrophal gewesen sei. Ich sah die einst mit Menschen gefüllte Innenstadt von Piräus verwahrlost und verlassen. Überall waren Aufkleber mit der Aufschrift ‚ENOIKIAZETAI‘ (zu vermieten), und viele Schaufenster waren zugeklebt oder vernagelt. Als ich 2008 Nafplio besuchte, fand ich eine kleine Stadt voller Leben, während dieses Jahr weit und breit kein Mensch zu sehen war. Die griechischen Benzinpreise können inzwischen mit Skandinavien mithalten, und durch die stark gefallenen Löhne, wurde in wenigen Jahres aus Normalität Luxus.

Ich möchte diesen Post mit einem Appell beenden: wenn ihr im September noch Last-Minute in den Urlaub fahren wollt, fahrt nach Griechenland, und helft den Leuten die Finanzspekulation zum Opfer gefallen sind. Ich kann bestätigen dass Naxos eine traumhafte Insel ist, mit goldenen Stränden und gastfreundlichen Menschen. Griechenland lebt auch vom Tourismus, und es gibt tausend gute Gründe seine unzähligen Inseln zu besuchen. Also auf nach Hellas!

Harald Köpping

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An Endless Ebb – Update on the Situation in Greece

After three weeks in Greece, and after the previous posts of the refugee crisis, I feel the need to write down what I’ve seen and heard in that country. The media in Germany are what I am exposed to the most, and while it is doubtless that they have had a certain amount of influence on me, I still think that I have done my best to view things critically, and to not swallow every bit of slander that the infamous BILD has attempted to spread about the Greeks. Anger at those false portrayals of a lazy people and at the reckless lies that worsen the crisis are what got this blog started in the first place, so let’s get back to that, and talk about what Greece was like through the eyes of a guest from Leipzig.

While German media was consensually identified laziness, foul play and corruption as the ultimate origin of the Greek tragedy, the Greek media have on their part seemingly pointed out the true roots the mess. Anger at past and present Greek governments is only matched and possibly surpassed by anger at Germany and its politicians. For reasons that are quite unclear to me, both Greek TV stations and newspapers see Germany as the chief villain of Europe, and thus also as a main cause of the current impoverishment of the population, ignoring that the demands of the conservative government are not very different from those of the Commission. I was often asked where I was from, and every time my stomach started twisting before I said ‘Germany’, knowing what would go through people’s minds as soon as they heard the answer. One taxi driver hit the nail on its head, when he (albeit jokingly) responded, “Ah, so you are the enemy!”

Abandoned shops in the old city of Nafplio

Another thing that struck me was a nationalist sentiment that I, as a German, am probably particularly sensitive to. The national flag hanging from every lamp post, every kiosk, and lots of balconies was something that Europeans found so disturbing when the US suffered its own wave of ultra-patriotism after 9/11. I was under the impression that Greece is experiencing the same syndrome, a country where the presence of a Greek flag on a product is a marketing mechanism. Of course, I understand that in times of crisis people want to buy products made in their own country, probably I would do the same, but is it really a good idea to put a sticker on your shop that proudly proclaims, ‘We only sell Greek products’? Apart from the nationalism there is something else that bothers me about the idea that a slightly altered shopping behaviour can make a difference. This idea delivers the message that responsibility for the crisis ultimately lies with the ordinary people who go to the bakery to buy tiropites. Responsibility lies with people who have brought 4 billion euros outside the country every month since 2009 – the people who did that hate their country, and their money could have done so much to help the situation. Responsibility lies with the banks who have given Greece cheap credit in the first place, and responsibility lies with corrupt governments.

The crisis in Greece is certainly visible to the naked eye, particularly in the tourist destinations. We spoke with the owner of a restaurant in the main city of Naxos, who told us that since 2009 there has been a steady decline in tourists, and that in 2012 their income has plummeted particularly. I saw the once-crowded city centre of Piraeus derelict and abandoned, stickers reading ‘ΕΝΟΙΚΙΑΖΕΤΑΙ’(which means ‘for rent’) everywhere, nearly empty cafés and the boarded windows and doors of closed shops. Last time I went to beautiful Nafplio in 2008, I found a small town bustling with life, while this year’s visit showed Nafplio as a depressingly empty place. With petrol prizes competing with Scandinavia, and with incomes having plunged, things that used to be normal have become luxuries in a matter of a few years.

So, I want to end this post with an appeal: if you are reading this planning to go on a last-minute holiday in September, I urge you to go to Greece (I can confirm that Naxos as an amazing island, with golden beaches and great, hospitable people), and to help people who have become victims of financial speculators. Tourism is one of the main sources of income for Greece, and there is absolutely no reason not to visit its hundreds of beautiful islands.

Harald Köpping

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"If nothing matters, there is nothing to save" - Immigration in Greece

For me, what is worse is the mainstream discourse that surrounds the immigration issue. Today a member of the government stated that Greece has reached its limits and that illegal immigration is bringing Greece to the edge of collapse.* At the same time, the headlines of major newspapers referred to the government’s “epixirisi skoupa”, the hoover operation. It is amazing that from this word alone we can already deduce so many things. The government is cleaning up the country, putting the garbage away. The easiness with which people are dehumanised has always struck me. It then does not matter what the conditions in the camps are or how refugees are sent back to their countries. Nothing matters except the fact that they have to disappear. What is even more worrying is that it is not Chrisi Avgi that I am talking about but the Greek government. I am talking about parties of the centre having this kind of discourse, as if the refugees are the reason the crisis came in the first place. The government is stigmatizing these people because they are an easy target, because they have no legal rights and no possibility to make their voice heard. The government is stigmatizing them because they are clearly identifiable whereas those who are really responsible for the crisis are not easily distinguishable; because it is easier to blame a Pakistani than to blame the corrupted civil servant or the tax evador. It is easier to blame them than to blame us.

Immigrants in Greece

In Greece there is a crisis this is undeniable, but stigmatizing and chasing people who are poorer and worse off than you, and then asking other European governments to show solidarity, is hypocritical. This applies to the individual level as well; how can you ask others to show solidarity with you, if you consider people who risked their lives more than once to come here garbage? I would like to quote Jonathan Foer in his book Eating Animals: “If nothing matters, there is nothing to save.” Human rights and moral standards are not concepts that you can stretch and bend as much as you like and require. There is not a morality that is suitable for good times and another that you can apply in times of crisis, because then there are no more moral standards. It is even worse if you consider the fact that the majority of people here proudly call themselves Christians. If I recall correctly Jesus said “love your neighbour as you love yourself”. I always thought that it is in times of crisis that you can see the best and the worst of people and societies.  For now I have seen the worst. Now I hope for the best.

Alexandra Athanasopoulou

*That Greece is on the edge of collapse is ridiculous – EU funds for the improvement of the situation in the refugee camps have been available for months, but the Greek government is not using them.

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"Illegal Immigration"? - After One Week in Greece...

I have spent one week in Greece, and the heat, the good food and the sea have nearly let me forget that this is the country that finds its way into Europe’s news reports every day because of an economic crisis that is paralysing the continent. The cafés are a little less crowded than usually, many restaurants are empty, some shops have had to close, but I found the city centre of Athens to be bustling as ever (with tourists and locals alike). Yes, one can tell that there is an economic crisis, if one knows what signs to look for. What no tourist, no local, no human being can ignore, is a dark-skinned man fishing old tin cans out of a stinking garbage bin, placing them carefully into a shopping trolley. Writing my PhD on Europe’s asylum policy, I approached him, hoping that he could tell me what life is like for him in Greece. He smiled at me, told me he was from Pakistan, but that he didn’t speak English. He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, and called a friend of his, passed me on to him. I explained what I wanted, but that it would be difficult for us to talk if he didn’t speak English. Not really knowing what to do next, I shook his hand, said goodbye, and wished him a blessed Ramadan.

1,600 refugees were detained by Greek authorities yesterday

I sometimes wonder what it is like to cross the Greco-Turkish border illegally, as around 100,000 people do every year, but if I tell someone that I want to attempt doing so myself, they will say that it is too dangerous, that you can get arrested, or worse. There are those for whom crossing that border is not part of their PhD research, or for whom it is not the topic of a good blog post, but who see it as the only way to secure a future for themselves and their families. They arrive here, in Europe, and are labelled illegal immigrants, not worthy of human dignity, left to collect the garbage off the streets, or out of the trash cans. There are a million ‘irregulars’ in Greece, 10% of the country’s population, most of them homeless, or crammed together in hopelessly overcrowded refugee camps, which are the worst in Europe. Racism is visible in this country, be it in the Pakistani ghettoes in Athens or in the news reports, where I have heard 101 times that the rapist was indeed Pakistani (does it really matter where he’s from?).

Let me tell you something: Accusing someone of illegal immigration is very much like accusing someone of having crossed a red traffic light that never turns green. It is impossible to apply for asylum in Greece; the success rate is something like 0.01%. However, it is also impossible to apply for asylum in another EU Member State. Greece has become a victim of the Dublin II Regulation, which states that asylum seekers have to apply for asylum in the country where they first entered EU territory. Due to its geographical location, this puts Greece in a bad position. The racism that has resulted from a totally incompetent handling of asylum applications reinforces the concept of the Fortress Europe, which foresees the building of ever-higher fences and walls around the continent. Dublin II is one of the corner stones of Fortress Europe (see this previous post for more). This is thus a call for a reform of Dublin II, and also an appeal to be sensitive to people who have given up everything to reach Europe. Europe is only good as it treats its poorest, and judging from that, I am not sure I see much good in it right now.

Harald Köpping

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