Skip to content or view screen version

Greek Anarchy - in the UK now?

Loukanikos | 24.09.2011 23:38 | Public sector cuts | Terror War

Greek Anarchy - in the UK, now?

Many UK based activists have been electrified by the amazing images of Greek militants taking on the police, during recent anti-austerity protests in Athens and other Greek cities. These images are incredible, and truly inspiring, not least because they seem to suggest that militant radicalism is a viable and effective strategy in advanced capitalist economies and modern (relatively speaking) "liberal" democracies, and that similar uprisings might therefore be possible in the UK. No political campaign exists in a state of ideological purity however, and all political campaigns succeed or fail relative to the possibilities and limitations determined by the cultures in which they exist; and there are critically important cultural differences between Greece, the UK, and other countries, which strongly influence which strategies are most likely to work in some countries and which strategies are likely to fail. Many of these cultural differences relate to different countries' experiences of Fascism and Anti-Fascism.

Greek culture is profoundly influenced by obvious facts of recent history. Until 1974 Greek people suffered the existence of a brutal CIA-backed Fascist Junta, which denied Greek people basic rights and which imprisoned, tortured and in some cases murdered thousands of radicals and moderates who had the courage to oppose it (including, Anarchists take note, imprisoning the Greek Prime Minister and left-leaning commanders in the Greek Army). The Gladio network, responsible for ostensibly "left" wing terror attacks in Italy, was also heavily involved in supporting the Greek Fascist regime. The Junta was eventually overthrown, partly as a result of a popular, originally student-led uprising, which involved many radicals and militants, and which successfully ended the regime of the Greek Colonels. As a result (as I can confirm from personal experience) many ordinary Greeks have a level of respect for radicals which is reflected in their willingness to directly confront authority today. Similar factors also influence sections of the Spanish speaking world, particularly in relation to experiences of Spanish and Chilean Fascism and Anti-Fascist responses (it is one of modern Europe's darkest secrets that far more people "disappeared" in Franco's Spain than were murdered by Fascists in Chile and Argentina, although few people in Europe today see fit to discuss this, as the spectre of postwar Fascism is something many Europeans feel more comfortable projecting onto South America, rather than admitting that even worse Fascist regimes existed so close to home with degrees of British and American support).

British culture is equally profoundly influenced by our experience of Fascism, but there are huge differences in these experiences which strongly influence how contemporary UK culture has been shaped by this. First, the major Fascist threat to the UK came from abroad, from Germany, unlike in Greece and Spain etc where the Fascist regimes were led by natives of those countries, and most victims of Fascism in the UK were killed either fighting the Axis or by German bombers during the Blitz (hence the famous football song). Second, where Greek Fascism was defeated (and Spanish Fascism was at least opposed) by militant radicals, in the UK the Fascist threat is perceived by most people to have been defeated by people from all social classes working together, in alliance with and under the leadership of the traditional establishment - as personified by the extremely strong cult of personality that still persists around the leadership of Winston Churchill.

That's not to say that British people were ever naive about the nature of the right-wing establishment, as Churchill's Tories were unceremoniously booted-out of power after the Second World War, and the Welfare State was created by the Labour movement against the wishes of the traditional establishment. Nonetheless, WW2 seared itself into the UK's popular consciousness, and while wartime events instilled a powerful legacy of residual deference towards the establishment, (obvious, but relatively minor exceptions like Cable Street notwithstanding) the predominant public view of British radicalism (particularly among working class communities) is still poisoned by the perception that many British radicals supported appeasing Germany or refused Army service as conscientious objectors (and unfortunately this view was inadvertently bolstered by radical involvement in the UK peace movement between the 1950s and 1980s).

To conclude, while this post is definitely NOT arguing that British radicals should be passive or fatalistic about trying to pro-actively change popular culture, this post IS arguing that ultra-militant tactics which seem to work in other countries won't necessarily work in the UK. The message of this post is that radicals should factor-in an informed understanding of these cultural differences before assessing strategic options (and radicals posting on Indymedia UK from Greece, Spain and Chile etc should also be aware of these cultural differences as well). That which works in Greece won't necessarily work in the UK.

