Amerikis Square 24/2

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Antiracist-Antifascist rally in Amerikis Square (Athens): February 24 at 6 pm

Antiracist-Antifascist rally in Amerikis Square (Athens): February 24 at 6 pm

SOLIDARITY TO THE IMMIGRANTS!

There has been an effort by a fascist “citizens group” formed by extreme right wing racists and nazis, with the police in the leading role, to establish a type of Apartheid in the square of Agios Panteleimonas. Now, a new racist experiment is attempted in Plateia Amerikis (Amerikis Square). In this neighbourhood, where locals and immigrants have been living together for years, coexisting in their daily life, in the streets, in schools, in squares and public spaces, racists and the state are trying to artificially create a field of racist brutality and police occupation.

In the reality of the financial, social and political crisis, the state and the bosses are launching and attack against the whole of society, intensifying exploitation and oppression. Immigrants and refugees, as the poorest and most excluded part of society, are the ones on whom this attack is focused in the most cruel way: Many are murdered in the borders, imprisoned in concentration camps, tortured in police stations. Living in the country, they are facing the most savage exploitation by the bosses. And they are hostages of the anti-immigration policies of the greek state which divides them into "legal" and "illegal". A perfect example is the new bill on citizenship that is defining which children have rights and which don’t! This way it is justifying the repression and manhunt of refugees and immigrants without papers while it promotes the incorporation of a small number of immigrants under the condition that they submit.

In this context, the state has every interest in spreading racism within the society. Through a racist campaign by the media, the state is trying to force “national unity to save the greek economy” and it is targeting immigrants as a “threat to security and stability” in order to cultivate fear, class divisions and social cannibalism, so that in conditions of poverty the oppressed will be turned against each other, against the most oppressed among us, and not against the real enemy: the state and the bosses who are looting our lives. This way the state intensifies police repression to force its anti-social policies, especially after the social revolt of December ’08 where locals, refugees and immigrants met in the barricades, giving only an image of the future the bosses will have to face. The state itself is breeding racist groups through its policies and it is supporting them through its official repression forces. This is what happened in Agios Panteleimonas neighbourhood, where the police covered the locking of the playground, arsons against places of prayer for Muslim immigrants, attacks in which immigrants were beaten and stabbed by racists. These racist groups are presented as “local citizens committees” in order for the state to give the image that police brutality against immigrants is supposedly a “popular demand of society”. And it is also using these groups to attack against people and spaces of social struggle that fight in solidarity and against fascism.

In mid December ’09, a fringe of “citizens”, mainly members of LAOS ultra-right party, showed up in Plateia Amerikis asking that the place will be “cleansed and evacuated”. Their gathering ended ingloriously, and Th. Plevris, a fascist member of LAOS in the parliament, left immediately, when dozens of people went to the square and declared that racists and misanthropists are not welcome in the neighbourhood. This effort of a hate committed to be established was also presented in “Eleftherotypia” newspaper, supposedly progressive. In an article published on 31 December ’09, under a heading saying that Plateia Amerikis is “a bomb about to explode”, a fake image of the neighbourhood is presented and the real motives of the racists are obscured by a discourse about cleanness and degradation problems of the area. Ultra-right conservatives and neo-nazis, with the blessings of the police, think that they can turn this multicultural neighbourhood of Athens, where locals and immigrants have a tradition of living together, into a field of intolerance and racist hatred. They think that they will be allowed to assault refugees and spaces of self- organization and social struggle (social centres, housing squats, parks).

Never! Like in every neighbourhood, locals and immigrants, we are people who live together everyday, in our workplaces, in schools, in the squares. We share common problems (unemployment, work exploitation, devastating way of life in an urban jail, without sufficient green and free spaces, control and repression). And we will fight together for a world of equality, having solidarity as our weapon and having as only enemy the enemies of freedom for all people.

- No racist and no fascist will define which people are allowed to live together in the neighbourhoods, to hang out in the squares and to walk in the streets of the city.
- No consent to the racist policies of the state against immigrants.
- No tolerance to the fascist – racist gangs.

EVERYONE TO THE RALLY IN AMERIKIS SQUARE Wednesday, 24 February at 6 pm

Anarchists, Anti-authoritarians, Antiracists, Antifascists from Athens neighborhoods

On the case of Fabrica Yfanet squat

On our blog we published an announcement of the Fabrica Yfanet squat, that fascists attacked their building and also we published photos and iformation about a demonstration that hapenned for that incident.But before some days, there was a claim of rensopnsibility for that attack by somebody with the name ''Autonomus Antiothoritarians''.The posts on that case at our blog are erased.

