INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-GREECE:
REPORTS FROM GREECE AND A CALL TO ACTION:
As Molly has said before on this blog events have returned to "normal" in Greece, but the word normal is quite relative. Even in "normal" times the country of Greece is in a state of perpetual ferment. A group of those infamous "outside agitators" are calling for an international day of action this coming January 25. Here's the callout, copied from the Polish anarchist news site Centrum Informacji Anarchistycznej.
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As a group of people who came from many countries and who took part in the struggles in Greece over the past weeks, it is now clear to us that there is no such thing as a "Greek problem", that the situation that sparked the intense riots here is the same that the people are facing everywhere abroad. The murder of Alexandros Grigoropoulos on December 6th was not the source of this conflict, it only opened and made more clear a conflict that was already ongoing not only here but everywhere around the planet.
In these unstable times, fearing the threat of a deeper, more global movement of insurrection, the authorities have shown their weaknesses in their protection of the dominant capitalist order. Through the enforcement of anti-terrorist measures, tightening of social control, crackdown of different areas of resistance, mass arrests, targeted assassinations, the illusion of democracy is falling and the veil of social peace is starting to burn.
The more the State is taking a defensive stance, the more it is time for us to stop fearing its retaliation and to go on the offensive. It is not the time to withdraw into fear, which would lead us further into a dangerous social peace, but the right time for multiplying the offensives and intensifying the struggle against capitalism and its State, coordinated with the revolt that is happening here.
The core of these events being that we are in a state of war, the only way to get through it is to assume it and to take the offensive even further. That is why we are calling for a global day of actions on January 24th for you to carry out and perpetuate the revolt, to increase the instability. It is NOT a call for you to support the Greek people, but for you to take action where you are.
The 24th of January will be a day of demonstrations and actions all around Greece in support of the prisoners who fell into the hands of the system during this struggle. Wherever you are, let's attack this system that is oppressing us all !
From Saloniki, Greece
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Molly doesn't agree with the general thrust of what is said above. There is an old word for it- "triumphalism", and such an attitude is particularly inappropriate in conditions where you should be reviewing reasons for a defeat rather than trying to sustain an illusion that the defeat never happened. In any case, here from Athens Indymedia, is a report of recent actions in Greece, with at least a realization that the struggle will be longer and certainly broader than that imagined by those who rarely speak to anyone outside of their small circle of friends.
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Actions Report from Greece, 14 January:
Translation of the main articles in the Athens IMC Newswire, on today's events and actions
Actions Report from Greece, 14 January:
Translation of the main articles in the Athens IMC Newswire, on today's events and actions
Arrests
More than 270 people have been arrested in connection to actions, since the beginning of the insurrection, on December 6th, in 15 cities. 67 of them have been detained, while 50 immigrants that were arrested the first 3 days, were rapidly condemned to 18 months of imprisonment and are being deported. 19 arrestees in Larissa face charges under the anti-terrorist law. Countless of people were brought to the police departments but were released with no charges in the end. ( 969401 )
On Saturday 17/01 there will be a nationwide demonstration in Larissa, for solidarity to the arrestees.
One person has been arrested and detained since yesterday in Thessaloniki. He is being accused for explosion (felony) and for organising a gang (minor offence, luckily not connected with the anti-terrorist law), related to the effort for arson for a police department. There was a solidarity demonstration, on Tuesday night, outside the Police Headquarters, where he is kept. He is going in front of the Interrogator and the Public Prosecutor on Thursday noon.
Liberated spaces
The building of the Journalists' Union is still occupied by young people and employees in the media. In solidarity to the revolt of December, they also focus on employment problems, pushing the mainstream media for alternative coverage of the actions, etc..
A municipality cafe on a central street of Zografou district, has been occupied by antiauthoritarians, in order for it to function as an open space for counter-information, discussion and co-ordination of actions.
Solidarity to Konstantina Kouneva
Employees and workers from 27 first-grade unions, had a sit-in in the office of Evangelismos hospital, where Konstantinta Kouneva is being treated. This hospital is also using cleaning services by subcontracting agencies, similar to the one Konstantina was hired by.
