Athens, Greece: 19 comrades from anarchist group Rouvikonas arrested during direct action

Nineteen members of the anarchist group Rouvikonas were arrested on Monday following the occupation of the building housing the political office of Independent Greeks, a far-right political party that's part of the current coalition government. According to witnesses, nearby streets were blocked by police vans while riot police guarded all entrances into the building. The arrestees are indicted on misdemeanor charges for disturbing the peace and illegal space occupation, while their reluctance to have their photographs taken could result in charges of disobedience.

Excerpts of the announcement made by the anarchist group follow below:

''The majority, the weak, those who are always paying the price are called once again to contribute to the exit from a crisis created by the segregation of wealth in the hands of a minority. Since 2010 people have endured an unprecedented violation of basic rights won through struggles and sacrifices. The government policies leading to unemployment, starvation salaries, extreme taxation and impoverishment, aim to enforce regulations that will benefit the capital and increase the earnings of a domestic and foreign elite. The government presented these policies as inevitable, necessary and a duty.

We already went through the first memorandum imposed by the PASOK government, by politicians who had publicly stated that ''there is enough money''. Then followed the second memorandum of the coalition government PASOK-New Democracy who had promised a hard negotiation with the loan sharks. Finally, the third memorandum was introduced by the Syriza-Independent Greeks coalition government, despite their promise to ''tear the memorandum''. The president of the Independent Greeks had specifically and emphatically said that he will not tolerate the imposition of new taxes but he obviously changed his mind after the elections.

(...)

The capitalist system will always find new tricks when the old ones are no longer effective for the promotion of its own interests. We witnessed the management of the state authority by different political parties in succession, parties that initially appeared as the saviours of the people but essentially served the interests of the capital. The latest trick is the Syriza-Independent Greeks coalition government that's been branded as pro-grassroots. But its role was always the same: to mitigate social struggles, which could not be done by authority-worn political parties. When the current government fails, the tactic of universal management is to be deployed next. The first signs of universal management are revealed in the votes in favour of the third memorandum by the entire political system and the ongoing pleas of New Democracy towards Syriza to form a coalition government (before the elections).

The hypocrisy is apparent in the position of Independent Greeks as well as Syriza, which for years seemed to be having irreconcilable differences only to forget everything overnight in the prospect of gaining and sharing power.

The role of Independent Greeks in this government is on the one hand to reassure the most conservative segments of society through various communicational absurdities such as the prevention of building a mosque in Eleonas area, the dropping of a flower wreath above Imia and the tragicomic ceremony in Salamis. On the other hand, on the level of geopolitics, Independent Greeks are to reassure the U.S., the E.U. and the N.A.T.O. with positive remarks on the creation of a new N.A.T.O. base in the Aegean and the provision of support to the Ukrainian state via the healthcare treatment of Ukrainian nazi paramilitaries in Greek military hospitals.

At the same time, as the lives of workers are becoming more difficult, so the lives of imprisoned fighters are worsening through the implementation of unprecedented harsh measures that even the military jounta did not implement.

Specifically, the mothers, sisters and wives of fighters are put in jail and even after release they are ostracized in islands -Athena Tsakalou is forced to remain within the limits of Salamina island- or are forced to live within the confines of an imaginary barbed-wire 1km away from their homes- such as the case of Evi Statiri's conditional release.

 It's obvious that these decisions are political in their nature and judicial in their position, which is why we DEMAND the cancellation of the restrictive conditions imposed upon Athena Tsakalou and Evi Statiri and the release of Maria Theofilou, wife of G.Petrakakos. We also DEMAND the immediate release of polytrauma patient Savvas Xiros and the immediate granting of educational furloughs to the student Nikos Romanos.

In today's political circumstances speaking about solutions and finding ways out seems difficult. Whatever course of action is chosen if this deviates from the one determined by the centres of power of the ruling classs, we are to face a ruthless war. We think that in this stage, people and society in general, must fulfill their part in the context of class war, which must be intensified.

On the financial level, refusing to pay and opposing unfair taxes and measures such as the property tax ENFIA, the ''solidarity'' contribution and the house auctions of citizens' first home, is a weapon whose co-ordinated use by large segments of society can destabilize the state and its mechanisms.''

NO NEGOTIATION WITH THE DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL 
RESIST THE NEW MEASURES 
GET OUT ON THE STREETS

(via BlackCat)

Athens, Greece: Election kiosks torched & vandalized in solidarity with anarchist prisoners

On Saturday 19/9 at dawn, we tried to disrupt even temporarily the conformism of the petty masses. As the crowd was sharpening its passivity, ready once again to show its complicity by supporting the authoritarian structure, we tried to actively declare our complicity with the anarchist prisoners, who carry out their own fight against the isolation and alienation their are subjected to in the condition of imprisonment.

