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Politics

Причины смертельных пожаров в Греции

Jul 26, 2018 Yanis Varoufakis

АФИНЫ – Библейское бедствие обрушилась на Аттику в минувший понедельник. Я увидел её первые признаки поздним утром в аэропорту Афин, где провожал дочку в Австралию. Почувствовав сильный запах горящей древесины, я взглянул на небо и увидел, что солнце с трудом просвечивает сквозь тьму, похожую на дневное затмение, которое способен вызвать лишь густой, высоко поднимающийся дым.

Ближе к вечеру посыпались новости. Дома многих друзей и нескольких родственников в Восточной Аттике оказались уничтожены. Лесные пожары полностью вырвались из-под контроля, охватив плотно застроенную береговую линию и отрезав от дороги на Афины поселение Мати и городок Рафина. Их жителям пришлось спасаться бегством к морю.

Для меня первым известием о пострадавших стал рассказ о судьбе активистов нашего политического движения DiEM25. Огонь уничтожил их дом в Мати, а также все остальные дома на их улице; но они хотя бы смогли спастись. Едва-едва. Жители соседнего дома погибли; когда их тела нашли на следующее утро, оказалось, что они умерли, обнявшись, а их трёхлетняя дочь сгорела в центре этого душераздирающего объятия.

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0 Comments on this paragraph, 34 Comments on this article

djmccormac Aug 2, 2018

Varoufakis provides some of the solid, logical explanations of what happened - too much dry vegetation, feverishly strong winds, lack of escape routes, inadequate local planning. Despite that, he illogically follows the mass of commentators in using the bodies of the dead as a soapbox from which to air his main gripes in life. In his case it's that EU austerity and misanthropy are running down services and creating a demoralized nation of paralysed victims (a depiction not borne out by the heroics of fire fighters, sailors and volunteers in saving many lives); and that global warming is punishing our "human foibles" (for a traditional version of the payback trope, refer to Greek bishop Amvrosios, who said the fire was God's way of punishing the country for the sin - the Church's word for "foible" - of allowing gay couples to legally live together).
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Prof.HE Haralambides Jul 31, 2018

"... its communities, and its morale can scarcely be expected to prepare itself..." this beats me. Perhaps it is in Australian English?
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Cesar Cordova Jul 31, 2018

According to him... it is everybody's fault except for the Greek government decade long of living beyond their means ... Com'on!!!!
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Dean Plassaras Jul 31, 2018

Let me give you the US perspective. We live in California which is basically a Med climate similar to Greece. We also have fires here; in fact more fires than Greece. However, we have strict building codes, everyone is required to carry fire insurance and all empty lots in the area need to be cleaned as a responsibility of the owner otherwise you have to pay hefty fines. In fact, maintaining proper landscaping is the best form of fire protection. Nonetheless, fires happen here as well. The main difference is that fire protection is mostly a responsibility of the local (city and county government) administration. Not the state and not the Federal Government. The problem in Greece is that we seek to transfer bad decisions, illegal building practices, lack of infrastructure and unattended landscaping into the shoulders of the "Kratos". You can't do this. This is not what the rest of the world does. By the way, C-130 planes can be modified to hold 3000 gallons of fire retardant (or water) and are the most efficient instrument in fighting fires. Greece has an aging fleet of C-130s which are all conversion candidates for firefighting. So the Greek military (which is part of the "Kratos") needs to make the transfer and then request from the US replacement of its C-130 fleet with better and more modern planes. When there is a will, there is a way. But in Greece our national sport is blame-apportionment. This leaves the citizens divided, grief-stricken and impotent to initiate action. We need to change such an attitude.
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Ioannis Tirkides Jul 30, 2018

This is all too political over a tragic event. The loss of life could have been avoided with more law and more implementation of it, not more fire-fighters.
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Gerald Beeckmann Jul 29, 2018

Das Wort "anarchic" aus dem englischen Text sollte hier wohl besser mit "anarchisch" im Sinne von "regellos" / "chaotisch" übersetzt werden, statt mit "anarchistisch", was eine eher politische Bedeutung von "herrschaftsfrei" / "libertär" hat.
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Per Kurowski Jul 29, 2018

I am not defending “proudly misanthropic political forces such as Greece’s Golden Dawn” but, until now, these have not caused Greece a fraction of the harm that European Central bankers did. When, for the risk weighted capital requirements for banks, they assigned Greece a risk weight of 0%, they doomed that nation to suffer the tragic consequences of excessive public debt. All needed and unneeded austerity thereafter has been a direct consequence of that.

When finance minister, why did Yanis Varoufakis not go to the International Court of Justice and denounce that? Perhaps then “the troika of Greece’s official creditors – the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund – would have had to reconsidered all their actions.

