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Greece: An Intensifying Bombing Campaign
[Teaser:] Leftists and anarchists are aiming at increasingly symbolic targets, and the
government’s response could incite even more violence.
Summary
An improvised explosive device detonated outside the Greek Parliament building
during the evening of Jan. 9, causing only minor damage to the building and no
deaths or injuries. The methodology of the attack is consistent with a bombing
campaign by Greek leftists and anarchists that has escalated since December 2008.
By striking such a symbolic target as the Greek Parliament, a popular tourist
attraction, these groups appear to be willing and able to attack anywhere at anytime.
Analysis
On Jan. 9, at approximately 8 p.m. local time, an improvised explosive device (IED)
detonated outside the Greek Parliament building, a popular tourist attraction, breaking
windows but causing no deaths or injuries. Less than 20 minutes before the attack, an
anonymous caller informed the Eleftherotypia newspaper that the device would be
detonated, giving police time to clear the area.
The IED was placed under a garbage can near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,
which is directly in front of the Parliament building and under constant guard and
video surveillance. Police have collected fragments of the device (likely made of
cooking gas canisters, which are easy to obtain and the most common components
used in such attacks in Greece) and are reviewing the surveillance video. So far,
police have confirmed that a timer was found at the site and that a group calling itself
the “Fire Conspiracy Cells” has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Over the past year, such bombings have been occurring more frequently against
increasingly significant targets. In 2008, most of the attacks were against car
dealerships, bank branches and <link nid="114807">diplomatic vehicles</link> and
were timed to avoid injuring people. In 2009 we saw the <link nid="141496">tactics
intensify</link> as police officers were targeted and killed and the target set shifted to
include more strategically important sites such as the <link nid="145004">Greek
Stock Exchange</link> and National Insurance Company (the latter attacks were still
preceded by phoned-in warnings). These varying and evolving tactics demonstrate a
full spectrum of violence that the leftist and anarchist groups are capable of carrying
out.
Consistent with the escalating campaign, the bombing in front of the Parliament
building was the most brazen attack in recent years. The area targeted is a very
popular tourist attraction largely because of the ceremonial changing of the guard that
takes place in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The device was planted just
a few yards from a nearby guard post, which underscores the purely ceremonial role
of the soldiers guarding the monument.
While Parliament was not convened at the time of the attack, events were going on
inside, and Greek Interior Minister Prokopis Pavplopoulos was scheduled to speak to
reporters outside the building, near the site of the explosion at the approximate time
the IED went off. Clearly, planting and detonating an explosive device in such a
symbolic public area demonstrates the ability of leftist and anarchist groups to carry
out their operations without police detection. And in order to deal with the escalating
threat, the Greek government faces some difficult political decisions that could incite
even more violence.
The uptick in attacks in 2009 can be attributed to the <link nid="150378">precarious
political and economic situation in Greece</link>. Because of Greek banking
exposure to emerging markets in Central Europe and the country's reliance on tourism
and shipping, Greece was hit particularly hard by the global economic crisis. Greece
is set to have the highest government deficit (12.2 percent of gross domestic product
[GDP]) and government debt (124.9 percent of GDP) in the eurozone in 2010. This
puts the Greek government's ability to repay and service its debts in question, thereby
crashing its credit rating and forcing the <link nid="146639">newly elected
government</link> to plan for austerity measures.
The <link nid="151602">European Union is pressuring Greece</link> to enact
severe budget cuts, with EU officials visiting the country Jan. 6-8 to assess whether
Athens is serious about lowering its deficit. The government is seriously considering
rolling back social programs by raising the retirement age and has requested advice
from the International Monetary Fund on how to reform its spending. The problem
for Athens is that social angst is already at a high level due to the economic crisis, and
a package of new taxes and social welfare cuts will only increase the tension. In
notoriously volatile Greece, austerity measures will likely provide more reasons for
people to turn to violence in order to express their disapproval of government policies
and highlight the government’s inability to manage the country.