Perama

Here is a suggestion to the millions of men and women who will visit the Acropolis, in Athens, during this year of 2014:

Go to the side of the Parthenon that faces the sea. As you face the sea turn your head on your right and search for the edge of the coast, as far as you can see, at the point that the land-mass meets the sea. This part of the coast is called “Perama”. The Greek word “perama” [accent on “e”], means the “outermost edge” or the “passage”, from one place to another.

Just opposite the coast at Perama is the Island of Salamis [accent on “i”]. The straits between the coast of Perama and Salamis, offer the narrowest place for the passage from the mainland to the Island of Salamis, and that is where about 25 centuries ago, or 480 years before the birth of Christ, the Persians [today known as Iranians] tried to land on the mainland, just 9 miles from the Acropolis, intending to conquer Athens. The customary top dog of the Persians was a king [or whatever] called Xerxes, a problematic individual, bent on conquering the … world, as were the problematic individuals that followed him, Alexander [the Great Devil, as he is known in Asia today], Napoleon [the thug par excellence of the French], Hitler [the coprophiliac leader of the blond race], not to mention the “series” of top dogs that commanded and command the present unique Empire that has actually conquered the world, after WW II.

If I am not mistaken the naval battle that followed, at the straits of Salamis, between the Athenians and the Persians, is taught in schools all over the world. Also, I do not know if Hollywood has exploited the story. Anyway, Xerxes climbed on a hill in the background of Perama and followed the battle from his throne from above. Even today the local people at Perama point to a spot on the hill which they call the “throne of Xerxes”.

[Parenthesis: Of course it was not Xerxes that built in Persia one of the most important cultural centers in human history, but the ordinary people of Persia who built it with their hands and their minds. When Alexander entered Persia, as conqueror, he was so impressed that he ordered his minions to copy the stuff. Later, it was Kermit Roosevelt, Jr, the grandson of Teddy Roosevelt, of that kind-hearted US president, who in 1953, as a CIA officer changed the fate of the Iranian people to a martyrdom that lasts to this minute.]

In classical Greece Perama probably was used only as the place to gain an easy passage to Salamis by boat.  Also, it is probable that Saint Paul when he visited Athens, then, if he went to Corinth by boat from Pireus, he was quite close to Perama. It seems that for the next centuries Perama stayed uninhabited. In 1920 there were only 20 inhabitants, mostly fishermen and people that moved men and goods to Salamis with their small boats.

Then, in the early 1920s Greek refugees from Turkey [driven out of Turkey after the invasion of the country by the Greek army at the bidding of the Great Powers of the West] found a place to live in the inhospitable region of Perama. Perama actually is a rocky hill of limestone about 880 feet high sloping steeply almost down to the sea coast at an angle of about 30 degrees. The number of the refugees was around 338. Of course the land at Perama assigned to them belonged to the Greek Orthodox Christian Church. And of course the natives, the 20 fishermen, were hostile to the Greek refugees.

In 1928 Perama was chosen as the site for repair and maintenance of ships. In 1934 “Shell Oil” and other companies built storage tanks at Perama. By 1940 the number of the inhabitants increased to 1,462 people. After the 1941-1944 Nazi occupation, the end of World War Two, and the defeat of the Greek Left during the revolt against the US-dominated Greek government, Langley took over the life at Perama. In the aftermath of the defeat, a huge wave of destitute Greeks from the villages inundated Athens seeking work and a place to live during the 1950s. Some of them grabbed the, church owned, rocky land of the steep Perama slope and started turning it into a regular “favella”, the only difference to the Latin favellas being that the Greek slope is a rocky slope not prone to landslides, while the Latin ones are mostly of clayish soil, hence the frequent slides and the burying of hundreds of people alive. These destitute people offered themselves as cheap labor to the Contractors of what by now is called the Naval Repair and Maintenance Zone of Perama [“Perama Zone”, from now on]. By 1961 the population of Perama had reached the number of about 15,000, illegally housed, inhabitants, who in essence were a cheap workforce for the Greek “efoplistes” [see below]. Today, the population of Perama is more than 25,000 people.

In the late 1960s a colleague of mine in engineering and fellow student at the Athens Polytechnic in 1950, happened to pass by the Perama favella and when he met me that afternoon the gist of his opinion about the people of the favella at Perama, as expressed to me, was that they (the people) were “subhuman”. The man had become one of the richest schoolmates of our class. Finally, he died a year ago. For the last six years of his life he had shut himself in a room of his house and talked to nobody. I wonder who had a happier life, my rich colleague or the “subhumans” of the favella at Perama?

