 CNBC reports that journalists are becoming the targets of extremists in Greece. Last weekend 5 bombs were detonated at the homes of journalists in Greece. Lovers of Lawlessness claimed responsibility for bomb attacks of Friday's attacks. Their reasons? They believe that the media coverage of the austerity package and the country's foreign lenders has been too favourable. In a statement the controversial group said the journalists and the media were the , ''main managers of the oppressing state designs, manipulating society accordingly." No injuries were reported. The bombings have been widely condemned. Explosives were tied to gas canisters. Damage was caused to 'the homes of the editor of the Athens News Agency, Antonis Skylakos, and two broadcasters, Giorgos Oikonomeas and Antonis Liaros, from private television stations. Petros Karsiotis, a crime reporter, and Christos Konstas, a former journalist who is now a spokesman for the government agency in charge of privatizing Greek assets, were also targeted.'Activism by far-left groups is on the increase but there has been little reporting of similar events by the far-right. Threats were issued last year by Golden Dawn, the far-right neo-facist group. There have also been reports of journalist being intimidated by police. Journalists were restricted on Saturday.
In November, about 15 officers surrounded the home of a Greek magazine editor and arrested him hours after he published a list of more than 2,000 Greeks who were said to have accounts at a bank in Switzerland. Kostas Vaxevanis, the editor of the magazine, HotDoc, was put on trial for privacy violation and quickly cleared by a judge, but faces a retrial after the prosecutor appealed the verdict. Yesterday there was a gun attack on the Greek PMs New Democracy party headquarters. A Kalashnikov assault rifle was used and a bullet pierce PM Samaras' office window. He was not there at the time. OpinionThe IMF, Germany's Chancellor Merkel, Greek Prime Minister Samaras and others in Europe believe that the austerity measures are working. The question remains - How much more of this can Greece and its people take? Surely the priority must be catching the tax evaders who in Greece cost the economy dearly. The increase in violence in Greece has had a knock on effect of reducing tourism, which sadly hits the economy further.
 German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in Greece on EU business. A bold visit when you consider that many Greeks hold her in some ways responsible for their current economic woes. It is not so much a belief that she created Greece's financial chaos but that she has been pulling the strings of those negotiating bail outs to the troubled country. This means that those who are at the sharp end of EU austerity measures hold her to blame.
Of course it is true that she has to protect the interests of her own people. Each leader should be doing that. Some compassion is needed in such dire times though. Already we have heard many comparing the financial bail out Germany received after the Second World War to current bail outs. They of course did not have to pay money back. Yet the war it has to be said was created by Germany.
Times have moved on but of course the older generation will remember Germany during its darkest days. oIld wounds do not always heal.
Expecting protests on the streets of Athens today police were out in force. 7,000 police officers, secret agents, snipers and commandos have been deployed in the Capital. Surprising perhaps when you consider public sector worker job cuts. They are after all public servants also. Perhaps the Greek administration erred on the side of caution maintaining high numbers of police officers for when times get tough. They may be tough now but could get so much tougher.
Merkel landed this morning in Athens. Already a Swastika flag has been burned by protesters. Some you see believe that having been unable to dominate Europe by force in the past, modern Germany wants to dominate by the economic route.
Around 25,000 protesters gathered in Syntagma Square. Stcks and stones were thrown although initially the violence had only involved a minority of protesters. In the last few minutes police have fired teargas at protesters. Things are beginning to take a turn for the worse.
Teargas is the order of the day in Europe and beyond it seems. In Paris a jobs protest outside of an Auto show resulted in police firing tear gas canisters into the crowd.
There will be protests throughout today in Greece. The leader of the main opposition party Syriza has called upon Greeks to get on the streets to show Merkel the real Greece.
Late yesterday protest gathering was banned by the Greek authorities. The people have opted to ignore this ban. It is laughable when you consider the West's opinion of Russia if it tries to curb protests. As usual we play the Hypocritical card and hope people have short memories.
Apart from Merkel and the eyes of the World witnessing Nazi flag burning, plus some in the crowd wearing nazi uniforms, banners were carried stating, "Merkel out, Greece is not your colony" and "This is not a European Union, it's slavery".
And that dear readers is the truth of the matter. The elite cause the mess and carry on regardless. Those less able to pick themselves up and start again suffer. Those who worked hard to make a lfve for themselves lose everything and no-one cares. Those who run banking systems, stock exchanges and governmnet pull the strings but care nothing for the man, woman or child on the street.
Merkel is in Greece to offer support to the Greek administration given the task of formulating a workable austerity package for the country. She will not care about those who are bleeding. She wants to make sure that the cuts go deep enough. She also has a vested interest in ensuring that Greece stays in the EU. The German people have money committed to this venture.
