Protests marking the murder of 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos by the police
I happen to be in Athens on December 6th. 2008 when 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos was murdered by police, shot dead at a cafe in Exarchia, he died in the arms of his young friend Nikos Romanos Two then teenagers whose lives were defined by state violence. I joined some of the protests in Athens that followed this brutal murder. It was awe inspiring to see so many ordinary people on the streets displaying their righteous anger, thousands day after day, prepared to face down the brutal authority of the state. This event should never be forgotten and never be forgiven. No youth should ever be shot dead while out with friends for an evening coffee. Sadly, that is the society we live under and to date, tolerate.
This from Act For Freedom Now:
‘A bullet in the heart of Alexandros to close the circle of the statist machine’s omnipotence. A bloodstain on the Messolonghiou pedestrian street to open the circle of rebellion that wrecked the legal order and sowed chaos and anarchy in all cities throughout Greece.’
– Nikos Romanos, Requiem for a Journey of No Return.
As of today, 6/12/2021, it has been 13 years since the Greek state murdered the anarchist Alexis Grigoropoulos. Alexis was shot by two cops, E. Korkoneas and V. Saraliotis, in the neighbourhood of Exarcheia, following minor clashes with the police. As soon as the news of Alexis’s murder broke, a spontaneous insurrection began. Protests, riots, expropriations and occupations of public buildings were but some of the collective expressions of rage. Despite the attempts of state and capital to depoliticise the murder, we must not forget that Alexis was killed because of his political beliefs – he challenged in practice the authority of the police and, by extension, that of the state. This is the violence faced every day by those whose existence the state deems undesirable, those who are a threat to their social order.
13 years later, the spirit of the December revolt is alive in the resistance of the Anarchist/Anti-Authoritarian movement. As anarchists, we stand in solidarity with all insurrections against the state apparatus worldwide, present and future. Our struggles take place in our streets and neighbourhoods, in our workplaces, schools and universities. We will reclaim our space and our lives.
FROM ATHENS TO SCOTLAND, INSURRECTIONS ARE NOT A UTOPIA.
COPS-FASCISTS-MURDERERS
Clydeside Anarchist Noise.