The claim of responsibility on greek language:
https://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1135193

Some photos of slogans and of a banner from the antifascist action at Larisa on 21/2

Resistance against the neofascistic concentration at Larissa

Today at Larissa, fascists were planning a concentration.'Hrisi avgi' and 'patriotikos elinikos sindesmos' wanted to do a racistic concentration against immigrants.About 80 commrades, went to the place of the 'event' before the nazi scum did, and some other commrades stayed to the Medical University School, which is in the center of Larissa, to keep it open.When a mini van with about 10 fascist arrived it was attacked, and fascists were injured.After that there was a clash with cops and commrades went to the Medical University School.4 people were caught by the cops and at least two women of those who were caught, are arrested.Also during the fight with the cops at least two people were injured.Commrades inside the M.U.S. were surrounded for a while by cops, and it was then when they formally occupied the building, by making this announcement too(in greek language):
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1134552
Finally a few nazi scum managed to make a small demonstration.But not all of them.10 less than what they were programming :-).It was a good lesson for them, even though cops saved them.

Against racism, Amerikis Square, 24/2

Even though the antiracist concentration is normally being planned for 24/2 at Amerikis Square, we wrote by mistake some things about the event wich were not accurate, in our previous entry to that post.This was done by lack of informations about the event.We will inform you soon about any news.

Nationalists, arrestations and a man murdered by the pigs!

On 16/2 some cops tried to arrest two people at Athens, Vironas.Cops say that they are connected with bank robberies.But the two people did not give themselves up and tried to escape, by giving a fight with the pigs.During that fight which was started by the solely responsibility of police who want to put people in prison with the accusasion that they robbed the capitalist...robbers, a passerby was murdered by a cop, probably because he thought he was one of the two people they were after, and the finally arrested.According with people that were at the incient he screamed 'I ate him' (greek phrase menaning 'I killed him').The result that the medical coroner gave to publicity says that the passerby was murdered by the cops.The one arrested said through his lawyer that he is very sorry about the dead person no matter who killed him and that he want to help financial the family of the victim.

Even though what he have here is a pure murder, of a totally ''innocent'' by the cops, nationalists and extreme right wing, are creating a subversion of the facts and they are talking for lack of police in the streets.Well the problem is the totall opposite, and it became clear once more.Cops are murderers which are turning more and more into inhuman animals.

Also because the two arrested are immigrants from Albania some nationalists even thought the incident as an opportunity to spill their racistic poison.Well, they morally support the murderes of police once more.And the try turn that case from black to white.We are talking about the newspaper 'Stohos',the organization of 'Hrisi Avgi' (Golden Dawn), and some extreme right wing blogs.

BACK OFF!

Total refusal of army

Here are some parts of a text of a person that refused totaly the Greek army.There may be some mistakes on the translation.For his letter at Greek language click here: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1132771


''I deny the army.
I refuse to be a part of the worst authoritarian mechanism.Army symbolizes all those I am not by fighting all those things I am.''

''At the army I have to swear that the most important thing for me is the flag and that I accept that I will defend it till the last drop of my blood.But I have decide which thing of those two is more important for me and its color is red.It unite people and it does not split them.''

''I refuse to become a ''man''.I prefer to explore by my own the way to recognize myself, and to create my character and my behavior through kindness and tolerance.I do not want them to turn me by force to a tough and endurable maco man.''

I cannot be a part of an institution that its aim is to continue the nation authority, 2 things which are my enemies.

I wont stop living, I wont stop living to be recruited , i wont serve something that I hate for the 'country' no I wont go crazy...('I wont stop living'' Scaribas 2005)

Total refusal of army

E.M.''

Nazis and members of the parliamentary party ''laos'' are going to hold a minifest in Athens!

There are more and more signs that the extreme right wing parliamentary party ''laos'' is goin further more into the ideology of nationalsocialism.At 21/2 there is going to be a mini fest at the place ''Chroma'' (Karayioryi Servias, and Leca 8) in Athens.It is the second minifest of the magazine ''Patria'', whose editor Dimitris Papayeoryiu is in prison for a racistic attack of autonomus nationalists at an antiracist contration, which was held by left organizations, syndicates even a local athletic team of Abelocipus.He was also arrested two times at the past for fascistic attacks.Lets also mention that the autonomus nationalists, declare that he is their commrade.In that minifest which will also be a solidarity event for the imprisoned fascist, there will be a strong presence of a lot of members of laos.The president of the youth of laos, (neos) is going to be an organizer of a workshop that take place at this event.Also a least 4 members of parliament and of laos will be there according to the schedule of the fascistic fest.Adonis Yeoryiadis, Thanos Plevris, Makis Voridis and Ilias Polatidis.Finally there will be there people that have or had connections with laos like Christos Goudis and Dimitris Zafiropulos.It is more and more clear, that autonomus nationalists and laos are not ... ''strangers''.

Testimony from the Petrou Ralli hell

Translation from the blog of the Anarchist Initiative of Aigaleo (west Athens) on the situation in the women division of the Petrou Ralli prison for migrants – very close to downtown Athens.

http://anarxikoiaigaleo.squat.gr

(Testimony from the hell of Petrou Ralli by comrades that were detained in the prison wing for migrant women on P. Ralli St. after the occupation of the Keratsini Town Hall in solidarity to the 22 persecuted in the “Resalto” social space on 5th December 2009).

