The Riot Dog
The Protesters of Arab Spring and of Occupy Movements around the globe were chosen by US Magazine TIME as the “Person of the Year 2011″. Protesters from Tunisia to Spain and from Chile to Russia are featured in this special TIME issue because “in 2011, protesters didn’t just voice their complaints; they changed the world” as editors explain.
“The 2011 Person of the Year issue is the product of a year’s worth of reporting and thinking. From the beginning of the Arab Spring, we dedicated an abundance of resources to this world-historical story. We also watched as the germ of protest spread to Europe and then America and now Russia. … traced this spirit of revolution to its roots and wrote down …the links and the larger meaning among the protests in dozens of countries.” (TIME)
Among those portesters who give their soul to fight for more freedom, justice and democracy, a special page is dedicated to Greece’s famous riot dog Loukanikos.
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“The 2011 Person of the Year issue is the product of a year’s worth of reporting and thinking. From the beginning of the Arab Spring, we dedicated an abundance of resources to this world-historical story. We also watched as the germ of protest spread to Europe and then America and now Russia. … traced this spirit of revolution to its roots and wrote down …the links and the larger meaning among the protests in dozens of countries.” (TIME)
Among those portesters who give their soul to fight for more freedom, justice and democracy, a special page is dedicated to Greece’s famous riot dog Loukanikos.
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Loukanikos (Greek: Λουκάνικος: sausage) or more commonly Louk, sometimes confused by the media for Kanellos, has been present at nearly every recent protest in Greece in the past few years. This stray has ostensibly become the symbol of Greek protests against the IMF- and ECB-prompted austerity measures. There's uncertainty about the claim that Loukanikos and Thodoris may, in fact, be the same dog.
In September 2011, on the occasion of a striking policemen's union marching in the centre of Athens, Loukanikos, according to eyewitnesses, was "initially confused" between two opposite sides both of uniformed policemen but, when the riot police contingent attacked their striking colleagues, the dog sided with "those who were being attacked.
The Riot dogs
Kanellos (Greek: Κανέλλος: cinnamon), a distinct blonde, male, mixed-breed canine, was arguably the first incarnation of the Greek Riot Dog. His maiden appearance was in photographs taken at a general assembly of students in the occupied National Technical University of Athens. Kanellos became famous in the 2008 Greek riots, when Greek photographers and cameramen started to notice a dog that kept appearing in their footage.The stray seemed to always walk amongst and side with the protesters.
According to reports by witnesses, Kanellos, in his final years, suffered from arthritis, which motivated a group of college students to collect money and purchase him a dog's wheelchair. This allowed him to live indoors, among the students, until he passed away.
Thodoris is a Kanellos look-alike, believed to be one of Kanellos' pups. Thodoris is a light golden-colored, mixed breed dog, who, despite being a stray, has seemingly been provided with all the necessary medical shots, as evidenced by his blue collar.
And, of course, Loukanikos.