Alexis Grigoropoulos, 10 Years On.

  

      Today, December 6th. marks the tenth anniversary of the murder, by a police officer, in Exachia, Athens, of 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos, a brutal sadistic action that lit the fires of some of the fiercest riots in Greece in recent years. I was in Athens at that time and remember the feeling of outrage and fierce red hot anger that ran through the streets for many weeks after the brutal pointless murder of a youth out on a Saturday evening, having a coffee with friends. It still hasn't subsided, ten years on and the feelings still run high, people find it difficult to forget the murder by a state minion, of an innocent youth, and so they should. His murder is still commemorated, in different ways by different groups.

This from Act For Freedom Now:

           On the evening of 4th December, we made our attack upon the police border control of Exarchia on Voulgaroktonou street. We came with sticks and flaming bottles, and when they saw us they immediately started to panic and run shouting for help. We struck fear into their hearts and sticks onto their heads, fire engulfed at least two policeman and at least one patrol car was burned. We hunted them and made sure it was a night to remember. We also stole some of their equipment (clubs, shields, helmets). When we left, the street had changed its character, transformed from a quiet suburban street with a police checkpoint to a battleground, a site of victory. They also bleed, and we can make them.

         The same night, the state and its mouths reported that there had been a mild and usual attack with no injuries and damages. They hid the action instead of publicizing it for repression propaganda because our action was a success and an example. When we beat them and we win, they have to try their best to hide this as an impossibility, that they are composed of people, that they have weaknesses. They also hide our action because of the anniversary of the assassination of Alexis, as a way of dampening our momentum and isolating our action. If they can’t change the reality of our victory they attempt to change what is spoken. They may believe that they can avoid the fall of their world by silence, but this is an expression of their collapse. We are here to engrave their tombstone.

        The government also accused us of being mafia. This is part of SYRIZA’s program of continuously criminalizing insurrection as an attempt to isolate and mystify our direct response to state and economic warfare. This is also seen inside the movement, by those who collaborate with the state, put rioting on the outside, and call us self-indulgent hooligans.

       The snitches of the movement who attempt to make our passions, desires, and revolutionary strategy alien to us open the back-door to repression. Ten years after the assassination of our comrade and the ensuing revolt, we continue to fight in vengeance and in love, because our struggle creates while it destroys. 2008, our action yesterday, and everything in between was not enough. We gain in these moments of rupture the ecstasy of our collective power, the power to alter our streets, our lives, and our world. Our only regret is that we didn’t do enough. Its these moments that change the world: the planning when our ideas were fluid and fantasy, to the moments just before of anxiety, excitement and boredom, to the calm and beauty of the present of the action, to the reflection and projection afterwards where we felt that our next step would have to be the everything. We must continue until we reach anarchy.

          We are everywhere there is a fight against authority, we are the seed in the burning forest. In our hearts are the insurrections that followed the revolt of Alexis which spread throughout North Africa and the Middle East. These revolts were subdued by dictatorships, theocracy, and the military power of capital, but we still feel their pulse every time we take revolt into our hands. In our hearts are those who fight in the USA, revolting inside and outside of the mass prison system. In our hearts are those who combat the rise of fascism globally (US, Europe, Brazil, etc.). In our hearts are the migrants and solidarians who destroy these recent national lines which attempt to divide our struggle in Greece and everywhere. In our hearts are the anarchists fighting the state in Russia like Mikhail Zhlobitsky who bombed the FSB office in Archangelsk on 31 Octomber. In our hearts are those building and defending the free spaces in France. In our hearts is the Algerian woman murdered in Paris by gas grenade. In our hearts are the indigenous struggles and assassinated comrades in Latin America. Alexis lives in all these struggles, as long as we fight he will never die. We humbly add one more attack to the list.

Death to the bosses, death to the police, death to capital.

Anarchy lives.

-From some of those who participated in the attack.

Visit ann arky's home at radicalglasgow.me.uk

In Defence Of Autonomy.

 

       This year's demonstrations marking the anniversary of the murder by a police officer, of young 15 year old Alexis Gigoropoulos on December 6th. 2008, turned into a confrontation with the repressive police responsible for that murder, and a large group of anarchists. The battle of resistance mainly took place around Exarcheia Square.
      There are estimates that there were 800-1,000 activists involved in that struggle for autonomy around Exarcheia Square, though as far as the babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media were concerned, it never happened.