As expected, the majority of these poor people at Perama were Leftists. The labor union of those workers was dominated by the Greek Communist Party [KKE]. Also, Perama is part of the general area of “Kokkinia”, the bastion of the Greek Left for almost a century [See my ZNet article “”Wrong Side of the Tracks” of October 25, 2013].

[Note: In the English dictionaries we find an entry which is the root of a strange Greek word. The starage word is “efoplistis” [accent on the final ‘i”]. The entry in the dictionariesis “(h)oplite”, the (h) is put there to denote that the”o” is a … thick “o”. Anyway, the word “hoplite” means: “A heavily armed infantry soldier of ancient Greece.” The Greek rootis “oplon”, which means a “weapon”. So the word “efoplistis” means the one that “fits out” or “equips” [with weapons?] and which as a verb is met even in Homer. However, in modern Greek the word “efoplistis” means a … “[rich] ship-owner”. A Greek “efoplistis” [plural “efoplistes”] is a very important and omnipotent entity. For example, he can marry the widow of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the President of the USA, or he can kill two successive wives by kicking them to death, without any legal consequences, and so on. A Greek “efoplistis” usually lives in a palace in London. His progeny go to Oxford or to Harvard and he rarely pays taxes. Also, a Greek “efoplistis” is, usually, a darling of the CIA.]

During the last three decades, or so, the Perama favella was replace by reinforced concrete multi-story buildings, similar to the rest of Athens.

What follows is based on an article [in the Greek newspaper “Ef-Syn” of May 23-24-25, 2014] by “The Carriers of the Virus”, the Greek investigative journalists mentioned in my last ZNet article “Greece at the ‘Crossroads’, again, [Part Two]” of May 15, 2014:

– During the first days of June, 2012, the Fuehrer of the Greek Nazis and two of his lieutenants met with five Contractors of the Perama Zone. The Contractors gave to the Nazis 300,000 to 400,000 Euros [US $ 409,000 to 544,800]. The Nazis, in exchange, agreed to “create” a new labor union with Nazis hired by the contractors and drive the Leftist union out of the Perama Zone. A transaction which proves the penetration of the Nazis into the Greek corporate world.

– During the same period the Nazis attacked four immigrants from Egypt who worked as fishermen at Perama and beat them up, one of them seriously. A few days before the Nazis murdered  Pavlos Fyssas [see the last paragraphs of my ZNet article “The Age of Tele-man” of Sept. 19.2013] a group of 50 Nazis attacked a team of 20 members of the Left labor union at the Perama Zone. Nine members ended in the hospital, among them the leader of the Union.

– Among the candidates the Greek Nazis had for the elections for the European parliament and for the municipal elections there were five top officers of the Greek army [among them two generals!] and three top officers of the Greek police.

So, inevitably, the Greek corporate elites [read the “efoplistes”] came to use the evil Nazi-tool for their usual philanthropic purposes [see, also, below].

 

Elections for the European Parliament

In my ZNet article “The ‘Drama’ of the Greek Elections” of May 12, 2012, there is a brief “history” of the national elections in Greece which is reproduced below:

 

A. Before Frau Merkel (and her US mentors) “attacked” the Greek people, about two years ago: 

 The situation in Greece was approximately the following: 

– “Socialists” (PASOK): around 40 % 

– New Democracy (conservatives, i.e. rightists): around 35 % 

– KKE, Communists (Stalinists): around 6 %

 – SYRIZA (Eurocommunist roots): around 3 % 

– Greens (with anarchist roots): close, but less than 3% 

– Neo-Nazis (in the Greek Parliament): around 3 % 

– Neo-Nazis (not in the Greek Parliament): less than 0.3 % 

 

B. After Merkel’s “attack”: 

– “Socialist” (PASOK): around 10 % 

– New Democracy (conservatives): around 30 % 

– KKE, Communists (Stalinists): around 12 % 

– SYRIZA (Eurocommunist roots): around 12 % 

– Democratic Left (new party, split from SYRIZA): around 13 % 

– Greens (with anarchist roots): around 5 % 

– Neo-Nazis (in the Greek Parliament): around 5 % 

– Neo-Nazis (not in the Greek Parliament): not available. Probably the same as before. 

 

C. After the May 6, 2012 Greek parliamentary elections: 

– “Socialist” (PASOK): 13.18 % 

– New Democracy (conservatives): 18.85 % 

– Independent Greeks (split from New democracy): 10.60 % 

– Democratic Alliance (split from New Democracy): 2.55 % 

– KKE, Communists (Stalinists): 8.48 % 

– SYRIZA (Eurocommunist roots): 16.78 % 

– Democratic Left (new party, split from SYRIZA): 6.11 % 

– Greens (with anarchist roots): 2.90 % (did not enter in the Parliament) 

 – Neo-Nazis (formerly not in the Greek Parliament): 6.97 % (entered in the Parliament).