Evi Statiri, partner of Gerasimos Tsakalos, is on a hunger strike since 14/9 demanding only the termination of her unjustified detention. Evi Satiri, victim of the authority’s generalized power expansion strategy is imprisoned in the cells of democracy since 2/3 when she  was arrested together with Angeliki Spyropoulou and Athena Tsakalou in Salamina and is accused of being member of a terrorist organization without any evidence whatsoever . It is certain that Evi is not held hostage by the state by accident. Authority, beyond the psychological test to which it wishes to put the comrades of CCF in order to avenge them for their consistent and uncompromising aggressive attitude, has a much more dangerous target in its plans. The democratic totalitarianism of order, legality, safety, quietness, commodities, and economic domination wants to eliminate everything that questions the choices which the masses are allowed to consume from its one-dimensional reality of the spectacle.

The total expansion of a reality with predefined movement limits doesn’t allow its questioning, much more the transfer from the abstract space of ideas to the physical armed confrontation with the materializations of institutional power. Those who negate the existent, should firstly be punished and eliminated and secondly, since no punishment can erase events, have their choices isolated, marginalized, ridiculed and communicated in the rational control tanks and their bearers. Anarchists urban guerrillas who attempt a radical deconstruction of modern life, should literally disappear from the social terrain in order for the smooth operation of the system and it is a natural consequence by which no one should be surprised that family members and friends are prosecuted, following their choice to have relationships with people whose history should be deleted from the social memory.

Under these conditions we wanted to disrupt the daily flow of news, information and events of an election campaign, we placed incendiary devices at two election kiosks, one of the Communist Party and one of SYRIZA in Ano Patissia, and vandalized one kiosk of ND (New Democracy) in Kifissia. Although there are many reasons to attack these political parties, the choice was essentially arbitrary, so we will bother explaining any special reasons for these attacks since as anarcho-nihilists we are hostile towards every political structure. The time frame of the attack however was not arbitrary at all. Our choice to attack a day before the elections was aimed to disrupt the democratic spectacular relations where domination demonstrates its ideological omnipotence. Elections also are fully adapted to the existence of the modern slave who was asked to give away a life whose rights have already been taken, to the hands of a specialist. The votes deposited in the ballot box bear the imprints of an abandoned life and a rented consciousness whose every desire is the product of social imperatives, independent only to the extend that it confirms the one-dimensional civilization of the authoritarian world.

It is obvious that the choices and issues of anarchist prisoners have no place within the borders of domination and that is why we as anarchists take up the task of establishing the flow of our own world against those who in the face of the fear of a chaotic life chose to seek refuge in the smoothness of authoritarian realism. In contrast with the procedures for managing the masses, the issues concerning anarchist comrades are directly linked to us and we are prepared to assist them when necessary. Far from reproducing nihilistic intellectualism and the commodified notion of violence for violence, expressed by discontented crowds, let us go on the offensive always according to our desire for action. Let us put an end to the graphic reproduction of phrases spoken too many times and harmless slogans and let us begin to live the war for which so much ink has been spilled.

Immediate release of the hunger striker Evi Statiri, not because her imprisonment is “illegal” or “unjust” but because we demand it.

Immediate granting of educational prison leaves to Nikos Romanos

WAR ON DEMOCRACY

DEATH TO LAW

DEATH TO SOCIETY


Nihilists for the total attack against the existent

(via Inter Arma)

Greece: TEI Athens occupied in solidarity with Nikos Romanos, Evi Statiri & Athena Tsakalou

13.09.15: Today anarchists have begun an occupation of the Technological Education Institute of Athens in solidarity with Nikos Romanos, Evi Statiri and Athena Tsakalou. 

The occupiers are demanding that prison authorities grant Nikos Romanos the educational leave that he is entitled to - recall that the comrade was granted educational leave by the Greek government following his 31 day hunger strike in late 2014. Many months later and the prison authorities are still stalling and refusing to grant him the leave.

The occupiers are also demanding the immediate release of Evi Statiri who is still being held hostage by the Greek state for the 'crime' of being the life partner of Conspiracy of Cells of Fire member Gerasimos Tsakolos and for the restrictive conditions imposed against Athena Tsakalou, the mother of CCF members Gerasimos and Christos Tsakolos, to be lifted.

The occupiers released a communique explaining the reasons for their action HERE (Greek language).