This report from Anarchist News:

The Exarcheia Commune Rises and Defends Itself, 
a Review of the Battle

Ons Danse le Lachymo…”
Graffiti, France, July 2016
(transl. “We Dance the Teargas”)

“ Comrade, will you watch these while I throw one?” He is tall, masked from head to toe in black, and is known to me. As he speaks he motions to a milk crate stuffed with Molotovs.
“ Sure…go ahead,” I say as I light a cigarette and settle in to guard the precious weapons stash while he tosses the thing at the Social Enemy. Ten minutes later he returns and in spite of the dark night, his black clothing, and the shadow we stand in, he glows with happiness---like the Molotov he just launched, he is alight.
Strategy
The strategy was simple, and for the anarchists new: defend the beating anarchist heart of Athens, of Greece, perhaps the world. Block, stop, and turn back any and all attempts by the Athens Police to get to Exarcheia Square. And do so in a coordinated fashion between all the various groups, teams and squats. Each entity taking responsibility for one or two streets—ensuring they are effectively blocked. This in contrast to previous years when the rioting was scattered, unfocussed and usually developed into clashes around the Polytechnic, the University complex set off several blocks from the Square. This year, the Polytechnic and its environs played no role whatsoever, but Exarcheia Square sure as hell did. Finally, in crystalline form, the strategy was to take and keep liberated territory, to free a community—if only for a few hours.

And further on:

Order of Battle
Anarchists: 800-1,000. Organized as teams of between 5 and 10 fighters. Those from Exarcheia were assigned to various barricades and maintained themselves within their area. Those from outside Exarcheia roamed, the sound of flash bang grenades drawing them to specific streets, militants would frantically move from barricade to barricade as cop charges changed location and intensity. In a lull most hung out in Exarcheia, drank beer, talked, and scrounged for more stuff to throw. The number dwindled over the night to perhaps two hundred when the militants finally dumped arms and hostilities ceased, about 11:00 pm.
Cops: 200-300 (a guess). Based on my observations of the number per charge (20 cops maximum) and the number of barricades being simultaneously probed and harassed—upwards of five, and the number of police needed to provide logistics, support, command, reserves, and to steer traffic well out of the area.
Snapshots
As I sit and write this on the Isle of Lesvos a short 24 hours after the battle a number of scenes come to mind. Sitting in a room discussing preparations for the night, many of the militants standing, pacing, nervous with energy to get started. As I guarded the Molotovs having some Italian comrades wander by. They asked for a Molotov, which I provided and we all agreed that the Greeks had done something very right. Helping a young woman overcome by gas, who, when the Riopan got into her eyes and nose immediately recovered. Like a stoned person suddenly sober-- she straightened, said, “Thank you Comrade,” turned and headed back to the barricade she was attending to. The sight of burning barricades, great arcs of Molotovs fuses sputtering as they flew and struck home in the ranks of the police. The shouting, chanting, laughing, talking--the feeling of really finally being alive. One’s hair standing on end as the flash bangs explode and teargas projectiles clatter on the ground and cloud the street. Finally on my way back to the apartment I was staying at, I noticed a small store open, with several people playing cards at a table in the back. I knocked on the door--needed smokes and something to drink. They motioned me in, and asked where I was from, a few questions and finally one of the older men asked,” So tonight did you see the riots?”
“Yes,” I answered not wanting to give too much away.
“And who are you with, the young people or the cops?”
Hesitantly I said,” The young people, always.”
He smiled broadly and answered,” So are we.”

Read the full article HERE:

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk
 

We Will Not Forget.

 

 In memory of Alexia Gigoropoulos.

      Anyone who is aware of the murder of 15 year old youth, Alexis Gigoropoulos, by a police officer in Exarchia, Athens, in 2008, would be well aware that the people of Athens would not allow the anniversary of his cold bloodied murder to go unmarked. Every year since his murder in 2008, large protests against police violence, have take place on December 6th, in towns and cities across Greece. That evening in, December 6th. 2008, Alexis, like so many youths, was hanging out with his friend Niko Romanos in an open air café in Exarchia. Because of a few words of banter from the youths, a police officer drew his gun and shot 15 year old Alexis, who died on the street in the arms of his friend Niko. Niko went on to become a very committed and involved anarchist, and is now in prison. The state, by its actions, always breeds hate against the state.

 Niko Romanos after his arrest.

     So it would be expected that this year, like the previous years, is no exception, and the people of Greece will shout loud and clear, we do not forget, we will not forgive.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk