Greece Follow

When Alexander the Great’s army captured Persepolis, the capital of the Persian Empire, in 331 BC, the treasure seized was equivalent to 300 times the annual income of the richest city in Greece.

A defeat for Greek Cypriot nationalism and neoliberalism Dimitris Christofias won the presidential runoff in Southern Cyprus on Sunday 24 February. He took 53 percent of the vote in an unprecedented victory for the island’s Communist AKEL party, beating the conservative Yiannis Kasoulides, who polled 46 percent.

The employment minister responsible for implementing controversial pension reforms in Greece, Vassilis Magginas, resigned last Saturday following a general strike that brought the country to a standstill.

Delegates from Greece, Italy and Poland all reported that their governments were responding to the anti‑war movement with authoritarian measures.

The general election in Greece last weekend saw the ruling right wing New Democracy party retain power with a reduced majority.

The Greek Tory government has been increasingly blamed for what many see as an avoidable tragedy as forest fires continued to rage, killing at least 63 people.

Around 50,000 students took to the streets of Athens, Greece, on Thursday of last week against the right wing government’s plans to introduce new managers into universities. A huge movement of strikes and occupations has stopped the government changing the constitution to allow private universities, so the government plans to introduce changes by stealth. More demonstrations were planned for Thursday of this week.

The resistance to the Greek Tory government’s plans for the privatisation of higher education has forced the Pasok opposition party to withdraw its support for the proposals. Pasok is a New Labour-type party.

Some 240 university departments across Greece are being occupied by their students in a wave of action that is threatening to derail the right wing New Democracy government.

According to the New Testament, St Andrew was the first disciple to be called by Jesus Christ. He was later executed by the Romans at Patras in present day Greece on the X-shaped cross which now bears his name.

Following on from their French and the Greek colleagues earlier this year, Serbian students have helped roll back the neoliberal offensive on higher education in Europe.

Primary school teachers in Greece ended their six week all-out strike on Monday of this week over pay and the government’s plans for education.