Some notes — and cellphone shots — from last night’s protest in central Athens, where an estimated 6,000 people rallied in support of the new Syriza government:

The crowd at the February 6 anti-austerity protest in Syntagma Square

This rally was significant, because whatever the political circumstances or ideological orientation of those who attended, it was apparently the first citizen-led protest in favour of the government in living memory in Greece.

‘Apparently citizen-led’ are key words here, of course. The people I spoke to there were not Syriza activists, or full-blooded Syriza supporters, but everyday Greeks of all ages. Some of these people hadn’t voted for Syriza.

Banner accompanying the protest’s event page on Facebook. It was organised 24 hours before.

For people like this to show (in a country where many think it’s enough to just vote) and show big, at a rally that was organised less than 24 hours earlier, is also significant.

This wasn’t a traditional protest with specific demands (and anyway, protests in Greece usually aren’t). The atmosphere was quite different to previous rallies: jubilant, but not defiant. People clapped at the changing of the guard outside Parliament. They wandered around chatting, debating with strangers. I haven’t seen something like it since the ‘Indignants’ occupation of summer 2011, which took place in the same square.

Photographers at the top of the stairs of Parliament

Recent changes made by the Syriza government made a big difference to the protest. Previous governments had often closed Syntagma Square’s metro station, and those nearby, during rallies–ostensibly for security but perhaps also to reduce numbers. Last night, all metro stations were open. There was no real police presence. People were able to gather in the area just in front of parliament (throughout the crisis, barriers had prevented the public from even stepping into this space; Syriza took these down after three days in power). The few police that were there allowed photographers to ascend the stairs to take photos of the crowd . A friend noted “It’s like walking around in a different country.”

The atmosphere last night confirmed what I was already thinking from informally polling people here in Athens: Greeks are remarkably calm about every twist of these negotiations. They know that talks with ‘the Europeans’ will be challenging and will require compromise — but they are not buying into the narrative of confrontation and nail-biting finishes. They are realistic and level-headed.

Since it’s now clear that previous Greek governments really didn’t negotiate at all, there is an excitement about this new reality, from friends of all political orientations.

“People over markets”: a protester in front of Parliament