52 eyelands: Greetings from Gavdos


				Ai Giannis beach

The fine for free camping, according to the draft of the new law on tourism doubled from 147 euros to 300. "The offenders are punished with a fine of 300 euros per person or per campsite or by car, charged by the certifying infringement or port authority police and collected according to the provisions of Article 104 of the Road Traffic Code of Law 2696/1999 (A57). Checks of mixed crews on penalty of a fine imposed by the police officer shown in control, according the draft.

I just wonder if the "authorities" dare do such a thing at Gavdos which is an island just for free campers. They give life to a really abandoned from every state authority place. Gavdos is one of the last reuges for free camping in Greece. And it will stay like this, whatever stupid laws they think to impose.

In my book there's an Introduction to the Greek Landscape (chapter: Greece for Beginners) where I try to explain about the illegal state of Greece phenomenon. Here is a small excerpt

Greece is a country of outlaws. In case that doesn’t reassure you, I can tell you that most are just occasional "illegals” that have to be that way mainly because the great ring leader is the Greek state itself – a governing body that compels you to behave illegally in order to survive. A classic example of this is the illegal buildings that are found everywhere. Even government buildings have been built illegally since no one bothers to enforce building regulations. Real power in Greece belongs to no more than a few dozen wealthy families who have arbitrarily built villas wherever they please because no one dares to check... There are thousands of other arbitrary buildings – from sheds to entire housing settlements – built illegally because there is simply no other way to get things done. In order to obey the laws of this country – a country that doesn’t even have a land registry – a citizen must bravely confront nonsensical bureaucracy and arbitrary decisions made by employees of the state. For example, urban planners will request a small “gift” for their services, regardless of whether what you’re asking for is legal or illegal. Innocent citizens are then faced with a dilemma: do the right thing and accept that your dream house will remain a dream, or pander to the illicit requests of state employees who hold your fate in their hands. It’s not difficult to guess what most people decide to do...