In solidarity with a big Anti-Olympics demo in Athens (and with the general struggle of our comrades against the Olympics), an Anti-Olympics Publicity Action took place outside Embankment station at 16:30. We put a big banner saying "SABOTAGE THE OLYMPICS, OLYMPICS=EXPLOITATION AND MURDER OF WORKERS, STATE REPRESSION, ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER" and many leaflets were distributed to people.
The following text was on the leaflet:
SABOTAGE THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN ATHENS 2004
Because the Olympic Games are:
Exploitation and Murder of Workers
Using the time delays as an excuse, the construction companies, in collaboration with the Greek State, have forced the workers to work day and night without any security measures. Without doctors and ambulances or even appropriate uniforms and training , construction workers work 60 hours a week! While millions are spent for the athletes’ security , 18 workers have lost their life because of the lack of any security measures in their work .
Moreover, at the same time that people die, the Greek State exploits immigrants as “cheap labour”, even by “renting” them from neighbour countries! The future of these people is already scheduled after the end of the Olympics: deportation .
WORKERS’ “ACCIDENTS” ARE BOSSES’ MURDERS, PEOPLE ARE SACRIFICED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES’ PROFITS !!
State Repression
The “return to Middle Ages” does not stop at the working conditions. Immigrants, gypsies, drug addicts and any other population which is considered “undesirable” for the image of the city is being expelled out of it . Moreover, the State tries to repress society’s dissent voice, as it puts thousands of cameras, introduces new laws to criminalize social movements, creates “red zones”, and bans any demo, strike or political action during the period of the games . However, society reacts! Despite the ban, a demo took place on Friday 9/7/04 in Patras (an “Olympic” city) and many other demos have been scheduled to resist the Olympics .e. on 22/7/04. Workers, teachers, students, health and transport employees and many other social and political groups are reacting to the masked Dictatorship.
Environmental Destruction
The environmental destruction because of the Olympics is huge and takes place in a city which is already very polluted. The massive Olympic Village is built in an area (mountain Parnitha) that was under the «environmental protection law». The same thing has happened with other Olympic constructions in Galatsi. Sxinias, Marathonas, Ymittos . Local citizens fought against the ecological disaster of their places, even with long lasting court cases . However, the State promoted the “national interest”, without taking into account local societies’ voice.
Therefore, DON’T GO TO ATHENS, BOYCOTT ANY OLYMPIC PRODUCTS, INFORM OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT THE REAL FACE OF THE OLYMPICS,
TRY ANYTHING TO SABOTAGE THEM !!
THE MYTH OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Olympic Games are presented by the Media, as a “celebration of Humanity, a chance for different people to come together without prejudice, a moment of Global Piece and Justice”. However, some facts of the Olympics give totally a different portrait:
· In the ancient times, Olympic Games were not characterized by piece, justice or dignity, as it is usually suggested. On the contrary, many ancient authors inform us that bribes and wars were usual phenomena
· In the modern times, the Olympics are not “innocent” at all, neither promote piece or co-operation. Rather, they are always connected with nationalistic, economical and/or political interests. This is easily revealed by just few “black spots” of the Olympics’ History: In 1936 Hitler organized the games to propagandize Nazism which led to WWII… In 1964, it is revealed that the Tokyo organizers bribed members of the Olympic Committee, so as to host the games…In 1968, 10 days before the beginning of the Games, the Mexican Army killed 300 protesters outside the Olympic Stadium! In 1980, President Carter ordered all of the “West-friendly” countries to boycott the Olympics in Moscow. The response of the Soviet Union was to order the Eastern countries to boycott Los Angeles’ Olympics in 1984…In Seoul 1988, 40,000 American soldiers were sent in the borders with N. Korea for “security reasons”… In Barcelona 1992 and in Atlanta 1996 thousands of poor people were violently moved away from their homes…In Sydney 2000,the Olympic Committee enforced the ban of any political protest against the Olympics….…and finally, don’t forget that the President of the International Olympic Committee, Huan Antonio Samaran is a fascist, a proved member of the Spanish Brigade during Franco’s dictatorship!
As it is obvious, the Olympic Games do not promote global piece, justice or co-operation; what they really promote are:
v The commodification of every aspect of human life. Even the athletes have become commodities that sponsors (NIKE, Adidas, Coca-Cola etc) “buy and sell” for their own interests/profits.
v Unpaid labour (or “volunteerism” ) in the service of the state and the bosses.
v Nationalism (as the athletes represent the competition between nations) and consumerism (as spectators are asked to “buy buy buy”).
v Surveillance of any public space (“Big Brother” phenomenon) and Repression of any “deviant” population and any social/political movement of “dissent” by the State.
v Competition, not co-operation, as the main value of human society .