Solidarity with the occupiers of TEI Athens!

Direct granting of educational leave for Nikos Romanos!

Immediate release of Evi Statiri!

Immediate lifting of the restrictions against Athena Tsakalou!

Athens, Greece: Incendiary solidarity with Evi Statiri and Athena Tsakalou

At dawn on September 2, 2015 we torched:

- 2 National Bank ATMs in the neighborhood of Galatsi
- 1 ATM of Alpha Bank in Patisia district
- 1 Piraeus Bank ATM in the suburb of Peristeria
- as well as smashing a Piraeus Bank ATM in the district of Galatsi

Our only motivation was our desire to attack. Attacking a prison-society that tries to mold, discriminate and classify our needs, desires and relationships and adapt them to serve it's objectives: the perpetuation of a system of repression and the strategic manipulation of subjectivity and diversity.

The commitment we have to succeed as anarchists is the following one: ensuring that we impose the flow of our world that runs on the rhythms that determine our anarchistic wills away from the lights of the machines of Power; against the social reality of economic, scientific and ideological domination, the morality of commerce and of a world that is classified and commodified to produce questions with ready-made answers.

Against this framework of domination we choose to continue insurrectionist action in the here and now. It is clear that the apparatus of power will do all that it can to repress anything that is opposed to the economizing of life. This has the consequence of it being socially acceptable for power to be applied to the greatest extent in prisons. In the dungeons of democracy there are those who choose to act on the basis of their desires for freedom instead of accepting servitude and nonexistence. The anarchist prisoners are our comrades in the war against the existent and we are not going to abandon them to their fates between the jaws of the judicial complex of shit. We must not forget our imprisoned comrades but we do not have to idolize them. We would like to make it clear that we do not fear the consequences of our actions nor any questions or doubts about their value. 

The prisoner's positions have remained consistent and unaltered despite the conditions of their confinement. This is why the authorities uses the dirtiest methods to try and break them. The organs of Power with their characteristic vendetta do not hesitate to criminalize solidarity as well as family and personal relationships making it's vindictive mania even more obvious - as in the case of Athena Tsakalou, mother of Gerasimos and Christos Tsakalos and of the life partner of Gerasimos, Evi Statiri.

This first wave of attacks is a response to the vindictive blows of the State, as well as a signal of solidarity with anarchist prisoners worldwide.

FREEDOM FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN THE CELLS

IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF EVI STATIRI

LIFT THE RESTRICTIVE MEASURES AGAINST ATHENA TSAKALOU

- Burning Horizons

(via Contra Info, translated into English by Insurrection News)

Athens, Greece: Arson attack against a Porsche dealership in Glyfada

An unknown anarchist group has claimed responsibility for an arson attack against a Porsche dealership in the upmarket Athens suburb of Glyfada on July 27, 2015. The blaze caused serious damage to many cars and to the dealership building itself. It took 21 firefighters to extinguish the blaze. The communique claiming responsibility for the attack was posted on Athens Indymedia website. Here are some translated excerpts from the communique:

"So this time on Monday morning, July 26 we chose to attack the dealership of luxurious Porsche cars in the Glyfada area on Vouliagmeni avenue. We set fire to all the vehicles in the outer courtyard of the dealership and, to our great joy, due to explosions from the fuel tanks of the cars major damage was caused to the interior of the building."

"Glyfada is an eminently bourgeois area, a sterile area, where the surveillance of the privileged bourgeoisie is synonymous with safety. A residential area that offers 'high quality of life' where the bastards who exploit us flaunt their wealth, which is of course our own blood in every way."

"We must clarify that the choice of target was not because we focus on the fact that it is a company of German interest. It was because of the luxury that comes because of the 'specifity' of the present location. It  is a prime symbol - a totem displaying the wealth and prosperity enjoyed by the bourgeoisie."

"HAIL TO THE GLASS BANNERS OF DEAD IDEOLOGY!

FIRE AND MORE TO ALL THAT SYMBOLIZES THE VICTORY OF CAPITALISM!

CLASS AGAINST CLASS UNTIL THE END OF THIS WORLD!

REVOLUTION FIRST AND ALWAYS!"

*Photos are taken from Greek corporate scum reports of the attack

Greece: Chronicle of a leftist suicide

The following text was sent to us by the comrades from ContraMadriz, a web-portal for contra-information based in Madriz, Spain. The text is an English translation of a text written by Greek comrades reflecting on recent events in Athens and some of the current trends in Greek anarchist circles. 

