the following text is being distributed around nottingham. in direct terms it draws the links between the experiences of the streets of greece and life in the uk. copy, improve, respond, distribute
In solidarity with the streets of Greece.
On the night of December 6th, police shot 15-year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in cold blood in the Eksarhia district of athens. Since that night, athens and tens of other greek cities have been burning. The struggle on the streets of greece is our struggle and this is why...
Greece already had an established anarchist/anti-authoritarian movement established and infamous for a number of years. The recent economic downturn, or crisis of capitalism coincided with a centre right government who took the opportunity to attempt to push through neo-liberal reforms. This caused protests, including the general strike which took place this week, planned before the shooting of Alexandros. Greece also already had an over-militarised and incompetent police force in conflict with a largely anti-authoritarian youth. This led to the killing of Alexandros, which led immediately to the response on the streets.
The attacking of banks, police stations and riot police, as well as symbols of conspicuous consumption such as expensive cars and shops, clearly marks the terms on which this struggle is being fought, reflected in the communications from the streets.
Greek media behaved in the manner that could be expected of a capitalist media, broadcasting the lies of the police officer/killer, under-reporting the protests, reporting the clear lies of the government and failing to report the police brutality which has become the norm on the streets. International media tried desperately to squeeze events into some acceptable narrative, talking of 'extreme elements hijacking protests', reporting the rampages of fascists as 'concerned citizens' and under-reporting the police brutality.
In the UK we have a less developed anarchist/anti-authoritarian movement. We face a similar downturn of capitalism and in the attempted huge reform of the benefits system we face equivalent neo-liberal reforms as a result. We have a different, yet equally militarised and also incompetent police force, demonstrated by the shooting of de Menezes.
These parallels are not coincidental. The forces which create the situation in greece are transnational forces that also operate in the UK. We can resist this transnational power by supporting those on the streets of greece. We can support them materially and with solidarity actions such as those taken against the greek state's interests around the world. The militarised police is a growing global phenomenon, increasingly protecting transnational interests. In the wake of the Menezes inquiry we must resist the militarisation of the police. Capitalism and its systematisation of consumption must be resisted. The actions of the youth of greece point us in the right direction. The capitalist institutions (banks) and the objects of conspicuous consumption (expensive cars) are rational targets in the fight against a culture of hyper-consumption who's power comes from creating scarcity through consumption.
In the age of transnational capitalism, an attack by any state on any individual is an attack on all. An injury to one is an injury to all. In the same way we can attack the forces of transnational capital in greece, by attacking transnational capital here. This is not to trivialise the issue. It is no simple task to deal significant blows to transnational capital, but it is possible.
take the streets?
We should never overestimate the state's capacity to crush resistance. bath and bristol have shown that much is possible. however our bodies are the precious life we are fighting FOR and we must protect them (ourselves). we must not throw ourselves into the flames for no reason. however, to do nothing is suicide and to stand silent when our comrades in greece are fighting for their lives is murder through neglect. we must not wait for a world which comes too late to share with them, for they have shown us this world is possible. It is there world and if we want to live in it, we must create it now so we can share it with them.
International solidarity actions:
In london around 70 activists blocked the entrance of the greek embassy for several hours on Monday 8th, and it was effectively closed down for most of the day.
Another protest took place on Wednesday 10th, and on Thursday 11th a picket outside the greek embassy was heavily repressed by the met police.
In bristol over 30 police vehicles, both marked and unmarked, were attacked by anarchists with catapults.
In germany on Friday late evening more than 1000 marched in berlin in solidarity with greek comrades, police brutality and repression. Small protests of between 20 and up to 200 protesters took place in about ten cities across germany.
In melbourne australia about 30 anarchists, socialists and communists took part in a demo outside the greek embassy.
Protests, demonstrations, occupations and actions have also taken place in new york, venice, edinburgh, bologna, cologne, dresden, hamburg, bremen, toledo, bern, madrid, copenhagen, barcelona, glasgow, dublin, newcastle, cardiff and leeds
For more information:
www.occupiedlondon.org/blog , www.indymedia.org.uk , athens.indymedia.org , tapesgoneloose.blogspot.com, patras.indymedia.org , www.libcom.org/tags/greece-unrest ,
Dec 20, international coordinated day of action against state murderers.
