The front of the “I’m not paying” movement is breaking up

The “I’m not paying” movement against tolls seems to have broken in two after last weekend’s incidents at a toll station on the Korinthos-Patra motorway, when members of the street guerilla warfare group burned traffic tickets to avoid having to pay them

The perpetrators broke into the traffic police department at Kiato to get back their license plates, which were removed at the Zevgolatio toll station because they refused to pay. When police refused, they burned about a thousand tickets.

The committee of the movement in North Attica issued an announcement yesterday, declaring its fully divergent position and stressing that "there is absolutely no relation between our movement and the incident, which is totally unacceptable and condemnable."

Members of the Coordinating Committee of Organizations and Residents argue that those who caused the incidents have become autonomous from their own movement and that such actions discredit the struggle against tolls and give excuses to those who oppose the satisfaction of their demands.

It is clear that incidents of this kind are deemed to lack seriousness, adopting extreme practices and weakening the sense of popular anger and high prices which the followers have been trying to cultivate for months in order to justify their opposition.

The government and the relevant minister Dimitris Reppas are ready to make announcements today, regarding the progress of negotiations on projects and the reduction of fares. Meanwhile though, a climate of uncertainty about future concessions is hovering around the consortiums.

The danger of work suspension has not disappeared and the scenarios for a temporary stoppage on the Korinthos-Patra motorway have been resurfacing in the last 24 hours.

Sources from the consortium are refraining from commenting directly on the issue, but are not excluding the suspension of operations until the reaching of a framework agreement that will lay the groundwork for future projects.

This is a nightmare scenario for the workers, and if implemented, it will be accompanied by massive layoffs in construction sites that will retain only their security personnel.