Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel

How trite to reference that grand old master Jean Raspail at such a time. Yet his masterpiece of prehistory is decidedly catching up to us all. In response to this new reality his native France is stopping trains filled with refugees; at the same time it’s possible Raspail could face 87 charges under the childishly named and wholly unjust “hate laws” if he republishes his text. The Gauls never miss a chance to put their best in the gaols.

In any case, this other Grecian wrinkle has to do with Italy ushering its newfound foundlings from Libya and sub-Saharan Africa on to France, Germany, and Britain, each of whom have passed on the opportunity for evermore diversity. That leaves the northeastern Slavs (who will fight with more than words) and the southeastern Greeks (whose mettle is unknown).

Still, one can imagine what Athenians will say to another 100,000 or perhaps as many as 1,000,000 refugees coming to their country. Unemployment is already officially
16.2% and among the young people claimed to be as high as 42.5%.

No one has asked the common Greek on the odos what he thinks about these potential refugees, largely because politicians are well aware of what that fellow thinks, and they don’t want it made public. Though at a time when very large crowds are already congregating together and already quite vocal in their displeasure with politicians, it may not be long before such groups begin expressing public opinion in other more assertive ways.

In Greece today there are massive protests—whether of 100,000 or 200,000 it scarcely matters. Even 10,000 people who are radicalized would be enough to cause some very serious tribulations.

In Greece today there is massive unemployment, especially among the young, who are incidentally most prone to violence. Revolutionary movements throughout history have drawn the majority of their leaders from the 18-to-35-year-old bracket.

In Greece today is proposed a secondary “restructuring” program of new and higher taxation which will divest from the people some of their most lucrative and important public enterprises, which will be promptly sold to banks, investment firms, and foreigners. It is inevitable that prices will rise for necessities in a country of already depressed wages and pensions and people.

In Greece today on at least two sides—south (Africa) and west (Italy)—is a tremulous horde of even worse-off refugees awaiting the slightest opportunity to rush into what they view as paradise. They are very poor, they are very-violence prone, and they are very many.

In Greece tomorrow it should not be difficult to suspect what might occur.

Whichever way the media tries to suppress it, we will be hearing many more tales from places such as Syntagma Square, and very soon.

As to the cause of the Greek economic crisis itself, that is hardly important anymore. Whether this restructuring is right or wrong, or to whom belongs the blame for the former inept and corrupt system, does not particularly matter at this point. All that is prologue.

The genuine action of a new Greek epic is just about to begin.