When Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot, the uproar in Greece started instantaneously, and it has been going strong for over two weeks. As CrimethInc. points out, that has only been possible because Greek anarchists were already organized:

Thanks to a network of social centers, a deep-seated sense that neighborhoods such as the one in which Alexandros was killed are liberated zones off-limits to police, and a tradition of resistance extending back through generations, Greek anarchists feel entitled to their rage and capable of acting upon it. In recent years, a series of struggles against the prison system, the mistreatment of immigrants, and the privatization of schools have given innumerable young people experience in militant action. As soon as the text messages circulated announcing the police killing, Greek anarchists knew exactly how to respond, because they had done so time and again before.

The general public in Greece is already sympathetic to resistance movements, owing to the heritage of struggle against the US-supported dictatorship. In this regard, Greece is similar to Chile, another nation noted for the intensity of its street conflicts and class warfare. With the murder of Alexandros, anarchists finally had a narrative that was compelling to a great number of people. In another political context, liberals or other opportunists might have been able to exploit this tragedy to their own ends, but the Greek anarchists forestalled this possibility by immediately seizing the initiative and framing the terms of the conflict.

It’s not that everyone on the streets is an anarchist. Rather, anarchists had the social infrastructure in place to channel widespread discontent with the  social and economic system into action on the streets. They’ve spearheaded a massive popular mobilization against state violence, economic injustice, and coercive social relations.

That’s an impressive accomplishment, and one that the Greek anarchists can rightly be proud of. But in a sense, it’s also the easy part. The really difficult work involves transforming the current mobilization into lasting social change. Eventually, things will die down — and when that happens, if everything goes back to the way it was before, then I don’t think the anarchists will have achieved their goals. We’ve seen some really exciting things happen (a general strike, occupations, broad popular engagement), and I suspect there’s more stuff like that going on, only we’re not hearing about it in North America because our media can’t look past the violence and confrontation. Hopefully the people in the streets will be able to preserve and build on their successes. Hopefully, they’ll be able to keep on building a new and better society in the weakening shell of the old.