The Worker Unions' Center in Volos, after having been occupied by activists for 2 days, was released in the morning. It was an action of solidarity to Konstantina Kouneva and the arrestees of the revolt in December .
*Konstantina Kouneva, a woman, immigrant and unionist, was violently attacked with acid on her face, due to her political action against the employers.
Universities and High schools
A lot of general student union meetings have been taking place in Universities all over Greece, 62 faculties are currently occupied, while many of others stay open, due to the support by the communist, the social democratic and the pro-government student parties.
An education-wide demonstration will also take place on Thursday in many Greek cities.Parents of a high-school in Pireas, protest against the authorities of the schools, who terrorise the students that took part in the school occupation in October, where a lot of students were beaten up and sent to court.
The students of the 3rd High-school of Ilioupolis, Athens, have occupied their school, against the decision of the teachers to move 4 students to another school and not allow another 5 to attend courses, for 5 days (969734), as a punishment. They are also protesting against the surveillance cameras outside their school building.
Workers' struggles
120 people were sacked, last month, from the iron-nickel factory in Larimna. 3 people were fired from a local Athens TV station.
The employees of the water supply company in Thessaloniki are on a strike, staying in the building (despite being terrorized by their employers), making sure that there will be no problem with the water supply. They are against the privatization of the company. the inner corruption and they ask for more personnel to be hired.
The Higher court decided for the second time against the construction of a mall in Eleonas.
War in Palestine
A demonstration against the war in Palestine is being organised for Saturday 17/1. Arion, the ship of the Free Gaza movement, that transfers doctors and food towards the Gaza people, is threatened to be stopped by the Israeli authorities. The Greek government and the mainstream media didn't pay attention to the issue.
Meanwhile, people, student unions and organizations of the left have mobilized for a demonstration on Thursday, in order to prevent transfer of US weapons towards Israel, through the private port of Astakos, on the Aegean Sea .
Mainstream Media reports
Mainstream media published the results of the official police ballistic report on Alexis Grigoropoulos' shooting, stating that the bullet hit a marble ball (functioning as a barrier in the edge of the sidewalk) which was next to Alexis, and then turned towards his body. Commenters think that this proves that the cop actually fired towards the young persons. (Molly comment-this is highly credible. having seen the Greek police in (in)action Molly would have serious doubts about their marksmanship)
Mainstream media announced that the so-called "terrorist organisation" named "Revolutionary Struggle", (as it had been suspected by the police) issued a communique for the shooting against three police officers in Athens, resulting into the serious injury of one of them.
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Molly Comment:
Molly has mentioned before the suspicion in Greece that the shooting of three police officers in Athens was an act of provocateurs. The fact that this has been "claimed" by one of Greece's tiny Maooid sects doesn't deny this accusation any credibility. Like most such sects, anarchist ones unfortunately included, such collections of 1/10th educated true believers are easy prey for police manipulation. Their acts never have any positive consequences anarchism-wise, socialism-wise, or any "wise" in terms of any social struggles outside of the struggle in the minds of their perpetrators to "prove themselves". They usually, but not always, serve the interests of the powers that be as one of their greatest advertisements. If a group that is certainly infiltrated by the secret police and may be controlled by same claims an action it merely moves the index of suspicion to a higher level rather than obliterating it. Let those who deny such a thing study history, especially Russian and French history (and American history too).
Greece is full of such nonsense, both "anarchist" and the decaying remnants of Maoism. The USA (and unfortunately my own country Canada) also has such bullshit. Take the US example, subtract the ridiculous bows to politically correct guilt (truly bizarre actually). Make the tiny armed struggle groups 10 times as effective (even if there still is no point to what they are doing), and you have the situation in Greece. The problem...even increasing the efficiency of those who think they can bomb and vandalize their way to social change by one order of magnitude still leaves 4 orders (X 10,000) before such actions can be something other than useless or merely serving the interests of the state.