Protest against the Tory Conference - 2nd Oct, 12 noon, Liverpool Rd, Manchester M3 4JR

Fight Privatisation & Defend Education - 9th Nov, 11am to 2pm, Central London (start point tbc)

Loukanikos

Comments

Hide the following 10 comments

intensification of tactics, the need for an insurrection

25.09.2011 15:56

In my opinion, and remember all this is is my opinion, on this land, in this 'country' of the UK PLC, what would benefit the revolutionary movements of all persuasions,( commie, anarcho, muddled-up rebelliousness brigade, whatever you call yourself) is an all out insurrection, including but not limited to, attacks on high-ranking police officers, armed police officers and riot police officers, chief-execs of top 500 global corporations based in the UK PLC, government buildings and officials in the top echelons of state control and other 'interesting' targets, like animal vivisectionists, right-wing/fascists and the infrastructure of the country, ie, the roads, trains and airports.

Once such an insurrection is under way, it would not take too long, perhaps four or five years, before the army would be called in to fight the rebels and then we'd have a civil war and then the 'masses' (the ever annoying and less and less revolutionary masses) would be faced with a stark choice, US or THEM........hopefully, a revolution could take place after such a turbulent time..........
the following is what i published after some more of the Greek insurrection a year or two ago...


We see around us everyday, on the screens of our distraction boxes, whether they are phones or televisions, laptop screens or bus shelter advert monitors, the lie and the greed and the war and the profiteering from poverty and repression.

We've seen it and lived it all this time and so, over the decades, as we realised and gathered, we organised against it.

Today we still attempt to stop it, demonstrate alternatives to it, activate to barricade it, to halt it, smash it and raise awareness to it.
This is a given, a truth that is undeniable. The "system" does exist and it is bad for us.
We already know this.

In Greece right now, at this very moment, on the streets and in the social spaces of Athens and other major cities, my comrades, my anarchist brothers and sisters, are literally on the front line of where, from an historical, yet also an immediate viewpoint, anarchism is progressing before our eyes.

To be an anarchist at the moment is to be in Greece with heart and soul on the protests protecting migrants from fascist attack, clashing with the nazi's in order that the police don't have free reign and otherwise protecting people from attack by the greek establishment.

Yes it is true, not all of the greek activists arming themselves and shooting the police or strathing police stations with machine guns are committed anarchists or insurrectionists. Neither are the comrades setting up more squats or other manifestations of anarchy on this planet simply hand grenade throwing, die-hard militants.

Yet, different tactics from different 'types' of comrades have never been more important, so it is also true then, in my opinion, naturally, that other anarchists around the globe could see this situation in Greece as a spark and explosion of such splendiferousness that we could start a global anarchist strike. An armed battle, a constant war, for freedom from capitalist globalisation.

And why not?

Why shouldn't we arm and fight against the states of the g8, the g20, the un, nato, euroland and the rest? We already meet them on the streets in defiance of marshall law or police repression, arrest, trial and punishment. So why not fight back with weapons and bombs?

Because it's violent and people will get hurt, killed, imprisoned and tortured on both sides? Is that the mass opinion?

If that were the case, other battles around the world and throughout time never

francesca


Insurrection

25.09.2011 16:18

Quote: "And why not?"

My opinion is that it's because there is not a large enough proportion of the population that share your view. Until you have such a proportion, probably with reasonable training, organisation, and equipment, an insurrection against the state seems doomed to failure - not matter how justified it may be.

Pepper


You have conviently ignored...

26.09.2011 14:02

... the riots.

August


which failed...

26.09.2011 14:54

...in any strategic sense because the state was able to crack down on it because it hadn't grown to the size in which it could take on the state and win.

i agree that we need to do better at reaching out to others who are likely to support our views as if we don't people will side with THEM rather than US as they usually have in history...