NOTHING HAS ENDED- WE ARE STILL AT THE BEGINING-STATEMENT
We are in the 6th to 7th day of the riot and everything seems that has just been STARTED!
The actions are not settling down but they are getting more and more escalated succcessively and unstoppable. Who are behind this Riot? Whom actions and energies are keeping the flame still on? The anarchists? The students? The immigrants? The unemployed? The youth from the rich North and South suburbs? The gypsies? The hooligans? The workers? All those and more are the actions of the riot! and all those together are forging the unstopable flame that started when the bitchy and unthinkable murder of 15 year old Alexis shocked Greece on Saturday night. All of us with our differences we leave our mark in history and the planet. This riot not only is not going to stop but will diffused in the whole of Europe and the whole of the world. At this point the panic of the goverment is understood. Though nothing is forgiving, nothing is justifying,nothing is bearable for the unprecedented orgy of violence that the goverment is unleashing. Even worst because this violence is not being recorded or unbearable twisted by the humiliating media. Our companios have suffered uncaused beatings, students are being beaten up, fasists at their own distress pull their weapons, cops act without control, immigrants lives are in danger and all the media can see is broken stores and ''criminally'' looting. For their own bad luck. all that is left are some elder housekeepers, and some scared people as long as the fascists. Our anger has no limit and for that they from now on should be cautious. The riot transforms the impossible to possible. It is the dream that is been awaken when the nightmare before is ended. Because companions it was a nightmare what we lived at the West suburbs, at Athens and at the rest of the World. In to an ugly and drowned city, to spit our everyday misery, to kill our fantasy to be scared of other people to be left alone helpless in our inabillity to be bombarded by fake advertisements to think that we deserve what we have and not what we believe in Alex we are ashamed of you for that what we have, because your blood was needed for us to wake up from the nightmare and live the dream of life. Though if we are ashamed of you, the rest will be terrified with a fear that flows in their guts. First of all cops dressed up as rioters to kidnap students at the dungeons of their stations. NO MERCY TO THEM! THEY CAN NOT HIDE FROM US. The punishment is coming and no goverment will save them. It is you who spread the worst ideology, the vile defeatism, the outraged fear and all of that just to spare yourselves. You will not get away with it! Its not only you who do the above. ALL the parliament parties live in their agony and reap themselves apart to calm down the riot. The working class who can not imagine their lives with out their shops,dehydrated beings that live only for the collection of money, they live as well at the lively fear. They do not have to fear as that much! Unless those who act and help the murderous power, the rest will be left at their misery. And well done to the working class that overshooted themselves and got involved at the the acts of the right side! It doesnt matter how many they are they are not few! Though we wrote to much about the working class.. History is being writen now from all the forces and those forces will strengthen overwhelmingly with their presence the next days. After 6 days of colossall collisions TODAY the second round is about to begin with new landmarks and new resistance. TODAY is the new rendej vous of History at 12 noon at Propylaia (Athens center)/ There will be high school students who have felt the worst police violence Rioted university students of 2006-2007 There will be workers who will wont go to work and that the last few days they have been looking at their boss with a different way There will be immigrants who for many years know what junta is There will be us from the Western suburbs who for decades have been teared up by the most rediculous regionalism. WE WILL ALL BE THERE! The are accusing us that the riot is inarticulate, blind and counteractive. That we do not know what we want and not even what we dont want. That we are thieves and destroyers. Well we know what we want and what we dont/ We do not want mercenary cops terrorising teenagers We do not want chemical war which bars our lunges and blinds our eyes We do not want M.A.T.( Units of reastablishing order) , bouncers, pimps parasites, organs of professional violence and imposition/ We do not want poluted air, burned forests, concrete that destroys earths ground/ We do not want jails that destory humans ,absurded laws for weed, cameras that record our lives to protect the lifeless property. At this manifest for life after the riot we demand and we will impose: 1) Freedom of the center of athens from city-cars for pedestrians. bicyclists people and children. 2) Transformation of the destroyed bank buildings in to assylums for poor, bookstores and free internet points as well as coffeshops. 3) Transformation of destroyed plice station in to cooking station that will offer free biological food to anyone that needs it. 4) Copyleft of all spiritual and informative material as well as free Internet with modern optic fibres. 