Greek tragedy: third sector reacts

May 5, 2010, the Athens’s protests against the proposed IMF/EU bailout and its austerity measures turned violent. After a fire bomb was thrown by a protester in front of the Marfin Bank three people were left dead.

This tragic moment stands as a reminder of the human element and the social crisis linked to Greece’s economic ills.

While civil society is often nonpolitical and limited in its influence over national decision making, it is often civil society that feels the impacts of those political decisions the most.

Caritas Hellas is the Greek chapter of Caritas, an international Catholic organization that does charity work with the poor and immigrants.

Vita Europe talked with its president Father Antonio Voutsinou and learned more about the mood and the role of civil society in Greece during the social and economic crisis.

Was the violence seen in yesterdays strike foreseeable?    

First and foremost, no one expected what happened yesterday. Certain protests – against the measures the government has taken – were organized in advance, but never did anyone expect that the situation would escalate to the dimensions that it did… And certainly no one anticipated the deaths of three people.

What is motivating the strike and protests?

I want to say that for the moment we haven’t taken any sort of political stance. We can’t take part in these types of protests. Politics is a very delicate subject with us. Obviously the [current political] situation is very bad for the weak.

I can say one thing, what we [the Greek citizens] are paying for in this moment are the politics of the past. For all the parties who have showed up to do the job, we are paying for their mistakes and all the rest.

What was the reaction of your organization to the protests and strikes that have filled Athens’s streets?

If we’re talking about politics we can’t get involved, Caritas is a completely nonpolitical organization.

In this situation, with the measures that have been taken, the program that is being put in place, with all of the changes in Greece the problems facing the poor are growing. Our statement is to keep our doors open to all those that need our help.

We try to help as much as we can. 

What has your organization been doing to help out?

First and foremost, we try to help out with by donating funds, when we can.

Or, for example, every day we offer a lunch, a hot meal. We serve over 250 people a day, but not only Greek citizens we also feed foreigners and immigrants.

We organize drives for clothing and food. We are a small Caritas we don’t have huge resources.
Given what we have at our dispensability we do everything that we can. However, it isn’t easy. We don’t have a lot to give.