- Update : Melbourne Anarchists redecorate Greek Consulate-General, hoist black flag …
In the early hours of Thursday the 11th of December, anarchists redecorated the Greek Consulate-General in Melbourne, Australia. The building was painted with slogans in Greek, including ‘The State Assassinates’ (To Kpatos Dolophoni) and ‘The State is the enemy of the people’ (To Kpatos einai ekthros tou laou), as well as ‘RIP Alexandros’ and circle As. A black flag was hoisted on the flag pole — unfortunately, the highly flammable Greek flag had been taken in for the night.
Unsurprisingly, the best — most accurate and up-to-date — accounts of the generalised monkey business going on in Greece may be found in the independent media sector and blogs. Solidarity demos and actions are taking place throughout Europe. Some of the earliest took place in Berlin, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Nijmegen (Holland). Subsequently, in Germany demonstrations took place in Berlin, Bielefeld, Bremen, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Dresden, Frankfurt/Main, Hamburg, Hannover, Jena, Konstanz, Köln, Leipzig, München, Oldenburg, Potsdam, Ravensburg, Rostock and Schneverdingen (so far!). Also Edinburgh and Glasgow (Scotland), Bristol and Newcastle (England). In Spain, actions have taken place in Barcelona and Madrid. Brussels (Belgium) has witnessed actions, as have Nikosia (Cyprus), Warsaw (Poland) and Copenhagen (Sweden). Further rallies are planned for Melbourne (Australia), Wellington (Aotearoa/New Zealand), San Francisco (USA) and elsewhere.
In addition, and in response to expressions of righteous anger on the part of Greek yoof, Greek police have been doing their best to contain the rebellions, and their efforts are being augmented by groups drawn from the Greek fascist and neo-Nazi milieu (unreported in the corporate/state media). In a similar manner to that in which Andreas’ murder is being reinterpreted, through the circulation of defence claims regarding the coroners’ report into his death, as a ‘tragic accident’, the actions of fascist vigilantes and agents provocateur are being uniformly portrayed as the intervention of “concerned citizens”; like the claims regarding the magic bullet which killed Andreas, these counter-narratives are receiving wide and uncritical sponsorship in the corporate/state media. (See, for example, Ugly tactics of the rioters now coming under attack, Marcus Gee, Toronto Globe and Mail, December 10, 2008.)
bloggy goodness
NEA από όλο τον Κόσμο : “The objectivity of the presentation of news is almost impossible. So I simply reproduce what others say, and that seems to be quite effective. A continuous «collage» of news or “arpakola / paste-copy” .. with a few comments of mine .. ”
Center for Strategic Anarchy : “The Center is a syndicate of strategically-minded anarchist soldiers of fortune—psychotic individuals pitilessly destroying post-modern civilization at every available opportunity, living like debonair criminals, the kind of people who use stolen limousines as getaway cars, who build infernal machines that sow chaos and confusion, who obliterate golden calves and stone tablets alike, who eat gods. We are the lords of our Company, the enemies of God, pity, and mercy…”
greece-unrest | libcom.org
occupied london : on the greek riots
tapes gone loose : fiery the angels fell from the spires of my fortress of youth
Teacher Dude’s Grill and BBQ: Random thoughts on teaching EFL/ESL and living in Greece : monkey business in thessaloniki
- See also : General strike, spreading protests rock Greek government, Chris Marsden, wsws.org, December 11, 2008.
d00d, it’s surreal!
Statement from Athens Surrealists
THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY ALWAYS COMES WITH A KNIFE BETWEEN THE TEETH
The ne plus ultra of social oppression is being shot at in cold blood. All the stones, torn from the pavement and thrown at the shields of cops or at the façades of commercial temples, all the flaming bottles that traced their orbits in the night sky, all the barricades erected on city streets, dividing our areas from theirs, all the bins of consumer trash which, thanks to the fire of revolt, came to be Something out of Nothing, all the fists raised under the moon, are the arms giving flesh, as well as true power, not only to resistance but also to freedom. And it is precisely the feeling of freedom that, in those moments, remains the sole thing worth betting on: that feeling of forgotten childhood mornings, when everything may happen, for it is ourselves, as creative humans, who have awoken _ not those future productive human machines known as “obedient subject,” “student,” “alienated worker,” “owner,” “family wo/man.” The feeling of facing the enemies of freedom _ of no longer fearing them.