The Chronicle of a leftist suicide

Faced with the misery that exists in Greece in recent years, the leftist
coalition of SYRIZA seized the power in January 2015, waiving the flag
of patriotic hope and of the supposed European principles of democracy,
equality and solidarity.

The events of these last weeks lead us to the conclusion that it was
merely a smoke bomb or even a populist illusion. Either one or the
other, the bomb exploded.

Since the announcement of the referendum -that managed to mobilize
thousands of people with different orientations, desires and needs-,
there were several interpretations though the question was clear: yes or
no to the austerity deal proposed by the EU?

The result, well, who cares? It is obvious how much they care for their
beloved democracy! On July 15, austerity measures still pending since
the previous memorandum were voted by the Parliament, in order for their
European partners to approve a new rescue program, including not only
what the 62% of voters rejected in the referendum of July 5th, but more
and even harder, opening the way to house evictions and more misery for
the next three years.

We, still have unfinished business with this political abomination that
in recent years infiltrated various projects, collectives and spaces of
struggle, handing promises in exchange for votes of the anarchist / 
anti-authoritarian movement. Ever since N. Romanos hunger
strike, his pre-election propaganda was filthy, but still several
anarchist tendencies voted for a leftist administration, although the
recent massive hunger strike of the -over 30 -imprisoned comrades made
clear the intentions of this government.

Undoubtedly, the repression of recent governments and a controversial
spectre of "revolutionary" subjects caused this rupture to the A/A
movement. The presence of  more "red and light red" tendencies swept
away several comrades and the movement´s radicalization was lost during
the last year and a half. This is yet to be discussed and analysed.

No matter this alliance, some of us did not believe at any time these
promises and a “better” leftist administration. Some of the most
important historical examples are good to show exactly what was to
happen once they had taken the power. We never thought that repression
was to cease or that they were to keep their promises to our comrades;
we did not get carried away nor sacrificed our anarchist discourse and
practice on behalf of a massive social awareness.

Instead, we decided to respond with our presence in Syntagma Square.
Without pacts, without concessions, the conflict returned to the street.
After more than a year of silence, the centre of Athens once again got
full of life and light. The fire that swept lit banks, television vans
and made the cops dancing once again.

But do not forget that every battle has its cost. Among the 13 arrested
that night, most were comrades. For them and for all who come next, our
solidarity and response is out again at the street.


Stay tuned!

Greece: Personal vehicles of cops torched in memory of Spyros Dravilas

SPYROS DRAVILAS’ LAST FLIGHT

Absolutely true accounts of prisoners back then, say that when Spyros Dravilas (who until then pretended to be a rich kid who liked to fly around with helicopters) ordered the pilot to fly down over the prisons of Korydallos, Vassilis Paleokostas was waving a red banner with Che Guevara on it, in order to signal the landing spot in the yard of the 1st wing.

What an unbelievably beautiful moment when “… one more attack on this world was put into motion…”.

Spyros Dravilas lived the years that followed on the edge, with moments of attack on the world of uniformed murderers, of money, of snitching, of the correctional beast. And maybe his exit could not
have been carried out in a less absolute way than the way he lived.

So in order for us to honour his memory, on Monday June 8th we torched the personal vehicles of cops on Dikearhou Street in Gouva area and Grammou Street in Marousi area. The memory of Spyros Dravilas should remain for ever alive in the  thoughts of those who continue the war,inside and outside the prisons.

A raised fist and strength to anarchist Grigoris Tsironis and to Spyros Christodoulou.

(via act for freedom now!)

Greece: Incendiary attacks against Groupama Insurance & McQuilling Partners by Commando Emile Henry

Inter Arma received and translated:

“My hands don’t get used to the artificial connection in virtual universes. Connected lives in wireless networks, my eyes search for the eternal fire of rebellion among the multitude of corpses and only in isolated gazes, the conscious individual emerges with dagger eyes that resists dying in the democratic cemetery. Before going to sleep I embrace chaos as an idea that liberates my body and my mind Because after all, it makes me feel alive. I do not want to search for the grail that will liberate future societies. My fingers search for the bloody flight of the destruction of the chains of the rhythmic fire, of the close fire of power and its masters.”

Mauricio Morales Duarte

This day, six years ago,* comrade Mauricio Morales was heading to the school for prison guards in Santiago, in distant Chile, when suddenly the bomb, which he intended to place there, exploded prematurely depriving him of his life. Six years later, today at dawn, we carried out a double arson attack as a minimum tribute to the memory of the comrade.

