Greece:
"Clinton go home!"

Thousands of anti-Clinton protesters took to the streets of Athens to 
protest against President Clinton's visit there, defying a Greek Government 
ban and the tear-gas and batons of the riot police. Central Athens became a 
battle-ground as the demonstrators tried to march on the US embassy.

Clinton is hated by most Greeks for his war against Yugoslavia and 
Washington's backing of Turkey over Cyprus and the Aegean. Many recall that 
Washington was the major supporter of the Greek junta which ruled Greece 
from 1967 to 1973.

Earlier in the week over 15,000 Greeks had marched through the capital to 
mark the Athens Polytechnic student uprising, which though brutally crushed 
marked the beginning of the end for the colonels. Clinton cut short his 
visit — planned for a week — to just one day.

Greek Communist Party (KKE) leader Aleka Papariga, together with the 
leaders of other progressive forces, planned a "warm welcome" for the man 
some Greek papers ironically call "the ruler of the world". Protesters hung 
a huge banner reading "Killer Clinton" on the side of a mountain 
overlooking central Athens.

Another giant banner hanging from Athens Panteion University in full view 
of Clinton's hotel bore an American flag bearing a large swastika and the 
names "Iraq", "Somalia", "Bosnia" and "Yugoslavia" across it.

The Friday march by 10,000 protesters began with the slogans "Nato, 
Americans, people killers!" and "Clinton, Killer. Go Home!". US flags were 
torn down in Vouli Square near parliament and effigies of the US President 
were burned.

Over the weekend more anti-American demonstrations took place in Athens and 
other Greek cities. Greece is seething with anger at the role of US 
imperialism in the Balkans and the crawling of the Greek social-democratic 
PASOK Government to Washington and Ankara in recent months.

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