It is thus for good reason that those who wish to get on with their business as if nothing happens, as if nothing has ever happened, are worried. The phantom of liberty always comes with the knife between the teeth, with the violent will to break the chains, all those chains that turn life into a miserable repetition, serving to reproduce the dominant social relations. Yet from Saturday, December 6, the cities of this country are not functioning properly: no shopping therapy, no open roads leading us to work, no news on the government’s forthcoming recovery initiatives, no carefree switching from one lifestyle TV show to another, no evening drives around Syntagma Sq. etc., etc., etc. These days and nights do not belong to merchants, TV commentators, ministers and cops: These days and nights belong to Alexis!
As surrealists we were on the streets from the start, along with thousands of others, in revolt and solidarity; for surrealism was born with the breath of the street, and does not intend to ever abandon it. After the mass resistance before the State murderers, the breath of the street has become even warmer, even more hospitable and creative than before. It is not in our competence to propose a general line to this movement. Yet we do assume our responsibility in the common struggle, as it is a struggle for freedom. Without having to agree with all aspects of such a mass phenomenon, without being partisans of blind hatred and of violence for its own sake, we accept that this phenomenon exists for a reason.
Let’s not allow this flaming breath of poetry to loosen or die out.
Let’s turn it into a concrete utopia: to transform the world and to transform life!
No peace with cops and their masters!
All in the streets!
Those who cannot feel the rage may as well shut their traps!
Athens Surrealist Group // December 2008 // [email protected]
From a Greek anarchist (who doesn’t live in Greece):
Comrades, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) is preparing to attack violently all those who do not agree with the party’s policy on “national unity” that Greek prime minister Kostas Karamanlis called yesterday. KKE was the first of the parties of the opposition to agree with this anxious proposal.
I know reports (mainly from Athens Indymedia) that KKE has already sent their youth section (KNE) in the universities to close all the Faculties etc and to stop or disrupt all the general assemblies that been scheduled for today (Thursday) or were on for yesterday.
This tactic is not something new for KKE and someone before correctly wrote here that KKE was against anarchists, trotskyists, maoists and everyone else everywhere, in universities and working areas. But their primary hate was against the anarchists.
KKE has a very “proud” history of that, as they did the same, especially in the syndicalist movement, in 1920s and this was how they became the “first power” in the whole movement.
During the German occupation and the war KKE assassinated dozens of trotskyists with the silly charge that they were reactionaries, despite the fact that many of them were part of the rebel forces EAM-ELAS (which was a front line coalition formed and controlled by KKE).
During the uprising against the dictatorship in Polytechnic in 17 November 1973 KKE wasn’t there as a political force and denounced the first almost 300 students, workers etc who actually started the uprising by occupying Polytechnic as “provocateurs” and as “organs of the dark powers who aim at the anomaly of the social and political life in Greece”.
And this is another reason that lots of anarchists in Greece hate the word communist etc.
So, the same they want to do now, as they have done so many times in the (near and far) past. To organise contingents by their members (of course male) with weapons like sticks and buttons etc to attack to the anarchists or everyone else, now that looks that the police is unable to stop the rebellion and of course to confirm their loyalty to the government, as they have done so many times, even in the local elections with common candidates etc.
Any photos from the Consulate floating around?
Dunno. If I come across any, I’ll stick ’em up.
Oh yeah… the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). In Australia, the equivalent organisation is the Communist Party of Australia (CPA). The CPA was formerly known as the “Socialist Party of Australia”, but changed its name to “Communist Party” at the 8th National Congress in October, 1996. The Socialist Party split from the original CPA in 1971.
Stalinists, basically.
The KKE’s current leader (General Secretary) is Aleka Papariga, who’s held the reins since 1991, and been an apparatchik since 1976. She’s also been an MP since 1993; one of 22 KKE reps (out of 300).
The KKE has released a number of statements in English responding to events.
Here they are:
Statement by the Press Bureau of the CC of KNE on the murder of the 15-year-old boy, December 8, 2008
Information about the situation in Greece, December 9, 2008