"Merry Crisis" or "Merry Crisis and a Happy New Fear" is a slogan that appeared as graffiti in Athens during the 2008 Civil Unrest in Greece.[1][2][3] Earlier, a picture of such graffiti appeared on the cover of Vavel Magazines's 2007 Christmas special.[4] The British anarchist publication Occupied London states that it was "one of the main slogans of the 2008 revolt."[4]
Background
On December 6, 2008, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, a fifteen-year-old boy, was killed by policemen in Exarcheia, a neighborhood of Athens.[5][6] Within a few hours, protesters were in Athens marching, setting buildings on fire and building barricades. They targetted symbols of capitalism including banks, police stations, and the Christmas tree in Syntagma Square.[5]
Graffiti
During the 2008 riots, an unknown person spray-painted the phrase "Merry crisis and a happy new fear" outside the Bank of Greece in Athens. The phrase was painted during the December 2008 riots.[7]
Other uses
During the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, an artist created a mural in a Sydney suburb depicting Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison making a toast. The caption of the mural stated "Merry Crisis". Prints and t-shirts of the mural were sold to raise money for the Rural Fire Service.[8]
References
- ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/19/europe/19greece.php
- ^ "Happy New Fear". 15 January 2009.
- ^ "Ed Vulliamy and Helena Smith join frontline activists in Athens". TheGuardian.com. 22 February 2009.
- ^ a b http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2008/12/25/merry-crisis-and-a-happy-new-fear[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Iliopoulos, Christos (2009). "'We wish you a merry crisis and a happy new fear': a postscript from the December riots in Athens". Anarchist Studies. 17 (1) – via Gale.
- ^ "French Institute in Athens attacked". The New York Times. 2008-12-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ Dibley, Ben; Neilson, Brett (2010-07-26). "Climate Crisis and the Actuarial Imaginary: 'The War on Global Warming'". New Formations. 69 (69): 144–159. doi:10.3898/NEWF.69.08.2010 – via Gale.
- ^ Hauser, Kitty (April 2020). "'The nation's symbolic landscapes were scrambled, as though in a nightmare or a bad trip': Kitty Hauser in Sydney". Apollo. 191 (685). Apollo Magazine Ltd. – via Gale.