Solidarity to the squats, the anarchist and social movement in Greece
Wanneer: 17/11/2019 - 14:00
We support the demonstration organised by the Vrije Bond in solidarity with the anarchist movement in Greece https://www.indymedia.nl/node/46947
Since August 2019 a new repression wave began against the squats in Exarchia in Athens and other cities in Greece. Several immigrant and anarchist squats and social centres have been evicted till now. This comes with the dogma of “law and order” from the recently elected new government of the right-wing party “New Democracy”. However, it is just continuing the repression of the previous government led by the leftist party of SYRIZA in another form.
The previous 4.5 years, SYRIZA succeeded to repress the social movements of Greece in a way that no previous government could do it. After “selling” hope to the society that a radical change will come, they applied the same neoliberal policies and austerity measures as the previous ones. This way people got disappointed and the majority stop being active in the radical movements. The same time eviction of squats and the war on those whose voices could not be heard, the immigrants, was happening all those years. So, the new government comes now ready to put an end to all the voices of resistance.
They initially passed a law which abolishes the university asylum, where the police could not enter a university without a permission by the Rector. This was achieved when the rebellion against the dictatorship in Greece began in 17 November 1973. All the next years, the spaces in the universities were a place in which the different movements came together and various parts of society could socialize and get organized there (students, workers, radical leftists, anarchists). In addition, a reform in the education system is coming up to discipline more the students and open a door for the profits of private companies.
Then, the state attacks the immigrants in plenty of ways. Lots of them are dying in the sea trying to pass from Turkey to Greece, those who survive are staying in camps in horrible conditions. Most of them are in the islands in the borders with Turkey, where the facilities are made to host far less people. Others are held in detention centres and police stations (such as in Petrou Ralli, Athens) without any specific accusations waiting for months if they can be transferred in camps or be legalized. Those who dare to rebel are tortured by the police and some are deported violently back to Turkey. The same time, the state evicts the immigrant squats and social centres because they are afraid of a connection of the immigrants with the social movements. All these, come in hand with the EU anti-immigration policies building a fortress Europe.
The squatting and anarchist movement in Greece is one of the few voices which are remaining to resist and rebel against the state repression and the further capitalistic exploitation of the society. The state wants to put an end to such voices. The mainstream media show that the “cleansing” of the radical district of Exarchia in Athens and squats in other cities will be beneficial for the citizens. The authorities turn the public opinion to believe that those who resist and deny the dominant norms of this society are against the society, when in fact they are against the authorities and the power. Thus, those who do not accept the policies of the state will be appeared to be the “garbage” of society that must be cleaned out. The police have also moved drug dealers to the square of Exarchia to show that their presence is required there against any “criminal” activities. The events of the past months showed that the only ones who are struggle against the mafias and drug dealing are the residents and anarchists of Exarchia and the police only attacks the squats.
Similar policies occur in the Netherlands and in Amsterdam. New laws against squatting, gentrification of neighbourhoods with increasing housing rates and a target to commercialise every aspect of our lives. There is also a vast exploitation of immigrant temp workers who come from poorer countries.
Enough is enough! We not only stand with our comrades in Greece, the squatting movement, those who resist, the immigrants, but we fight against all these policies which produce and reproduce the state repression, the capital and power relations, racism and manipulation of the immigrants.
FROM NETHERLANDS TO GREECE, AGAINST STATE REPRESSION
SOLIDARITY TO SQUATS, SOCIAL CENTRES AND OCCUPIED PUBLIC SPACES
AGAINST FORTRESS EUROPE, PAPERS TO ALL IMMIGRANTS
DEMONSTRATION 17/11/2019, 14:00
Van Beuningenplein, Amsterdam
Anarchist Group Amsterdam
www.agamsterdam.org
aga@agamsterdam.org