Greece's 2008 Riots: Globalization and Political Unrest

Introduction to the Article and Its Scope

Political unrest is a worldwide phenomenon that manifests itself for brief or extended periods in many nations. One such nation, Greece, witnessed significant political unrest driven in part by globalization efforts. The 2016 article "Glocal Disorder: Causes, Conduct and Consequences of the 2008 Greek Unrest" by Sappho Xenakis and Leonidas K. Cheliotis examines the Athens-based political unrest and its spread to other Greek cities in late 2008. The authors sought to understand why events unfolded as they did in Athens, and to explore how local, national, and international arenas shape localized incidents of civil chaos.

The article begins with a criminological examination of social unrest and riots, which have long been the subject of comparative and single-case studies in which the transitional and global dimensions of such events have barely featured. More recently, however, criminology has begun to consider global and transitional conditions as important arenas for exploration. Riots in countries are signs of political unrest and potential economic instability (Xenakis & Cheliotis, 2016). The authors set out to examine the riots in Greece in order to better understand what causes political unrest and to provide a different perspective on globalization and resistance to it. As they write, "In so doing, we address a range of dimensions proposed by Newburn (this issue) in his 'life-cycle' model of riots, which foregrounds not only the context, nature and dynamics of riots but also, crucially, their aftermath" (Xenakis & Cheliotis, 2016, p. 640).

Background: The December 2008 Riots in Greece

The authors offer a summary of the events of December 2008 as a backdrop for their analysis of the riots in Greece. The riots lasted for three weeks in December and produced a level of civil unrest that originated in Athens and spread to many major and minor urban centers throughout the nation. Tensions escalated rapidly when a 15-year-old unarmed boy, Alexis Grigoropoulos, was killed by a police officer on December 6, 2008. This event served as the trigger for the growth and spread of the unrest, resulting in "eight consecutive days of rioting in Athens alone, and a wide range of other mobilizations that accompanied the violence and extended beyond it" (Xenakis & Cheliotis, 2016, p. 641).

The damage caused by the riots cost Greece over 1.5 billion Euros and became the most intense episode of unrest the nation had experienced since the 1974 restoration of democracy. Some interpreted the events as a "social uprising" and a means of resisting the country's then-current political and economic condition. Others saw it as a consequence of an underdeveloped civil society. As the authors note, "By some, the events were framed as nihilistic riots that were the culmination of a culture of permissiveness towards deviance, violence and mindless resistance to change, and were the product, in significant part, of an underdeveloped civil society" (Xenakis & Cheliotis, 2016, p. 641).

Causes of the Unrest: Globalization and Anti-Globalization Sentiment

Most Greeks who experienced and participated in the events saw them as an effect of political violence, malaise, and socioeconomic problems that had plagued the country in recent years. The authors note that many protests had sparked across Greece, often disruptive in nature, due to the changes brought on by globalization and the influence of anti-globalization sentiments. "Many Greek anarchists, for example, shared ideas and made connections through participating in anti-globalization gatherings across Europe, such as that held during the International Monetary Fund meeting in Prague in 2000, and the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001" (Xenakis & Cheliotis, 2016, p. 643).

The seeds of the political unrest may have been planted among the demonstrators who finished their protests in Genoa in 2001 and began the first discussions of founding a Greek independent media center. Combined with increasing police violence against Greek citizens, this created a heated atmosphere of unrest that ultimately led to three weeks of rioting. The authors continue their discussion of police violence by noting the 284 arrests made across Greece between December 6, 2008, and January 14, 2009.

Greece exists within the European Union and is part of a broader effort by Western European countries to prevent another large-scale conflict of the kind seen in the twentieth century. World powers often take measures to assure stability within the areas they inhabit, while disregarding the effects such efforts can have on the people who must endure the resulting changes. Such changes often lead to economic decline in some countries and potential corruption. Some observers, as the authors note, saw the riots in Greece as attacks by those in power against the lower classes.

Conclusion: Globalization, Instability, and Civil Society

The article demonstrates how a country can be destabilized by interventions from world powers and by globalization efforts. While some tout globalization and institutions like the European Union as a means of alleviating potential problems among nations, such integration can also generate hostility and instability among the public. Greece is but one instance among many in the past decade in which civil unrest has emerged from the pressures of globalization and immigration. The case serves as a reminder that the human costs of large-scale political and economic transformations must be carefully considered by those who design and implement them.

References

Xenakis, S., & Cheliotis, L. K. (2016). 'Glocal' disorder: Causes, conduct and consequences of the 2008 Greek unrest. European Journal of Criminology, 13(5), 639–656. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370816636933