Merkel is the first German leader to visit Greece in decades. The media may class her visit as symbolic but the Greek people may see it as a red rag to a bull. A person rubbing salt into raw wounds.
Late Monday protest gathering on Greece was banned. Most people have chosen to ignore that. It is laughable when you consider the West's stance when Russia for example tries to curb its protesters. Yet once more the West is playing the hypocritical card and hoping that we all have short memories.
Updates will follow......
 European leaders are still clinging to the hope that the EU and the Euro can be saved. The dream turned to nightmare many moons ago and nothing has changed. Not for the better that is. Surely by now it is obvious that the EU is doomed? Yesterday there were protests against austerity measures in Spain. The Police fired rubber bullets in an attempt to control the situation. Whatever happened to democracy and the right to protest? It seems that western leaders want to advocate such freedoms in countries such as those of the Middle East but not in their own backyards. The Spanish government is yet another political force in Europe expecting the people to gaily tighten their belts and live in poverty whilst they continue to prosper. It will not wash. 21st Century citizens are not quite the same as those of the past. Those who were happy to struggle to survive on the promise that the meek would inherit the earth. Most people these days want a fair wage for a fair days work and not promises for the so called after life. We know that the Elite are privileged but we also know now that they are not our "betters". Far from it. Today September 26, 2012 in Greece the country is experiencing a General Strike. Not its first for sure but no less damaging. Spain and Greece have huge financial problems and the Eurozone is at the heart of their problems. It is way past the time for surrender. The EU crisis will not be solved. It is not possible to do so. All that happens is it lurches from one crisis to another. Somewhere along the line something will have to give. It is time for Ministers to cut their losses. If not one of the few things that in a way will resolve the situation, War, will happen. The economies of Greece and Spain are on a downward spiral. They are spiraling out of control. Yesterdays protests in Spain involved around 6,000 citizens. Not vast but problematic. In time such protests will grow. Perhaps the police who responded with batons and rubber bullets were trying to send out a stark warning to others. If the economic situation deteriorates further more people will protest. Strikes and protests do nothing for the economy but you cannot blame the workers. After all it is the very leaders who are trying to implement austerity measures who helped cause the mess in the first place. Now they want the poorest people to pay for their incompetence.A heavy police presence in Athens means that today's 24 hour strike could turn violent. Marches and protests will quickly become heated.The markets have responded in typical fashion. The events in Spain and Greece have hit confidence in the EU, Europe, the Euro and more. A big sell off is underway amidst fears that the Euro and Eurozone are doomed. Tell us something we did not know. We have been saying that for months.The downward spiral will spin faster and ever more out of cotrol until what? You tell me. It certainly will not be resolved.
 Greece went to the polls last weekend for the second time in six weeks. This time however the New Democracy Party won a majority and its leader quickly began trying to forge a coalition government.
The New Democracy majority may have been small but with willing political partners it is expected to be enough to form a workable government. Today June 20, 2012, Antonis Samaras, leader of the New Democracy party, will be sworn in as prime minister. At time of writing the Greek coalition talks were ongoing but reportedly close to a finalised deal.
The people of Greece need a government but whether a coalition can bring stability to Greece is not known. Their debt crisis continues and too many people in Greece are suffering. As they struggle on in poverty tax dodgers and system abusers in the country prosper. These two issues will need urgently addressing by the new government.
The Markets around the world are still faltering as Greece forms its new parliament. There was no huge surge in the markets on the back of the Greek election, as the situation remains unstable. Angela Merkel the German Chancellor and leading light in Europe right now, has made it plain that the Greek bailout will not be renegotiated.
Yesterday President Obama speaking, as the G20 summit in Mexico drew to a close, said that Europe knows what it has to do. The talk is of leaders having to make tough choices and decisions. Of course those tough choices rarely affect those who make the decisions. It is easy to play politics when it is someone else who will experience a massive drop in income, or the loss of a home, for example.
President Obama should also publicly acknowledge that Europe's financial woes stem in so many ways from the USA.
Samaras is meeting with Greek President Karolos Papoulias prior to being sworn in as Prime Minster. Updates will follow....
Latest: Samaras has been sworn in as PM. "The ceremony came shortly after he agreed a coalition government with the Socialists (Pasok) and the smaller leftist party, the Democratic Left. Mr Samaras took the oath at a Greek Orthodox ceremony in Athens."
 The second Greek Election in just six weeks is over. In reality though it is far from over. The winner by a majority was the New Democracy Party with 29.7% of the vote. It secured 129/300 seats. Hardly a resounding vote of confidence from the people. Enough however to form a government if they can find a political party willing to do business with them.
The Greek Parliament and the people now face many challenges. First and foremost of course is forming a government and quick. Political vacuums are bad news. They can lead to military coups and revolutions.
