The following is taken from an old article on the
unrest in Greece after the killing of 15 year old AlexisGrigoropoulos, shot by a police officer on the 6 December 2008. Most
people agree that the murder of Alexis was the catalyst to the unrest
that still continues in Greece today. The underlying anger had to
come to the surface sooner or later as the people suffered the true
violence of capitalism. Violence is not just that dished out by the
uniformed protectors of the state apparatus, it comes in many guises.
When you are continually on the receiving end of violence you have
the right to self defence and the violence of capitalism is real,
vicious and continuous. The violence of capitalism has always been
there, but the recent “financial crisis” has meant that it has to
be administered with greater severity and over a wider area in order
to preserve the wealth at the top. Under such unrestrained and
relentless violence what should be your response? Do we need to wait
for that catalyst before displaying our anger in the open?
Reflections on the recent unrest in Greece; "The
rise of n
ew organisational forms and contents of struggle is being
discussed by all the insurgent elements"...
‘VIOLENCE means working for 40 years, getting
miserable wages
and wondering if you ever get retired…
VIOLENCE means state bonds, robbed pension funds
and the stock-market fraud…
VIOLENCE means being forced to get housing loans which finally
you pay back as if they were gold…
VIOLENCE means the management’s right to fire you any time they want…
VIOLENCE means unemployment, temporary employment,
400 Euros wage with or without social security…
VIOLENCE means work ‘accidents’, as bosses diminish their workers’ safety costs…
VIOLENCE means being driven sick because of hard work …
VIOLENCE means consuming psycho-drugs and vitamins
in order to cope with exhausting working hours…
VIOLENCE means working for money to buy medicines
in order to fix your labour power commodity…
VIOLENCE means dying on ready-made beds in horrible hospitals,
when you can’t afford bribing.
and wondering if you ever get retired…
VIOLENCE means state bonds, robbed pension funds
and the stock-market fraud…
VIOLENCE means being forced to get housing loans which finally
you pay back as if they were gold…
VIOLENCE means the management’s right to fire you any time they want…
VIOLENCE means unemployment, temporary employment,
400 Euros wage with or without social security…
VIOLENCE means work ‘accidents’, as bosses diminish their workers’ safety costs…
VIOLENCE means being driven sick because of hard work …
VIOLENCE means consuming psycho-drugs and vitamins
in order to cope with exhausting working hours…
VIOLENCE means working for money to buy medicines
in order to fix your labour power commodity…
VIOLENCE means dying on ready-made beds in horrible hospitals,
when you can’t afford bribing.
Proletarians from occupied GSEE, Athens, December
2008
