“Could Greece become the European Venezuela?”, 4 Jul 2015

[T]he tiny Greek village of Megali Panagia offers a harsh lesson in the politics of division…Ever since January…the [subsidiary of the Canadian firm Eldorado Gold] mines have echoed the sounds of violent protests after Syriza, the hard-Left government…revoked part of the mine's licence on environmental grounds…[F]or the 2,000 miners who depend on the plant for a living, the decision smacked of a far bigger agenda than mere nimbyism…For the last three years, local green groups have complained about tree clearance and water drainage activities around the mine, which they say risks starving the forest of water and puts tourists off the area…"Some of my colleagues have had their cars set on fire and their houses petrol-bombed," [said a] miner...Green campaigners accuse the miners themselves of aggression, and deny any wider agenda…Eldorado itself, which insists it always acts with "respect for the environment", has warned that if it is not reinstated, it could be forced to "reconsider its investment plans for Greece,", which currently run to around £1bn…