The Ban Bus

We roll out of town and head north to Thessaloniki. We hope we are going to be able to speak at the university there but still we have no confirmation of this. After the days in Athens it’s just reinforced my opinion of what a tragedy it would be if Greece used cluster bombs in their own self defence. They really would become the authors of their own nightmare.

It’s a sunny day, but then again, it’s always a sunny day in Greece. The olive groves pass us by and some beautiful rocky range is crossed capped with what looks like an old Crusader Castle. Maybe so, maybe not but it certainly looks nice as we drive north. We are heading back to the area around Katarini to consolidate our plan. In fact, we don’t actually have a plan for the day and that is our problem. We have a contact with a teacher at the University in Thessaloniki who is an Amnesty member and is trying to get a core of students together for us to talk to. This seems to be proving more of an obstacle than anticipated as we are in the middle of the student’s exam period. The kilometres roll on by and still we don’t know if we are to do something this afternoon.

Lunch breaks the trip and a small coastal town is found with good cheap calamari and we weigh our options. Mette wants to get a photo of our ‘Ban Cluster Bombs Now’ banner where ever we go and is annoyed we didn’t get one at the Acropolis these last few days so we start to look at our options to get an iconically Greek photo. There is nothing worse than a whining Norwegian as they go on and on and on a bit more. Mount Olympus or any number of Greek ruins along the way till finally she will be satisfied with something ruined with many Greek flags about. Now we are blessed with some silence and can work out what we will try and do this afternoon.

The contact in Thessaloniki finally gets back to us but is unable to get enough students together to make a full presentation so suggests we meet for a beer and a meal tonight. That sounds like a practical compromise and we move on into town in search of a hotel.

Still we are having major navigational problems and we want to sort out our GPS and did some research last night to dealers of GPS software. This proves to be harder than you would imagine. The Greece GPS dealers only have Greek software and maps. They do not stock any full European software or Turkish. This is of no use at all. Mette calls the GPS head office in America in an attempt to sort this out. She gets ‘friendly service’ but everything she is told is wrong and none of the phone numbers for European dealers work so its back to trawling the internet for answers.

There is a number for a dealer in Istanbul so she calls them and we maybe have a solution for Turkey. If we can get some ID emailed to them then they can let us download the Turkish and Istanbul maps over the web. Now what we want is a hotel with some internet access. Another few phone calls to London get us nowhere but we do find a UK dealer online who has the required software and can supply to London in 24 hours. We order this and have it sent to Thomas at the Cluster Munitions Coalition, he can then send it on to us in Istanbul. At least we now have a plan to work to.

A hotel in Thessaloniki is found and all internet services are a mess. Mette is getting really angry and frustrated and of course takes it out on me. No problem, that’s what partners are for. We eventually find solutions to the worst problems and connect with some local students who are active in Amnesty. We meet for a beer at the White Tower and settle into a café for a good long chat about the problem, what is being done about it, what is the problem with Greece and what we need to bring a change. What I have found amazing in Greece is the incredible social justice conscience that most people seem to have. The problem is that they know nothing of the issue. We explain it from the ground up and they really want in.

The sensitive issue is defence and Turkey. There is fear in Greece of a war with Turkey and thus a reluctance to relinquish any weapons system that could help them. Many consider cluster bombs a force multiplier. The reality is that as Greece’s military capacity is about national defence any cluster use would be on Greek soil. When this fact sinks in everyone we speak to finds it an outrageous prospect. My biggest regret is that we are here for only a few days, but so many doors with the public, government and media are now open a follow up next year will really gain some traction.

One more print media interview and the journalist volunteers herself to get involved in any translations or other actions. Again outrage as she gains understanding of the issue. An email arrives that a member from a minor political party is bringing up the issue in parliament and praising the Ban Bus and the CMC for trying to bring about an end to these weapons. I’m going to miss Greece! With one day left here Mette heads east with Davor to meet and talk in Alexandroupolis and we stay to speak at the University in the morning. The word of mouth about what we are doing is working a treat.