 

Here are the results of the elections for the European Parliament, held in Greece on May 25, 2014:

– SYRIZA: 26.60 %

– New Democracy: 22.71 %

– Neo-Nazis (formerly not in the Greek Parliament, simply “Nazis” from now on): 9.38 %

–“Socialist” (PASOK + “The Olive Tree”): 8.02 %

– Neo-Nazis (formerly in the Greek Parliament): 2.70 %

– “The River” (“To Potami” in Greek): 6.61 %

– KKE: 6.07 %

– Independent Greeks: 3.47 %

– Democratic Left: 1.21 %

– Greens: 0.90 %

 

“The Olive Tree”, a supposedly “new” party, introduced as a Center-Left party , named after the Italian original, is nothing but the recycling of former PASOK “dissidents” and was “invented” by the “socialists” in an attempt to confuse the voters the moment they vote. The trick was successful!

“The River” is a new Center-Left party. See my article “Greece at the ‘Crossroads’…, Part Two”, of May 15, 2014.

So, the [foreign] planners of the future of Greece, started using a “milder” tool in addition to the brutal Nazi tool in their effort to keep Greece in agreement with their plans. The “milder” tool: the “Center-Left” political parties, which [parties] constitute a vulgarly cynic contradiction of meanings: The crypto-rightist Center, equals the [humanitarian] Left. So, lo and behold, on our TV screens and on an entire-page article in a “serious” Sunday paper appears a French-bred “philosopher”, with a rather permanent ironic grin on his face, fervently extolling the assets of the “Center-Left”. Which leads one to appreciate the almost 60-years-long effort of Noam, to expose the role of the “intellectuals” and “confirm” the “quality” of the French intellectuals.

The “Democratic Left”, a party created by the lawyer Fotis Kouvelis, as a Center-Left split from SYRIZA, almost disappeared from the political scene with1.21 % of the vote, mostly because Kouvelis overplayed his effort to present himself as the serious, moderate, unsmiling politician. Ordinary humans did not buy that. Now, as the ship of the party is sinking at least one conscientious “Center-Leftist” is salivating while seeking an entry into the present Right-wing Greek government, the top people of which are chummy with the … Nazis.

What about the voting at Perama, the bastion of the Left? The Nazis, in the various polling stations at Perama, won from 15 % to 20 % of the votes. Which are among the highest percentages for the Nazis in the electoral results for all of Greece. Personally, I have no explanation for this outcome.

However, my opinion is that the results of the voting for the European Parliament are on the positive side for the Left. Aside from the fact that SYRIZA was the winner, I think that the event that 44 % of the Greeks, eligible to vote, did not vote or voted with a blank vote, is a plus for the Left. Of course, the analysis of the “arithmetic” of abstention in elections is, historically, a worldwide problem. Let us try to “guesstimate” the part of the Left in the Greek abstention:

– The Nazis, as disciplined morons, do not abstain.

– The “regular” Right-wingers [Republicans in the US or New Democracy supporters in Greece] as political fundamentalist fanatics, do not abstain. The same holds for the Communists.

– Some of those that consider themselves as Centrists indeed abstain. In most societies the centrists do not surpass about 15 %

– Cynics might not vote as they abstain from all life, anyway. They are a rather insignificant minority. Let us say around 5 %.

– Ordinary people that have retained their rationality and their dignity and their innate anarchistic tendency, even though they do not see this in that light [who should be considered as the “best Leftists”], abstain.

Therefore, the Centrists and the Cynics constitute about 20 % of those that abstain. Now if we multiply this by, say 2, to be on the safe side, we get that the non-Leftists that abstain are 40 %. So, the ordinary people, who are the “best Leftists”, are about 60 % of those that abstained in Greece. That is, 60 % of the above 44 % who really abstained, which results in an additional 26 % for the Greek Left to the 26.60 % of SYRIZA [as shown in the above list of the 2014 results]. It is not an unreasonable exaggeration to say that 52.6 % of the Greeks are rational and honest [or the 52.60 % of any given population, for that matter].

 

“Efoplistes” [plural]

Here is a sketch, in the form of a list, of the “interesting” Greek “efoplistes” scene [based ,again, on the remarkable investigative work of the “Carriers of the Virus” in the paper “Ef-Syn” of May 10-11, 2014]:

 

– Pireus [accent on “e”, shortened form of the Greek “Peiraieus”], the port of Athens, for millennia.

– “Olympiakos”: the local soccer team of Pireus, since 1925.