The scene is the same as if it were a high security prison; the difference is that no one has committed any “crime” here. The cameras that are everywhere in the cells, apart from the toilets, are an example of how human dignity is violated in here. The detainees are under 24/7 surveillance, they can’t get a moment of privacy and no personal data protection policy is in effect. Even the cell doors are made of iron bars, from top to bottom, and in order to create a somehow private space the detainees have hung bed sheets. “I cannot bear it that everyone walking up and down the corridor can see me”, an immigrant woman told us. The wings made of cement have electric doors of latest technology, windows (some without pane) that look out on… the rest of the cells and are at a height that you cannot reach in order to see what is happening outside. The cells are equipped with “post-modern” beds made of cement (square ones that remind of benches) with worn-out foam rubber on top, a “soft” blanket that resembles emery cloth (exclusively sponsored by the Greek army) and no pillow whatsoever.

Hygiene conditions are non-existent, which explicitly shows the intention to “decompose” the body and to eliminate any characteristic that reminds detainees that they are human. The medieval-style toilets – which often host cute insects such as cockroaches– are only four and superdirty. The idea in the Petrou Ralli St hell is that cleanness is a fallacy [trans: play on words on a popular Greek saying]… Soaps, shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper and sanitary towels are considered “small bourgeois residues” and consequently are unnecessary. Instead of a mirror, they use a piece of plastic that reflects like tinfoil the faces of those who live there for up to 6 months (according to the new law): distorted and partial reflections of persons that eventually forget who they are. All adds up in order to forget your very own existence.

Food is transported daily from GADA [trans: police headquarters] and of course it does not contain milk because there is fear that it will go bad during transportation. Everybody is given an instant coffee, a juice and a chocolate croissant. Even children are given the same (from 12-month babies to 10 year-old boys); age and personal needs do not matter. For lunch we were given bean soup, olives and one loaf of bread per cell to be shared by all the detainees, as well as oranges from Arta [trans: Greek city] at preference. The detainees serve themselves in plastic yoghurt-pots. There is no refectory or special room for food to be served, and they are obliged to place their bread on dirty, miserable blankets. Special needs are not taken into consideration, and diseases like diabetes, intestinal dysfunctions, cardiopathies etc do not receive any special alimentary treatment. We heard the detainees complain that they and their children suffered from itching. Cases of dermatological problems, such as mycoses, scabies, allergies and other kinds of dermatitis are frequent; they are mainly due to the sordid mattresses and the horrendous hygiene conditions in the cells and the toilets. They even face serious problems with their teeth, as they are not given enough bottled water and are forced to drink tap water from the toilets.

The women also talked to us about the aggressive behaviour of their underage children. And what is more reasonable for a child that grows up in prison than to develop an “antisocial” and aggressive behaviour. How can it not hate the world, as it is experiencing it from this hell? It has been marked for life by this experience and we better not dare to ask it in puberty why it’s throwing stones. Surely, in any case, the prisons on P.R. St. are an ideal environment for panic crises and psychosomatic conditions. The human being is a part of nature itself, and therefore it cannot survive in an environment made of cement.

Some prisoners have made artistic interventions to their cells in order to make them feel cosier. A Russian detainee has drawn huge cartoons on the walls. My soul is in pain… she misses her baby. She has transformed the cell into a child’s room. Love graven in hearts, and around the beds graven lines that mark days and months that have gone by. Engraved poems, promises, memoirs, names. In other cells the detainees have made an iconostasis; they have hung pictures of Saints everywhere in an effort to keep their hopes and dreams alive. Above their heads Angelina Jolie and Helen Menegaki [trans: Greek television star] next to shampoo labels, anything that can fill the empty walls.

Communication with the outside world is difficult and only those who have the money to buy a phone card have the possibility to make calls. Even the communication between the detainees is difficult as many of them do not speak nor understand Greek. There are no interpreters whatsoever and communication takes place through eye contact and gestures in an effort to exchange information on daily survival. Of course, this means they are deprived of their right to claim their rights or to be informed on their detention status and the date of their release. Complete isolation and loneliness.

Contact with the air, the rain and the sun is simply zero, as there is no yard to go out to. Detainees can only walk in the corridor (1 meter width and 20 meters length) that is outside the cells. They are deprived of a room where they could sit or do physical exercise; as a consequence they can only walk or lie down, in other words they carry around their pestered body. In this decorative background we saw small kids holding dolls, climbing up the iron bars and walking barefoot on filthy water and liquids of unknown origin. Their shoe laces had been taken away from them, thus they cannot even run. Some older children have understood what’s going on and every spark of life in their eyes has disappeared. Who can explain to them how one day they were returning home after school with their mum and suddenly they found themselves behind prison walls?

About this blog

This blog will try to inform about what happens in Greece, regarding extreme right-wing, fascism, racism, patriotism, nationalsocialism, homophobia and sexism of all kinds.We, who have the responsibility of this blog, are not just antifascists, but we see it as a mean to our struggle for anarchy.We will try to renew it as often as possible.Because we are not some kind of ''experts'' we want to apologise about any language mistakes you may see here, but we think that what is important is to be comprehented and we will try to achive this.Ofcourse any kind of help is necessary, and anyone who want to do so can contact with us.Stay online...