Reporting team moves: From Athens to Crete

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Category: International

Created on Monday, 25 June 2012 08:34

Written by Sopiko Japarize and Eric Ribellarsi

by Sopiko Japarize and Eric Ribellarsi

HERAKION, CRETE - We’ve just arrived on Crete to attend a local festival of the Communist Organization of Greece (KOE).

In Heraklion, KOE is the largest organization in SYRIZA, the Coalition of the Radical Left, and this is even more interesting since the Crete districts were the part of Greece where SYRIZA had the substantial electoral increases. Crete also has a history of militant resistance during World War II.

This festival will bring together many of the other organizations that are a part of SYRIZA, as well as communist and revolutionary organizations which are outside of it, along with mass movements of the people, art, and music.

We were told we are taking a boat to Crete.

Once we arrive at the port, we are amazed to find that this boat was a massive ship, with levels reserved for transferring cargo to the island, with the last three levels reserved for passengers. There were cafes filled with chairs, couches and tables. Our group sat down on the patio watching the sunset as we departed from Athens.

At night, those that did not have a cabin slept throughout the ship, whether at these cafes or on the floor, though the young boys between the ages of 13-17 that populated most of the ship were up all night playing cards or talking with their friends, probably too excited to sleep.