5) Suppression of petrol and gas and replacement of those in to homes and meia of production with ultramodern sun beehives and other pioneer and fully recycled forms of energy. (with reserve to wind power and descurt of biofuels) 6) invasion to the dark covered by police whore houses and freedom to the slaved women who abusively are forced to work there. Positive recognition of womens sexuality as a right taht will be practiced with their own will and spontaneously by themselves, no mercy to rapists, pedophils. 7)Assault to jails and freedom to to all expect those who are being charged with pedophilism, rapers, racists child slavery.murderers. 8)Priority to small children and their need to play, tenderness, love and joy. 9) Free infrustructure of Education and health care, with restriction to arbitareness and power of those who work there. Friendly, understanding and open relationships betweeen doctors-patients and teachers-pupils. 10) Free transportation and encouragement of cycling in the city with simultaneously extension of train lines all over the territory. These are grosso modo and succinctly off all we want and we ll get. There might be some major essential issues to be missing though the rest are not to be considered of less importance. We know that our movement has taken global interest and above all it inspires a global riot. Drawing up the 10 off-handedly points of ''what we want'' we had it in a big amount of though. At the moment that the tools of the power according to resources are almost over we offer our support to the Palaistinians who lose Alex's everyday from the Isralian goverment who is preparing to send new supplies of tear-gas and anti-protest equipement to the Greek goverment. It is fate then that the time of the Internet this riot to light up to all over the world. To make known that the blood of a 15 year old can not be replaced by all the money in the world. To show the meaning of life and its importance above money materialism and grant, and banks that now in the itself the global system of money is under pressure. To prove that abuse of power is unhuman and murderous. To reveal the emptiness and the deformity of a till meaningful life. Companios around the world transfer our message and follow us. We from the Western Suburbs will be there today at the streets of Athens to make the flame of the revolution stronger and nothing will stand in our way to stop us!
On the night of December 6th, police shot 15-year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in cold blood in the Eksarhia district of athens. Since that night, athens and tens of other greek cities have been burning. The struggle on the streets of greece is our struggle and this is why...
Greece already had an established anarchist/anti-authoritarian movement established and infamous for a number of years. The recent economic downturn, or crisis of capitalism coincided with a centre right government who took the opportunity to attempt to push through neo-liberal reforms. This caused protests, including the general strike which took place this week, planned before the shooting of Alexandros. Greece also already had an over-militarised and incompetent police force in conflict with a largely anti-authoritarian youth. This led to the killing of Alexandros, which led immediately to the response on the streets.
The attacking of banks, police stations and riot police, as well as symbols of conspicuous consumption such as expensive cars and shops, clearly marks the terms on which this struggle is being fought, reflected in the communications from the streets.
Greek media behaved in the manner that could be expected of a capitalist media, broadcasting the lies of the police officer/killer, under-reporting the protests, reporting the clear lies of the government and failing to report the police brutality which has become the norm on the streets. International media tried desperately to squeeze events into some acceptable narrative, talking of 'extreme elements hijacking protests', reporting the rampages of fascists as 'concerned citizens' and under-reporting the police brutality.
In the UK we have a less developed anarchist/anti-authoritarian movement. We face a similar downturn of capitalism and in the attempted huge reform of the benefits system we face equivalent neo-liberal reforms as a result. We have a different, yet equally militarised and also incompetent police force, demonstrated by the shooting of de Menezes.
These parallels are not coincidental. The forces which create the situation in greece are transnational forces that also operate in the UK. We can resist this transnational power by supporting those on the streets of greece. We can support them materially and with solidarity actions such as those taken against the greek state's interests around the world. The militarised police is a growing global phenomenon, increasingly protecting transnational interests. In the wake of the Menezes inquiry we must resist the militarisation of the police. Capitalism and its systematisation of consumption must be resisted. The actions of the youth of greece point us in the right direction. The capitalist institutions (banks) and the objects of conspicuous consumption (expensive cars) are rational targets in the fight against a culture of hyper-consumption who's power comes from creating scarcity through consumption.