What I am sure of though is that, laying the blame on “the usual crimes of oligarchy” like causing many dying or being “badly injured by having to struggle against the barbed wire that the rich had put between them and the sea” does not help Greece one iota.

https://teawithft.blogspot.com/2018/06/instead-of-andreas-georgiou-greek.html
- Anna Zinonos Jul 29, 2018
  
  What many forget is that the Greek gov was way corrupted before the economic crisis/bail out and that fires such as this are regular every summer, just usually they kill 1-2 people not nearly 100.
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pw Jul 29, 2018

Don’t blame anyone but yourselves. Sorry sounds harsh but 20 plus years ago after a devastating forest fire in pendeli I tried to get asoa or university of the environment to support me to apply for Eu funding to use satellites to automatically detect illegal building and to detect fires before they became too bog. I was told that if they did then their funding would be cut. Their lives made miserable until they got rid of me and any equipment I had would be sabotaged . All you need is the will to change. There is so much that can and should be done. The two systems just mentioned. Bulletproof door against corruption. Get funding all over the Eu to bring back sheep and goats with shepherds. To keep grass down. In my area in Italy seven flocks graze the hills around me. Last year I think there were 21 attempts to start fires. They got put out. Get rid of pine trees. They send Grenades of fire. Replace them. Within a few months of promises made by government to punish land grabbing and illegal building pendeli commune was putting in new roads and drains to allow new building. This is the problem nothing else corruption and inaction and lack of will.
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Julie Vafias Jul 28, 2018

Mr. Varoufakis, if you are reading this... yes and NO. As a Californian who has had to evacuate twice with fires meters away and watching a neighbor's house burn down, Greece is missing some basic warning systems far beside the point of politics. In California, from any terrain -beach, forest, rich resort - as a fire approaches there is a wave of smoke alarms going off in homes and the sound gets louder as the sensors nearest you trip until the one above you goes off too, some time before the fire is actually on top of you. Second, everyone's phone starts ringing- a reverse call that instructs you to turn to the local news or radio for emergency warnings. (Look up reverse 911 please.) Third, calling 911 is well accepted. I am taking a chance at being wrong on this one, but I smelled smoke on Thursday in Sunio with three small kids and when I asked someone to dial 100 or 166 they laughed and said there isn't an emergency. In Cali, we call 911 just to ask, because they know if there has been a fire reported or if you are the first to call. Instead the beach-goers called a cousin that lives nearby and their reletives on computers. Calling emergency services in a case of even a "possible" emergency to be sure, should be tought to members of society from a small age. It is the best, legititmate souce. I agree with you 90%, but with good warning systems, housing can be built almost anywhere and people should have time to get out. There was a fire near Sunio Thursday. I found out 2 hours after smelling the smoke.
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Anna Zinonos Jul 28, 2018

That is pretty funny to read, amidst a cry.

Mr.Varoufakis says his own friends and family have villas there (its one of the coastl areas neary Athens city, where the affluent Athenian Greeks build their summer houses) but then furthern down he accusses ''the rich'' for having built fences around those villas.

I guess he means that his own leftist-wing friends who are of affluent background where not the ones who built those fences?

It is a bit hilarious when I know personally people who are affluent that ''lost propety to the fire'' and are in crisis but the same people own like 6-7 properties across Greece so they aren't exactly poor not are they living in the streets right now after having their house in the recent fires burnt down.

Then online I see some video produced outside Greece typically over the USA where ''activists'' say that people are starving or sleeping in streets after their poor home was burnt to ashes. That could be true for a minority of locals in the affected area, the ones who owned a bungalow or tiny shac, but the majority of the affected are not exactly poor or lacking the means to move to another of their many assets to continue their lives.. Most of the villas are holiday homes anyways.

The trully affected are propably the minority of locals who were poor before the fire and now they lost their only one permanent residence. To these people of course I hope the Greek gov and Ngos can provide help. But its wrong to give an impression that all of the affected are in that category cause that would be far from truth, verified now by Mr.Varoufakis himself in this article that he mentions friends, family and politically involved individuals (usually they aren't exactly illiterate and poor?) who were greatly affected by these fires.
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Catherine McGrother Jul 28, 2018

Let’s hope such dire tragedy brings people to their senses and renews our politics. Condolences to the Greek people in their struggles! Lead on Yanis - keep writing - it’s good to hear your voice! Good luck with your reforms of the EU - we’re hoping to still be with you in that endeavour in the future, here in the UK, once this Brexit nonsense is past. You are our hope and our eyes are still firmly on that prize!
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venze chern Jul 28, 2018

It may not be fair to blame the fire on Greece's weak government. Economically the nation has been in bad shape for a decade, surviving on bailouts. People are already suffering, the fire is adding salt to their wound. With unusual hot weather, more fires are coming, hope arson is not the cause. Be vigilant.
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Henk Crop Jul 27, 2018

It is significant that the only one he does not blame are the Greek authorities, who should primarily be responsible. Making an evacuation plan does not cost anything.
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Paul Ross Jul 26, 2018

Of course, Greece too, could have chosen fiscal responsibility over debt, and early retirement, and then the Trioka would never be exerting such power over them. Running up debt and then deciding you don't owe it, because the Jones are better off, is really not a very good excuse.