We mined a two-storey building on Vouliagmenis avenue in Elliniko, where the offices of the insurance company Groupama Insurance (a subsidiary of the multinational banking group with the same name) and the offices of the multinational shipping company McQuilling Partners are co-located, placing four improvised incendiary devices. With this action we do not anticipate an impact on or the understanding by neither the willingly obedient mass of peaceful citizens nor the irredentist “professionals” of the movement. Of course, the recognition and appropriation of anarchist violent action by young comrades is a positive perspective. However, we do not see this as a condition or constraint for going on the offensive. That would be hypocritical, because part of our mentality and orientation, beyond the theoretical constitution and practice, remains the constant satisfaction of our instincts and desires, something which is far from negligible.

The reference to comrades who acted in past eras, even in other countries of the world, doesn’t aspire to be part of some sort of encyclopaedic record to be used by all types publicist and forgers of history and of our struggle. Neither do we want to give lessons of revolutionary history. Besides, the people more appropriate to talk about struggles of the past are the comrades who are in enemy hands for their choices and the people close to those who fell in battle. Through our actions, we keep alive the memory of the fallen and embody from our bastion the vision of those who were captured by the state!

Every gesture, every word, every syllable, every smile and every breath of anarchist fighters is proof that the anarchist war against the status quo doesn’t retreat, doesn’t get bought, intimidated or compromised and finally that it remains on the edge of the razor of the struggles for individual and collective liberation, despite the continuous suppressive shielding of domination by all means and the hits the anarchist structures and comrades have taken worldwide. The lives of our comrades are priceless and irreplaceable!

Our solidarity with the imprisoned anarchist comrades co-exists in the struggle itself and is daily verified via small and big actions. It is not activated by the method of a metaphysical or petty political automation, because in that case it simply doesn’t exist. Our solidarity is a condition of constant war against the world of authority and a sinful comradely relationship that sometimes remains hidden, like childhood loves, and conspires away from the prying eyes of the babylonian society and sometimes is unpredictably expressed by desecrating the sacred social values. Solidarity with the comrades in war, before and after the prosecutions, with or without a hunger strike!

Through this action of ours, we are given the chance to talk about some serious cases that take place not only in Greece but in Chile also, and about which, we’d like to say so much and do much more:

1. Today, the appeal court of Revolutionary Struggle started in the special court of Korydallos prisons, where Kostas Gournas and Nikos Maziotis, members of the organization and comrades Vaggelis Stathopoulos and Christoforos Kortesis are being trialed. We are confident that the imperious attitude of all comrades, just like in the first trial of the organization, will be a source of inspiration and a bright example of fighting for the rebellious of our generation. A raised fist for the wanted revolutionary Pola Roupa who has claimed responsibility for her participation in the organization. We never forget nor forgive the death of Lambros Fountas, who fell dead with his gun in his hand by police gunfire. Let the anarchist fighters’ trials become convictions of the state and the bosses!

2. Since April 14, comrades Juan Flores, Guillermo Duran and Nataly Casanova, prisoners of war of the Chilean state, are on a hunger strike claiming, inter alia, the end of prosecutions based on DNA and the end of harassments towards their friendly and family environment. (Without any intention to prioritize, we deliberately mention these certain demands, as they remind us of the recent mass hunger strike of the anarchist prisoners in our country and highlight the clearance in which both the struggles inside prison and also the state repressive practices in two different continents take place). Since May 18, in solidarity with their struggle, rebellious prisoners Marcelo Villarroel, Freddy Fuentevilla, Carlos Gutiérrez, Juan Aliste, Alejandro Astorga, Hans Niemeyer, Alfredo Canales are also on a hunger strike. 

Strength to the imprisoned hunger strikers in Chile!

Let our rebellious existence and aggressive activity haunt the metropolises of capitalism and the rotten social status quo…

Because when in your heart freedom, love and anarchy accompany its attacks, anarchy doesn’t die in the mouth but triumphs in active hands.

LONG LIVE INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST SOLIDARITY

LONG LIVE VIOLENT SUΒVERSIVE MEMORY

For wild life and freedom

For the International Conspiracy of Revenge

COMMANDO EMILE HENRY

*Note from insurrection news - The day the communique refers to is the 22nd of May    
                       

Greece: Siemens offices in Athens occupied by anarchists

The offices of the German multinational company Siemens in Maroussi, Athens has been occupied by about 30 anarchists. The comrades entered the offices and were able to get the workers to leave the building without any violence. The symbolic occupation is taking place as part of actions to publicize a congress against capital and imperialism that has been called for the 28th of May. As the time of this article's writing police were already in attendance outside the offices. 

(via athens indymedia)