To IMC Athens and IMC Patras

Intervention in the current dialogue concerning Cyprus Indymedia

For the left, the media constitute a field of battle – on the one hand the big establishments of big editors that own and control newspapers, tv stations and radio stations and the on the other hand the common people, NGOs and activists that are trying to promote their positions as alternative information. This was the aim behind the idea of the first alternative network of information indymedia which started in 1999 in Seattle during the first mobilisations against neoliberal globalisation. In the process indymedia spread in almost all the countries of the planet and developed not only as alternative sources of information but also as a means with which NGOs and activists fighting against the capitalist system, state repression and oppression, against war, racism and nationalism could raise their voice. The case of Cyprus indymedia constitutes one of the exceptions. In the last years Cyprus indymedia has been on a declining and politically degenerating course. The editorial team that calls itself “community” not only is absent from any participation or support in the mobilisations of the movement, but we believe has passed on the opposite side. This was evident in the mobilisations against the murder of Alexis Grigoropoulos (December 2008) and in the anniversary of his murder (December 2009) in the bi-communal event honouring persons who saved the lives of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots during the conflicts in Cyprus, in the bi-communal event for the day of peace on 1st September (2009) in Cheting Kayia (stadium in the buffer zone), the anti-racist mobilisation against the big police operation “broom” (targeting undocumented migrants) of the Cypriot police in the old Nicosia within the walls and even recently in the anti-fascist mobilisation against the hate marches of the Nazi ELAM (December 2009 and November 2010). Especially with respect to the mobilisations against ELAM, not only was there an attempt through their articles to equate the fascists with the anti-fascists but indirectly there was also an attempt to de-criminalise the fascists of ELAM since all of us the anti-racists were nothing else (for them) but the “red” version of “black” fascism. Moreover they have attacked individuals and organisations that have participated in these mobilisations. In their web-page they argue positively about or even republish articles by nationalists and far right wing organisations just because they, like themselves, oppose a solution to the Cyprus problem with what they call “apartheid federation”. Examples include Emprosthofylakas and Epalxi (with links to Drasis Kes). Furthermore the recent articles of this “community” smells gossip - like “political dirt”, mixed with personalised attacks akin espionage, with “revelations” about the private lives of persons belonging in other “opposing” groups of the autonomist movement. To sum up, we believe that the Cyprus Indymedia covers itself behind the ideology/aims of indymedia, presenting itself as a “community” of the “autonomous” and broader radical left movement. “Autonomy” “left” anti-imperialism and “anti-racism” is the fig leaf of Cyprus indymedia under which in essence they promote the nationalist line, and the line of the “rejectionist” front – that brings together besides the Church, nationalist organisations and parties that oppose the coexistence with the Turkish Cypriots under any federal form – in relation with the Cyprus problem and not only that. The “Workers' Democracy” has expressed its position distancing itself form the Cyprus Indymedia a long time ago with a letter sent to the editorial group of Cyprus Indymedia. The reason was because they tried to use Workers' Democracy as a “allibi” to present themselves as a part of the space or the movement of the radical left. And this was because of their participation 6 years ago in the bi-communal platform “Stop the war coalition- Cyprus” where our organisation is one of the main fractions.

Organosi Ergatiki Demokratia - 16 January 2011
www.wd-ist.org – E-mail:  wd@workersdemocracy.net

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