Left-wing Politics

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activists in the Athens district is known for its radical left-wing politics are confronted with the visitors, which they say are what the gentrification of the neighborhood. But not everyone agrees that the tourists and the much-needed cash, which they Bring , are the problem.

graffiti spray-painted on the door was clear: "the eviction Airbnb ". Locks in The Building rented-out apartments were Packed with nails.

The vandalism happened in September, in Exarchia, a neighborhood near The Heart of Athens .

Afterwards, a statement online Instagram appeared: "tourists, The Police will not save you. "

"you are not welcome here and you're not safe here. The landlord, your door is on. "

Anti-Airbnb -slogans of The Number of the apartments were painted on The Doors of The Post was shared by "Exarcheia tourism", an ironically named group, with accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The founders say they want to inspire Social Media usage to Direct Action against the gentrification - a word often repeated, the of Exarchia residents. Many say that The Number of tourists increased by your district in the last few years, with fatal consequences for their community.

And their wrath is aimed at short-rental platform Airbnb .

A banner displayed in the Central Exarchia tells tourists how they are "goals" and "Go Home " say the inhabitants of the rapid spread of Airbnb properties has contributed to high real estate prices and rents, driving poorer people. It is a familiar story. A Number of popular destinations (such as New York , Lisbon and ) seen protests against The Company .

But , in Exarchia, the voltage between the landlord's determination to live through Airbnb and some of the residents want to preserve their environment, is particularly potent.

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keeps A history of radicalism of Exarchia, an unusual place in Greek politics by his history. In 1973, a student uprising in The National Technical University, which on its borders, which helped down the Military Dictatorship .

"was It a center of counter-culture and a meeting place for Young People from Athens ," says Tasos Sagris, an activist with the Void Network, a self-proclaimed anarcho-Communist group which believes in "The Free distribution of materials, and a world without money. "

This led to the formation of A Number of different political groups, protesting, for example, Athens hosting the 2004 Olympic Games and Greece, a

by a policeman in Exarchia in 2008, and there were frequent clashes with The Police is always there.

Police had to intervene after a demonstration against Police attacks on migrants squat in Exarchia "they have the stadiums, we have The Streets ": students protest against the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens took place "you shall not pass'Today Exarchia is bend, the home to A Number of far-left political groups, and knee. Graffiti and posters with radical messages adorn The Streets .

The area was also plagued by high rates of homelessness and drug addiction.

Following, a new center-right government has announced that it intends to 'cleanse' the area, and has to bend recently, The Police ordered raids on a series of knees.

But The Activist groups are only part of the total population here, with many families, students and older people living in the vicinity.

"you shall not pass': the slogans were aimed directly at The Police are often spray-painted on streets, walls Here are the Central location - comes everyone Exarchia is just a short walk from many popular points of interest in Athens - together with his edgy reputation has in recent years made it popular with tourists. You search the area bookstores, record stores and bars, and take "Instagramable" images of political graffiti.

suffered Many Greeks, financially, while the economy shrank by almost a quarter, are on the search for an extra income.

As a result of these trends, the Exarchia reported to have. Despite the glut, rents are on The Rise - a study suggests that they have increased as much as 30% as of 2016.

Another factor is, in which a five-year EU residence permit is granted, in exchange for a minimum investment sum of EUR 250,000 (£216,000).

the grounds of The National Technical University have been covered - often political - graffiti " tourists Go Home !'Many of the radical far-left movements with a strong Foundation in the area have now begun to abandon the call for tourists. Do you use Social Media to spread their message.

"The Real problem is The Tourist -ification, the Airbnb is a part of," says Athina Arampatzi, a member of an Exarchia resident group. "We have all realised that Airbnb was a survival of The Solution to The Crisis for many people in the beginning. "

But now, she says, The Solution has. in "a threat", which, pushed in the people, and from the neighborhood

"We have seen whole building is bought by investors," she adds.

learn more about this story in the Trending podcast from the BBC World Service :

search for the word "Exarchia" on Airbnb produces hundreds of results, alone, has issued This year, in Greece, More Than 5,000 residence permit for investors "Getting kicked out of homes is inciteful'The "Exarcheia tourism" Social Media accounts appeared, until the beginning of 2019. To catch "what I want to the attention of the people to speak before you here," says One of the founders, have agreed to the BBC on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals by The Authorities .

The account shares Instagram posts of tourists in the area, poking fun at their apparent naivety and pictures of graffiti with slogans such as "Airbnb Fans to Go Home ... they are goals. "

"The main goal is to say the promotion of measures against gentrification", The Founder , added that an "ideal outcome" would be for tourists to leave bad reviews on their hosts " pages, thus discouraging future bookings.

One of the founders of the "Exarcheia tourism", says the side is painted "to stir up action against gentrification" is One of the various anti-Airbnb -slogans spray-in Exarchia, as in this Facebook post, Despite the threats, no physical assaults against tourists are reported to have been Asked, whether the page was open incitement to violence, The Founder responds: "Getting kicked out of homes is inciteful", and adds that there is trouble in the neighborhood would also be without on the page.

"double the Rent, bedrooms used to go for 200 euros and now they are announced, for 600 Euro. It is, of course, that in a place where the people take Direct Action , you go to target, people that you, as the destruction of the neighborhood. "

"We are not against tourism," says he says. "We are against the economic model of tourism, which shred cities. "

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Exarchia plenty of street art has for a long attraction to the visitors from the neighborhood. "We do agree, in order to survive But not everyone in Exarchia - and not every anarchist, in Exarchia that Airbnb is a threat.

In a Side Street directly behind the University of technology, Antonio is the renovation of an old shop in a mini-hostel.

"I bought this place 20 months and didn't open them [immediately], because I was scared," he admits.

Although Antonio describes himself as an anarchist, he runs A Number of Airbnbs in Exarchia, because his Job in a bank loses during the economic crisis. He sees no conflict between his beliefs and the source of the income.

"I started, Airbnbs in the middle, and the people asked me about Exarchia, because they had read it on The Internet ," he says. "This money will not go to some big CEO... We do it to survive. I can't find a Job . "He adds: "No One can tell me what to do!"

" Why say Greek anarchists, the tourists leave?'

in the vicinity of The Office of the Athens Urban adventures, the recently received is a lot of negative attention, because One of her tours: "be encouraged in the Sweet anarchy" (which happens to be on Airbnb and other platforms).

It was designed so that you a tour of the neighborhood, which combines sightseeing with visits to the stores, But some residents took offense about what they perceived as "poverty tourism," or a veiled attempt to show, Exarchia notorious page, a foreigner.

The manager, Rebecca Skevaki, rejects such accusations.

insists, the "niche" trips, and were accompanied by many members of the community: "There are so many small family businesses in Exarchia... we have a lot of offers of owners to go through and Bring the people in. "

you say to help Airbnb to revive and families can afford now, in the renovation of old apartments lying empty in The Crisis . But she adds: "It has its drawbacks... which side you support, it has to do with whether you make money out of it, or not. "

The Company will respond to additional reporting

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Source of news: bbc.com