Would you excuse a foreign power coming in to rob Greece of its historical artifacts, say marble engravings, because their own country did not have such wealth in their own culture? No, you would demand the return. But if is just some Euros, well that's different.
- Bill Rollinson Jul 27, 2018
  
  Paul, who loans a nation of just 5.1m workforce, €375bn, unless of course they have an Agenda?
  The agenda has always been to get all those Greek assets for buttons.
  Germans are buying up Island Airports.
  Deep Water ports are being bought by other groups as well as Islands themselves being sold.
  Eventually Greece will be in the same boat, no money, but will also have no assets, what happens then?
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M M Jul 26, 2018

The European political leadership could not care less, the Greeks are on their own. The Greeks have only themselves to blame, including this latest Greek Tragedy!
- Bill Rollinson Jul 27, 2018
  
  "The Greeks have only themselves to blame."
  
  The poor Greek, not the oligarchs who wont pay taxes, are to blame, how flippant!
  - M M Jul 27, 2018
    
    Bill, on a recent visit to one of the remote villages in Greece (which incidentally already had a Chinese presence), I was having a drink with the locals, and they were all complaining about their state of affairs and debating the solutions. I said to them, you are complaining about the policies of the same persons that you yourselves have voted into office to represent you, so who is to blame, the public representative who was voted in by the people? the public official or servant who was voted in by the people? or the people themselves? I can tell you Bill they all agreed with me that the people were to blame, having said that , the Greek dilemma is being lived by the many and more so in the western democracies and this is what I meant by my statement above. Democracy has been hijacked and held to ransom by the very few. A few days ago, on Bloomberg, they had a very detailed analysis on the state (or deterioration) of democracies around the world and more especially in the western world. You can read it if you wish.
    - M M Jul 27, 2018
      
      Bill, incidentally, there is a very good article about the Greek fires on the "Independent" today. It was written by a Greek called Ioannis Glinavos titled " the fires tearing through Greece are a direct result of .....corruption"...
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Leo Kipps Jul 26, 2018

Those in Brussels and Berlin will not listen to this. Greece should exit the EU and stand on its own feet.
- Paul Ross Jul 26, 2018
  
  Without shoes and food of course, because its profligate spending has left it near bankruptcy.
  - Michael Public Jul 28, 2018
    
    At least then they can end this austerity, a policy proven to cause economy shrinkage. The Greeks had a lesson to learn but keeping them in eternal servitude of loan and default is no way forward.
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  - Bill Rollinson Jul 27, 2018
    
    Profligate spending? Of the €375bn that was loaned, just €20bn went to the people, the rest was divvied up between the banks, the EU banks of France, Germany, Spain......
    - Miltiades Jul 29, 2018
      
      Exactly! People of Greece haven't seen any of these €375bn. Redemption will come at some point, when we will all realize that countries like Greece sacrificed in order to save a banking system that doesn't work. The extent that a country is sacrificed could be tied up to the extent of that country's poor political system. As a result, as Greece has got one of the poorest, more sacrifices has to make.
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    - Miltiades Jul 29, 2018
      
      Exactly! People of Greece haven't seen any of these €375bn. Redemption will come at some point, when we will all realize that countries like Greece sacrificed in order to save a banking system that doesn't work. The extent that a country is sacrificed could be tied up to the extent of that country's poor political system. As a result, as Greece has got one of the poorest, more sacrifices has to make.
      A new reply to this comment has been posted.
    - Miltiades Jul 29, 2018
      
      Exactly! People of Greece haven't seen any of these €375bn. Redemption will come at some point, when we will all realize that countries like Greece sacrificed in order to save a banking system that doesn't work. The extent that a country is sacrificed could be tied up to the extent of that country's poor political system. As a result, as Greece has got one of the poorest, more sacrifices has to make.
      A new reply to this comment has been posted.
    - Miltiades Jul 29, 2018
      
      Exactly! People of Greece haven't seen any of these €375bn. Redemption will come at some point, when we will all realize that countries like Greece sacrificed in order to save a banking system that doesn't work. The extent that a country is sacrificed could be tied up to the extent of that country's poor political system. As a result, as Greece has got one of the poorest, more sacrifices has to make.
      A new reply to this comment has been posted.
    - Miltiades Jul 29, 2018
      
      Exactly! People of Greece haven't seen any of these €375bn. Redemption will come at some point, when we will all realize that countries like Greece sacrificed in order to save a banking system that doesn't work. The extent that a country is sacrificed could be tied up to the extent of that country's poor political system. As a result, as Greece has got one of the poorest, more sacrifices has to make.
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