The news that the Greek Government has ordered the immediate closure of Greece’s national broadcaster ERT ( Hellenic Radio Television), and surrounded its buildings with troops is a monumental blow against freedom of speech and media diversity, not only for the Greek people but democrats throughout the world. The loss of 2000 jobs – many the best in this field – compounds this tragedy in a country already bleeding with unprecedented unemployment of almost 30 per cent.
This vicious attack against the Greek equivalent to the ABC is dictated by the privatisation zealots of neo-liberalism. To stifle dissent and independent media voices and concentrate media power in even fewer hands.
The Greek national broadcaster has been providing SBS television with a daily program for Greek Australians. This will go too.
Popular resistance is mounting in Greece, led by the ERT workers, who decided to stay put. The Greek government is under pressure, even from its own coalition partners, to abandon such a reckless mission. Messages and actions of solidarity are obviously needed.
The government’s explanations that it may recreate a smaller broadcaster out of the ruins of ERT at best will mean just a poorly funded and free speech suffocated broadcaster playing third fiddle to private commercial stations – the only ones laughing.
The time-honoured catch cry ‘hands off the nation’s public broadcaster’ that we come to value so much in Australia applies equally and even more so to Greece, where the voices of opposition to what happens to Greece need to be louder, not silenced.