Who the NDP choose or rather who is prepared to play ball could also impact on the Greek people. Second place in the election was won by the Syriza Party who took 26.9% of the vote and secured 71/300 seats. Such a close run race means that plenty of people will be happy with a New Democracy coalition, but many will not.
The New Democracy is a right wing party. If it works with the Pasok socialist party to form a coalition it may not work. However both of these parties are pro the EU bailout. In times like these political allies may come from opposing ideals. What is being seen as the most important factor is who is pro and who is anti the bailout.
Syriza is anti bailout. This party will be hard to ignore in any new parliament. With such a large number of seats and votes it will have a voice in government. This could mean that it will have power to wield.
Merkel in Germany and Obama in the US are happy that the New Democracy Party has won the majority. They of course do not have to live in Greece under the austerity measures previously agreed. It is fair to say that all Europeans leaders will be happy with the initial outcome of the Greek Elections. The money men and women who manipulate our lives have already expressed their pleasure. How so? By boosting the stock markets.
There is however still a long way to go.
All Antonis Samaras won in effect was the right to be first to hold coalition talks. If the Pasok Party teams up with Samaras it will be a similar situation to the UK. That is a coalition made up of the first and third place in the people's vote. Hardly the people's choice.
Both the Pasok and the New Democracy Party have governed Greece for many years. Both are therefore blamed by many for the economic crisis Greece is facing. Syriza being a fresh new party has said that it will not join forces with others to form a coalition.
No such moral stand point by the old guard.
Socialist PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos has already come up with a novel suggestion. He has proposed politicians forget the usual procedure and go for a four-party coalition between New Democracy, Syriza, PASOK and Democratic Left.
It is worth noting that anti bailout political parties saw their share of the second vote in Greece increase from six-weeks ago. The Neo Nazi Party Golden Dawn had its share of the vote reduced compared to the earlier election.
Europe may have breathed a sigh of relief but now it is holding its breath as it waits to see if forming a Greek government is possible. Germany has already warned Greece that the bailout is not open for re-negotiation.
 In May 2012 the Greek people went to the polls. The national election was not due until 2013 but the resignation of former leader George Papandreou meant an early election was necessary. The post of leader was filled temporarily by a technocrat, Mr Lucas Papademos, and he led an interim government, The Greek people have endured a terrible few years and it looks like it will get worse, before if ever it gets better. In May the people failed to return a majority government. The main players were unable to form a coalition government and so a further election was scheduled for June 2012. This weekend the people will vote once more. Has enough changed to return a majority government this time? It will be a hard one to call. The Greek people could choose to elect and support a pro-bailout government or an anti-austerity one. It is not a straight forward choice however between the right and the left of politics. The Greek political front runners include communists, the extreme right, socialists, neo nazis and conservatives. If the vote is split again it will be hard for any party to win through. However since the failed election in May the political front runners have been campaigning hard. Up until the death each party has been trying to win over voters and make that one last push. Currently many are predicting a win for the liberal conservatives, the New Democracy Party. However some see these politicians at the heart of Greek woes. As the party in office during the economic crisis the New Democracy Party failed to resolve the situation. When it comes to it though will the majority of Greeks see them as the only sensible way forward?Behind the scenes preparations are underway for an EU exit by Greece, if it is deemed necessary. To the cameras people maintain that Greece will not leave the Eurozone and no EU countries want them to leave. Whether that is what is said behind closed doors is doubtful Should Greece leave the EU it will be a protracted affair. It will not be easy for any country in Europe and possibly beyond. The economic fall-out will reach far and wide, but what of if they stay? How much longer can the Eurozone farce continue? One that demands the people suffer whilst the banking sector continues to crumble. One that increases unemployment to disastrous levels? Related reading regarding the USA and their involvement with the EU crisis since 2008 hereTags: Greek election 2012, EU crisis, Greek New Democracy party, second election in Greece, Eurozone exit, Greek politics, Greece
 Golden Dawn The Greek financial mess rumbles on although it may have not been making headlines so much lately. For the people of the Greece there is no escaping the madness. Following the failure to elect a majority government a further election is imminent. For now Greece has no elected government but rather politicians of differing views attempting to hold the fort, so to speak. Yes we knew that they differed so much that none were able to form a coalition but we did not expect violence to break out during a televised debate. Today June 6, 2012, there have been reports of a nasty altercation on such a debate. Illlias Kasediaris was representing the extreme right party Golden Dawn. This neo nazi party is gaining a foothold in Grecian politics. He is a newly elected politician in Greece. Tempers flared during the debate as those present talked about past events. Illias snapped threw a glass of water at one female and then slapped another across her face more than once. It made for terrible viewing. If the Golden Dawn Party wanted to show that they were not simply a bunch of fascist thugs they have made a huge error. This man showed a nasty side to political debate which has no place in a decent society. A warrant has been issued for his arrest after he stormed out of the building. Those present were unable to prevent his exit.
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