...with the recent exception of the arab spring and other civil wars in western history - because at those moments people had just had enough...have they had enough now? we don't know, because we just aren't engaging with people on a mass scale.

when we're going to win, let's fight, when we don't know whether we can win or not, let's carry on with the autonomous eco-villages, food not bombs, publications like schnews and freedom, and supporting people in struggle like refugees and people at dale farm.

we are many, let's unite before we fight back.

bailead


the island of creative protest

26.09.2011 16:00

The points raised in the article are good....the historical context of a country does define the attitudes people have towards the actions of activists (a sort of psycho-geography if u will). While Greece (and others) have existed under brutal military (fascist) dictatorships, the UK has always existed under a more subtle, sophisticated form of dictatorship (aristo-police state); therefore violent direct action here easily alienates people, because, although oppressed by history, the illusion of "democracy" still blinds many to the triumvirate of real power (Freemasonry-Monarchy-Aristocracy). It has been (recent) creative protests like Reclaim the Streets (RTS - big up), London MayDays and Climate Camp which has radicalised people, has opened their eyes to the power of the street, and People Power, in a colourful, creative and undogmatic approach. Looking back at history, can we say that violent insurrectionists like the Angry Brigade (here), the Red Brigades (Italy) or the Bieder-Meinhof Gang (Germany) achieved something in their time? I can't answer that, but history provides us with examples from which we can learn, that we can use to inform our strategies in the present, and help us plan for a genuine post-capitalist future.

twinkle little *


Give us the Crack and the XBox

26.09.2011 22:26

... RTS, Wooot! Schnews & Freedom - Wow so amazing! Climate Camp - I piss my pants!

Hey, can us be politically active like you?



August


Terrorists

27.09.2011 00:10

Groups like the Angry Brigade, Red Brigades and Baader-Meinhof were violent (except, unlike the others, the Angry Brigade did not thankfully kill anybody) but not insurrectionary, because in my estimation an insurrection is by definition carried out by at the very least a large body of people, preferably by an entire community, rising up to overthrow something they don't like. Terrorist groups are miniscule minorities who - as (mostly) Stalinists in style, form and content - claim to represent a community whilst randomly sacrificing members of that community who happen to get too close to any of their bombings or shootings.

As to whether terrorists actually achieve anything, as the general public increasingly lost interest in radical politics after 1968, muppets like the Angry Brigade came along and finished the job off. Ditto for groups like the Red Army Faction (aka Baader Slimehof) and Red Brigades. RAF co-founder Horst Mahler is now a committed Nazi and friend of Nick Griffin, and the Red Brigades murdered Italian PM Aldo Moro for the crime of offering the Italian Communist Party a share of government, and all these groups were (surprise surprise) heavily infiltrated by the secret services

Trilobyte


Angry Brigade is muppets?

27.09.2011 12:08

I didn't see them with Big Bird.

August


Is you a fossil?

27.09.2011 12:30

Trilobyte?

August


Defend a revolution -at what costs?

03.10.2011 09:36

Thanks for the original interesting post.
I think that there also needs to be much more talk and discussion of how we will DEFEND a revolution from the most powerful forces the world has ever seen (forces such as military power,media influence,imperial domination). It might seem like jumping the gun before we have had one -but if we think through what is needed to defend a revolution-it might make people think practically rather than just ideologically. How will YOU defend it once it happens?

You are so right to suggest that revolutionary processes cannont follow a fixed ideological path: a revolution may not always be perfect -it grows, develops, makes mistakes, goes forward and backward. However a revolution will ALWAYS have to be defended -i.e. it needs to have a very strong power base AT FIRST in order to defend its core proncipals.

Untill some UK anarchists wake up to the fact that revolution is a long and evolving process -the left in this country will always be divided by the intrasient stace of different ideological positions.

What is needed at the begining of a revolution -will be different from what is needed after 50 years of revolution and so on and so on. Too many failed to understand the complexity of these issues.

What is needed in this country-is a huge mass movement. The left need to STOP working with the labour party and the trade unions -as they are part of the current corrupt system.The so called radical labour MPs -tony benn, john mcdonalld, Jeremy corborn -should be shunned untill they leave their rotton party. Please can the left stop inviting them to speak -it is embarassing. You cannont change this rotten system from within.

We need to develop a huge independent mass movement which respects anarchists and socialists alike.

onwards and upwards