In the age of transnational capitalism, an attack by any state on any individual is an attack on all. An injury to one is an injury to all. In the same way we can attack the forces of transnational capital in greece, by attacking transnational capital here. This is not to trivialise the issue. It is no simple task to deal significant blows to transnational capital, but it is possible.
take the streets?
We should never overestimate the state's capacity to crush resistance. bath and bristol have shown that much is possible. however our bodies are the precious life we are fighting FOR and we must protect them (ourselves). we must not throw ourselves into the flames for no reason. however, to do nothing is suicide and to stand silent when our comrades in greece are fighting for their lives is murder through neglect. we must not wait for a world which comes too late to share with them, for they have shown us this world is possible. It is there world and if we want to live in it, we must create it now so we can share it with them.
International solidarity actions:
In london around 70 activists blocked the entrance of the greek embassy for several hours on Monday 8th, and it was effectively closed down for most of the day.
Another protest took place on Wednesday 10th, and on Thursday 11th a picket outside the greek embassy was heavily repressed by the met police.
In bristol over 30 police vehicles, both marked and unmarked, were attacked by anarchists with catapults.
In germany on Friday late evening more than 1000 marched in berlin in solidarity with greek comrades, police brutality and repression. Small protests of between 20 and up to 200 protesters took place in about ten cities across germany.
In melbourne australia about 30 anarchists, socialists and communists took part in a demo outside the greek embassy.
Protests, demonstrations, occupations and actions have also taken place in new york, venice, edinburgh, bologna, cologne, dresden, hamburg, bremen, toledo, bern, madrid, copenhagen, barcelona, glasgow, dublin, newcastle, cardiff and leeds
For more information:
www.occupiedlondon.org/blog , www.indymedia.org.uk , athens.indymedia.org , tapesgoneloose.blogspot.com, patras.indymedia.org , www.libcom.org/tags/greece-unrest ,
Dec 20, international coordinated day of action against state murderers.
NOTHING HAS ENDED- WE ARE STILL AT THE BEGINING-STATEMENT
We are in the 6th to 7th day of the riot and everything seems that has just been STARTED!
The actions are not settling down but they are getting more and more escalated succcessively and unstoppable. Who are behind this Riot? Whom actions and energies are keeping the flame still on? The anarchists? The students? The immigrants? The unemployed? The youth from the rich North and South suburbs? The gypsies? The hooligans? The workers? All those and more are the actions of the riot! and all those together are forging the unstopable flame that started when the bitchy and unthinkable murder of 15 year old Alexis shocked Greece on Saturday night. All of us with our differences we leave our mark in history and the planet. This riot not only is not going to stop but will diffused in the whole of Europe and the whole of the world. At this point the panic of the goverment is understood. Though nothing is forgiving, nothing is justifying,nothing is bearable for the unprecedented orgy of violence that the goverment is unleashing. Even worst because this violence is not being recorded or unbearable twisted by the humiliating media. Our companios have suffered uncaused beatings, students are being beaten up, fasists at their own distress pull their weapons, cops act without control, immigrants lives are in danger and all the media can see is broken stores and ''criminally'' looting. For their own bad luck. all that is left are some elder housekeepers, and some scared people as long as the fascists. Our anger has no limit and for that they from now on should be cautious. The riot transforms the impossible to possible. It is the dream that is been awaken when the nightmare before is ended. Because companions it was a nightmare what we lived at the West suburbs, at Athens and at the rest of the World. In to an ugly and drowned city, to spit our everyday misery, to kill our fantasy to be scared of other people to be left alone helpless in our inabillity to be bombarded by fake advertisements to think that we deserve what we have and not what we believe in Alex we are ashamed of you for that what we have, because your blood was needed for us to wake up from the nightmare and live the dream of life. Though if we are ashamed of you, the rest will be terrified with a fear that flows in their guts. First of all cops dressed up as rioters to kidnap students at the dungeons of their stations. NO MERCY TO THEM! THEY CAN NOT HIDE FROM US. The punishment is coming and no goverment will save them. It is you who spread the worst ideology, the vile defeatism, the outraged fear and all of that just to spare yourselves. You will not get away with it! Its not only you who do the above. ALL the parliament parties live in their agony and reap themselves apart to calm down the riot. The working class who can not imagine their lives with out their shops,dehydrated beings that live only for the collection of money, they live as well at the lively fear. They