Slogan of the 2008 riots in Athens
“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. 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.
Why riots?: On 6 December 2008, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, a fifteen-year-old boy, was killed by policemen in Exarcheia, a neighborhood of Athens. Within a few hours, protesters were in Athens marching, setting buildings on fire and building barricades. They targeted symbols of capitalism including banks, police stations, and the Christmas tree in Syntagma Square.