DigiActive.org

Campaign: Digital Tools and the Greek Riots

Digital tools have been used to organize violent protests, but could also be used for peaceful change.

Description: Since an Athenian teenager was accidentally killed by a policeman’s bullet on December 6th, Greece has been gripped by riots. While DigiActive does not condone the violent nature of the actions taken, we do acknowledge the value of discussing the digital activism techniques used, as they may be of value to nonviolent campaigns for change.

Digital Activism Tools: citizen journalism web site (Indymedia Athens: http://athens.indymedia.org), Facebook, SMS

How These Tools Are Being Used: The Athens page of the international citizen journalism site Indymedia.org has been a prime location for mobilizing support for the protests. The site also gives other useful information, such as what a protester should do if they are arrested. In addition to publishing its own information, the site has also re-broadcasts SMS messages, which protesters are using to organize actions such as the occupation of university buildings. By re-broadcasting SMS messages on the internet, they are given a wider audience than simply the social network of the sender and thus larger actions can be organized.

Facebook is also playing a role in the protests. Several groups have been set up for the teenage who was killed, Alexandros Grigoropoulos. Together, they have approximately 187,000 members. The largest group, ALEXANDROS GRIGOROPOULOS (R.I.P.), which boasts 136,500 members, includes messages about upcoming protests as well as remembrances of Alexandros.

Outcome: There have been 176 arrests and $1.3 billion in property damage yet there is little indication that protests have resulted in any positive outcomes addressing protesters’ underlying concerns with poverty, corruption, and a weak education system.

Sources: Reuters Blog, New York Times, and AllVoices.com (photo)