OLYMPICS ARE BASICALLY BASED ON “MONEY AND POWER”, ON CAPITAL AND STATE AUTHORITY, AND THESE ARE WHAT THEY PROMOTE
SABOTAGE THEM NOW !!
The following text was on the leaflet:
SABOTAGE THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN ATHENS 2004
Because the Olympic Games are:
Exploitation and Murder of Workers
Using the time delays as an excuse, the construction companies, in collaboration with the Greek State, have forced the workers to work day and night without any security measures. Without doctors and ambulances or even appropriate uniforms and training , construction workers work 60 hours a week! While millions are spent for the athletes’ security , 18 workers have lost their life because of the lack of any security measures in their work .
Moreover, at the same time that people die, the Greek State exploits immigrants as “cheap labour”, even by “renting” them from neighbour countries! The future of these people is already scheduled after the end of the Olympics: deportation .
WORKERS’ “ACCIDENTS” ARE BOSSES’ MURDERS, PEOPLE ARE SACRIFICED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES’ PROFITS !!
State Repression
The “return to Middle Ages” does not stop at the working conditions. Immigrants, gypsies, drug addicts and any other population which is considered “undesirable” for the image of the city is being expelled out of it . Moreover, the State tries to repress society’s dissent voice, as it puts thousands of cameras, introduces new laws to criminalize social movements, creates “red zones”, and bans any demo, strike or political action during the period of the games . However, society reacts! Despite the ban, a demo took place on Friday 9/7/04 in Patras (an “Olympic” city) and many other demos have been scheduled to resist the Olympics .e. on 22/7/04. Workers, teachers, students, health and transport employees and many other social and political groups are reacting to the masked Dictatorship.
Environmental Destruction
The environmental destruction because of the Olympics is huge and takes place in a city which is already very polluted. The massive Olympic Village is built in an area (mountain Parnitha) that was under the «environmental protection law». The same thing has happened with other Olympic constructions in Galatsi. Sxinias, Marathonas, Ymittos . Local citizens fought against the ecological disaster of their places, even with long lasting court cases . However, the State promoted the “national interest”, without taking into account local societies’ voice.
Therefore, DON’T GO TO ATHENS, BOYCOTT ANY OLYMPIC PRODUCTS, INFORM OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT THE REAL FACE OF THE OLYMPICS,
TRY ANYTHING TO SABOTAGE THEM !!
THE MYTH OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Olympic Games are presented by the Media, as a “celebration of Humanity, a chance for different people to come together without prejudice, a moment of Global Piece and Justice”. However, some facts of the Olympics give totally a different portrait:
· In the ancient times, Olympic Games were not characterized by piece, justice or dignity, as it is usually suggested. On the contrary, many ancient authors inform us that bribes and wars were usual phenomena
· In the modern times, the Olympics are not “innocent” at all, neither promote piece or co-operation. Rather, they are always connected with nationalistic, economical and/or political interests. This is easily revealed by just few “black spots” of the Olympics’ History: In 1936 Hitler organized the games to propagandize Nazism which led to WWII… In 1964, it is revealed that the Tokyo organizers bribed members of the Olympic Committee, so as to host the games…In 1968, 10 days before the beginning of the Games, the Mexican Army killed 300 protesters outside the Olympic Stadium! In 1980, President Carter ordered all of the “West-friendly” countries to boycott the Olympics in Moscow. The response of the Soviet Union was to order the Eastern countries to boycott Los Angeles’ Olympics in 1984…In Seoul 1988, 40,000 American soldiers were sent in the borders with N. Korea for “security reasons”… In Barcelona 1992 and in Atlanta 1996 thousands of poor people were violently moved away from their homes…In Sydney 2000,the Olympic Committee enforced the ban of any political protest against the Olympics….…and finally, don’t forget that the President of the International Olympic Committee, Huan Antonio Samaran is a fascist, a proved member of the Spanish Brigade during Franco’s dictatorship!
As it is obvious, the Olympic Games do not promote global piece, justice or co-operation; what they really promote are:
v The commodification of every aspect of human life. Even the athletes have become commodities that sponsors (NIKE, Adidas, Coca-Cola etc) “buy and sell” for their own interests/profits.
v Unpaid labour (or “volunteerism” ) in the service of the state and the bosses.
v Nationalism (as the athletes represent the competition between nations) and consumerism (as spectators are asked to “buy buy buy”).
v Surveillance of any public space (“Big Brother” phenomenon) and Repression of any “deviant” population and any social/political movement of “dissent” by the State.
v Competition, not co-operation, as the main value of human society .
OLYMPICS ARE BASICALLY BASED ON “MONEY AND POWER”, ON CAPITAL AND STATE AUTHORITY, AND THESE ARE WHAT THEY PROMOTE
SABOTAGE THEM NOW !!