do not have to fear as that much! Unless those who act and help the murderous power, the rest will be left at their misery. And well done to the working class that overshooted themselves and got involved at the the acts of the right side! It doesnt matter how many they are they are not few! Though we wrote to much about the working class.. History is being writen now from all the forces and those forces will strengthen overwhelmingly with their presence the next days. After 6 days of colossall collisions TODAY the second round is about to begin with new landmarks and new resistance. TODAY is the new rendej vous of History at 12 noon at Propylaia (Athens center)/ There will be high school students who have felt the worst police violence Rioted university students of 2006-2007 There will be workers who will wont go to work and that the last few days they have been looking at their boss with a different way There will be immigrants who for many years know what junta is There will be us from the Western suburbs who for decades have been teared up by the most rediculous regionalism. WE WILL ALL BE THERE! The are accusing us that the riot is inarticulate, blind and counteractive. That we do not know what we want and not even what we dont want. That we are thieves and destroyers. Well we know what we want and what we dont/ We do not want mercenary cops terrorising teenagers We do not want chemical war which bars our lunges and blinds our eyes We do not want M.A.T.( Units of reastablishing order) , bouncers, pimps parasites, organs of professional violence and imposition/ We do not want poluted air, burned forests, concrete that destroys earths ground/ We do not want jails that destory humans ,absurded laws for weed, cameras that record our lives to protect the lifeless property. At this manifest for life after the riot we demand and we will impose: 1) Freedom of the center of athens from city-cars for pedestrians. bicyclists people and children. 2) Transformation of the destroyed bank buildings in to assylums for poor, bookstores and free internet points as well as coffeshops. 3) Transformation of destroyed plice station in to cooking station that will offer free biological food to anyone that needs it. 4) Copyleft of all spiritual and informative material as well as free Internet with modern optic fibres. 5) Suppression of petrol and gas and replacement of those in to homes and meia of production with ultramodern sun beehives and other pioneer and fully recycled forms of energy. (with reserve to wind power and descurt of biofuels) 6) invasion to the dark covered by police whore houses and freedom to the slaved women who abusively are forced to work there. Positive recognition of womens sexuality as a right taht will be practiced with their own will and spontaneously by themselves, no mercy to rapists, pedophils. 7)Assault to jails and freedom to to all expect those who are being charged with pedophilism, rapers, racists child slavery.murderers. 8)Priority to small children and their need to play, tenderness, love and joy. 9) Free infrustructure of Education and health care, with restriction to arbitareness and power of those who work there. Friendly, understanding and open relationships betweeen doctors-patients and teachers-pupils. 10) Free transportation and encouragement of cycling in the city with simultaneously extension of train lines all over the territory. These are grosso modo and succinctly off all we want and we ll get. There might be some major essential issues to be missing though the rest are not to be considered of less importance. We know that our movement has taken global interest and above all it inspires a global riot. Drawing up the 10 off-handedly points of ''what we want'' we had it in a big amount of though. At the moment that the tools of the power according to resources are almost over we offer our support to the Palaistinians who lose Alex's everyday from the Isralian goverment who is preparing to send new supplies of tear-gas and anti-protest equipement to the Greek goverment. It is fate then that the time of the Internet this riot to light up to all over the world. To make known that the blood of a 15 year old can not be replaced by all the money in the world. To show the meaning of life and its importance above money materialism and grant, and banks that now in the itself the global system of money is under pressure. To prove that abuse of power is unhuman and murderous. To reveal the emptiness and the deformity of a till meaningful life. Companios around the world transfer our message and follow us. We from the Western Suburbs will be there today at the streets of Athens to make the flame of the revolution stronger and nothing will stand in our way to stop us!
Some words of support and advice
16.12.2008 15:49
Perhaps you can tell me who your leaflet is aimed at? If it is intended for a circle somewhat bigger than those already initiated into the 'scene' you might want to consider making some changes to the language. Sadly, anti-authoritarian, anarchism and neo-liberalism are words that either a) do not mean much to the average person or b) have had their meaning twisted by the repressive forces at work in our society. Maybe these words could be explained on their first use, or could be substituted for more lengthy and more basic descriptions?
