The Acropolis ProtestsMay 4th: This morning bemused tourists wishing to visit the Acropolis were met with a giant banner complete with hammer & sickle asking the Peoples of Europe to Rise Up. It was the first day of a two day strike called by the public sector unions in response to massive layoffs and a 15% paycut imposed by the IMF and EU in return for providing loans to Greece. Surely a novel way of making old monuments interesting for visitors. Acerbic, conservative readers of the global north will think that "old monuments" also refers to communism/socialism and that it is the latter that is revived through such activism. Perhaps, and something similar may also happen in their own sleepy cities (this week there was even a rare demonstration on Wall Street!), but the popular movement is very much alive in Athens, a city that by accident or tradition perenially finds itself in the forefront of progress and human struggles. Athens' lively politics makes it an attractive destination to those travellers who make an effort to read and comprehend local history and culture. It is rather less attractive to luxury cruise passengers, some of whom were blockaded inside the port of Piraeus last week by unions protesting at the neo-liberalisation of passenger shipping. But who needs luxury liners (luxury for passengers, galley for crew), their main contribution to local economies is sewage (treated - a treat - and untreated - an extra treat), around 170,000 gallons per ship, per day...