What About Those Greek Riots Which American Demonstrators Are Supposed to Emulate?

Regarding the clamoring, from the likes of Frances Fox Piven, for American demonstrators to take example on Greece's riots, along with a Democratic representative's wish for union supporters to "get out on the streets and get a little bloody", we have more exemplary behavior from the Greek protesters, which was a "mostly peaceful gathering", the New York Times thankfully informs us, except, of course, for such events as the Molotov cocktail which set one person (a motorcycle policeman) ablaze, burning his face…

Violent clashes between protesters and the police broke out

in Athens on Wednesday writes Niki Kitsantonis, a New York Times correspondent who naturally had to make sure he referred to the riot to the demonstration (unlike, say, a turnout of Tea Partiers in any American town) as a "mostly peaceful gathering",

as the two main labor unions staged the first general strike of the year against the government’s austerity drive, paralyzing public services and disrupting transportation.

… the mostly peaceful gathering was shaken when groups of youths broke off from the main body and fought with the police outside Parliament and Athens University. Dozens of youths threw stones and firebombs at the police, who responded with tear gas.

Zougla, a news Web site, said two demonstrators were hurt and one police officer was burned when self-styled anarchists threw a firebomb at him, setting him alight.

A police spokesman said 25 people had been detained for questioning, including a man carrying a rucksack containing a bow and arrows, an ax and leaflets with anti-establishment slogans. The spokesman said three police officers had been wounded, including the one whose face was burned when he was hit by the firebomb. The number of injured demonstrators was unclear, the spokesman said.

Despite the skirmishes, the demonstration got “a good turnout,” said Vassilis Xenakis, a senior official at the civil servants’ union. “People are not scared to come out onto the streets, despite the risk of violence.”

Mr. Xenakis said he had seen police officers on motorcycles shouting at demonstrators to go home. “This is a message that people won’t go home,” he said. “They’re exasperated with the cuts to their income, and they can’t take it anymore.”

Huh? No mention of the fear of the demonstrators, the hatred inhabiting their souls, their inability to think in new ways, and their irresponsible linking on to the dangerous downhill path of of populism? And how about, say, racism, or reactionary backwardness, thrown in for good measure? Oh, that's right, we forgot: They are not Americans, they are not Tea Partiers, and they are not people on the right (of whatever country)… They are leftists… So naturally they get a pass!