Also, you seem to assume that people will already agree with you that attacking symbols of cops and "conspicuous consumption" is an obviously good thing to do. I think in the UK we are a long way from that situation. Perhaps some more persuasion is necessary? Again, I suppose it depends on the target audience.
You assume people already know what "bath and bristol" were all about. Do they?
Ultimately I am not sure this statement works either to widen the struggle (because it is too reliant on the reader already being in the know) or to mobilise existing anarchists. As one of the latter, I feel more inspired by the concrete deeds of our Greek comrades than any amount of overblown romantic rhetoric (which I'm afraid is how I would describe the 'Nothing has ended - this is still the beginning' statement). Sadly whoever penned it didn't have the imagination to come up with a very liberatory vision in their 10 demands (and who are these anti-authoritarians demanding of anyway?) The number 1 demand is the creation of a pedestrian zone in the middle of Athens. Personally I'd have been more ambitious! Copyleft? When we've overthrown capitalism we won't need it!
Still, it's almost certainly a matter of taste and I suppose this isn't mine. I assume this must do it for some of you.
Perhaps what's most constructive of all is to start a conversation amongst anarchists in Nottingham and beyond about what we can do to open up more free space and reclaim our lives from this shitty prison. See you soon.
Anonymous comrade
much agreement
17.12.2008 23:24
I have very little experience of writing propaganda for mass consumption and would have been keen to distribute better text than this had it appeared, but I was unable to find anything that drew together what was occurring in Greece with an explanation of why it is relevant to the UK.
The process of carefully calculating how each aspect of the text might be read in different circles is not one I had the time for, or probably the skill, but having spent a few days reading what was going on in Greece I felt capable of giving an explanation which analytically I stand by. This was not something I would have felt comfortable distributing on the streets, but served its (very limited) purpose within broadly sympathetic circles.
I have asked a number of people if they had the time to add, amend the text to make it comprehendable to a wider audience, but no one has had the time.
So, comments much appreciated. I am nervous about the potential professionalisation of political communication which may be a consequence of what you are suggesting, but otherwise everything you've said is pretty valid.
author
the riots started with the death of a seeker of asylum
04.01.2009 21:55
Such was the anger and fear, that other seekers of asylum present when he was killed, took to the streets, and refugees in Greece were demanding that the police give an explanation.
The police in Greece have a very poor record for dealing with claims for asylum. All European countries that are signatories to the Dublin Convention, which dictates that seekers of asylum can only make an application for asylum in one country, and that if anyone is found to have made an application in another European country beforehand, will be returned to that country under the Dublin Convention.
We have people in Nottingham who have been detained by the Border and Immigration Authority and given removal notices to be returned to Greece, but representations about the poor asylum record in Greece have led to the cancellation of the removal notice, and the detainee released on bail.
Last year, Greece was fined by the European Court for its poor standard of processing asylum applications - often just taking finger prints and then insisting that the applicant leaves Greece back to their country of origin. So bad is the situation that there are now calls that the Dublin Convention should be reconsidered or dispensed with all together. Of course, such an action would never suit the European countries who want to limit applications for sanctuary, and who already make it nearly impossible for anyone to prove that they have suffered in their country of origin.
Greece has an appauling record for looking after unaccompanied minors - orphans wanting to claim asylum. Many are sleeping rough in cemetaries and provided with food by local concerned community members. Allegations are regularly made that Kurds, Iraqis, Iranians, are arrested, imprisoned, fingerprinted, then robbed by the police before being returned to their country of origin without ever having their asylum applications investigated. Human Rights organisations in Greece are now adding their voice to the concerns of the world.
Tragic as it is that a young teenager has lost his life in Greece, and remarkable as it is that protests have sprung up in solidarity all over the world, it is even more tragic that someone who has made the difficult journey to Greece wanting only to claim asylum and to end his own persecution, has been killed by an arbitrary decision of the police, and that death has gone unnoticed, or without comment throughout the world, despite being the cause of the original demonstrations and actions on the street just hours before the death of the child. All the incidents should be acknowledged. The death of an asylum seeker should not go unacknowledged or without a demand for an explanation.
miriam