Former employees of Greek television channel ERT have been continuing to broadcast from outside the company’s Athens headquarters – after riot police evicted them from the building on November 7.
The Greek government pulled the plug in June, turning off ERT’s signal and sacking its 2,600 staff. Many workers refused to accept the shutdown and continued to occupy the channel’s headquarters, broadcasting via the Internet.
On the street outside the cleared building, Journalists’ representative Machi Nikolara said: “We are here, ERT employees continue to work! Over the next few days we’ll find ways to produce radio and TV programmes with the consistency and professionalism that has characterised our work throughout this time.”
Dimitris Gounis of ERT union POSPERT said the former employees had a lot of support from the Greek public. “Based on their support, we will continue our fight,” he told euronews.
Euronews’ Apostolos Staikos reported from Athens: “ ‘We are not leaving, ERT is on air!’ they say. That’s the message of the former employees who’ve turned this street into a TV studio. They know the situation is difficult, but say they won’t give up without a fight.”