– Marinakis: A very rich and patriotic Greek “efoplistis”, owner of a huge fleet of ships, under the flags of the tax havens of Liberia [W Africa] and of the Marshall Islands [W Pacific] and owner of the soccer team of “Olympiakos”. Since a couple of weeks ago he is considered the “actual” Mayor of Pireus as the elected Mayor, named Moralis, is considered a proxy of Marinakis. Consultant for the [Marinakis] mayoral campaign was the firm “Boston Consulting Group”. On March 13, 2013 there was a huge sign, at the area of the Pireus soccer stadium occupied by Olympiakos fans, that read: “No Politica” (sic).

– Serafim: The top leader of the Pireus Greek Orthodox Christian church is: a passionate supporter of Marinakis, a rabid enemy of homosexuals, an ardent anti-Semite, and a rather “loud” prelate.

– Kostas Barbis: Mr. Barbis is President for life of the “Pan-Hellenic Union of the Olympiakos Fans” [PUOF]. Mr. Barbis was General Secretary of the “Foundation for State Scholarships” during the 1967-11974 military dictatorship in Greece. He is a supporter of the abolished royal family of Greece. He is a contributor to the study that claims that Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary were of Greek descent, “as it is impossible to believe that divine entities can be of Jewish descent”. He claims that the Almighty to protect Olympiakos [the soccer team] generously offered to the team the leadership of the multi-talented [efoplistis] Marinakis and he adds that he is obliged to express his gratitude to the Almighty for this  leadership gift sent by Heaven. To these Marinakis, who according to Barbis is at the top of the ship-owners of the world, replies by saying that “besides his luminous personality and his incomparable spirit” Barbis has been for decades a shield for Olympiakos and he “should know that each [living]cell of the organism … of Olympiakos recognizes his work and his contribution”.

– COSCO: Chinese firm which “bought” part of the port of Pireus, about which part Marinakis, a Greek, is interested, also.

– Gianna: The Christian name John in Greek is “Ioannis”, or “Giannis” in its familiar form. Hence, “Gianna” is the female familiar form. [By the way the original Jewish name, “Johanan”, means: “God shows favor”.

 

To the Greeks, an elegant lady bearing the Christian name Gianna, is almost a household word, as God, indeed, has favored her. Gianna married a very rich Greek “efoplistis”. Single-handedly she secured for the Greeks the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, organized the Games, spent quite a few billions of dollars to build the usual Pharaonic Olympic structures, etc and after dancing with joy for her success with the Olympics returned to her “God-favored” life.

However, suddenly, the evening of the announcement of the results of the elections, on May 25, and the news that Marinakis won in Pireus, Gianna appeared on our TV screens and explained to us the situation thus: ” There are dangerous results like the Golden Dawn [the Nazis] and Marinakis in Pireus … You have seen what is going on in Pireus, all this period. Do not talk about businessmen [meaning Marinakis the ‘efoplistis’ that won the election]. There appear thugs, Golden Dawnites [Nazis] of whom we do not know what they are doing and other things, what can I say. … In Pireus there is no Moralis, but only Marinakis … Mr. Marinakis is not simply a businessman …”

Besides Mr. Marinakis, for the ordinary Greeks what is important is that the billions [which was money of Greek taxpayers and of other peoples of Europe] that Gianna spent, could have resulted in fewer suicides by Greeks, who were crushed by the 1 % of the world of which Gianna and Marinakis are rather associate members as they are of a dark complexion.

[Note: About Gianna see also my ZNet Commentary “Nazi Olympics” of August 18, 2005, which introduced her for the first time to ZNet readers.]

Of course, this harsh and demeaning condition for the human race is not peculiar to the Greeks of the Mediterranean basin. It is endemic on the entire surface of this unfortunate planet.

 

Final remarks:

– Kouneva, the Bulgarian immigrant woman who had acid thrown on her face and down her throat by Greek patriots, was elected as a member of the European Parliament on the ticket of SYRIZA and will represent the Greek people there.

– It becomes more obvious every minute that the planners push the Nazis in Greece to provoke rather ugly developments. Two days ago in the general assembly of the Greek parliament the Fuehrer of the Nazis addressed the president of the assembly [the Speaker in the US] shouting: “Shut up!” Then a tall, very macho Nazi member of the Parliament rushed from his seat towards another member, formerly of SYRIZA, and after a suggestion by another Nazi to the attacked to use a carrot for his satisfaction, he [the macho] was on his way to beat him up. However, as he was approaching his victim, another member of the parliament named Demas, an Olympics gold medal weight lifter, stood up and told him to go back to his seat, which the Nazi did immediately. Unfortunately for the macho-Nazi that scene was preserved for posterity in a video. Demas is an Albanian, of Greek descent and is a member of the Greek parliament with the “socialist” PASOK.

– Gianna, stated that she is not interested in building a political party, however, she let us understand that she is available to become President of the Greek Republic.

 

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