The Invisible.

         A few words for those millions that suffer poverty and deprivation in this system of inequality and greed. For the migrants fleeing death and destruction with just the clothes on their back. For the homeless, the marginalised, for those invisible to the arrogant, greedy masters of this economic system of injustice, inequality and exploitation. For those cast aside for plunder and profit, a price will be paid for your pain.

 The Invisible.

We live there— yes— there
A little bit above the dead
But quite a bit below the living
Where poverty is a dream
Deprivation a reality
Our daily bread an illusion
We sigh--we weep—
As ruthless poverty
With its cold claws
Tears the heart from our children
We ask—WHY?
Surrounded by opulence
Invisible to arrogant greed
Anger simmers beneath the surface
We seek justice
We will have equality
If blood is the price
So be it.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

State Control.

       Recently all the focus of street protests have been on police brutality and rightly so. The recent police killing in Glasgow of an asylum seeker, has shifted some of that focus to how abysmal is the life of asylum seekers here in the UK. However what we should be aware of is that police brutality and the inhumane treatment of asylum seekers and migrants are not two separate issues, they are both organised aspects of the state apparatus. The police are recruited, funded, trained and protected from any real accountability to the public, by the state and its mouthpiece the media. Likewise, asylum seekers are the product of the state policy of, we are different, the British way of life, the spirit of "we brits" therefore better than those others over there. The states create borders and to help protect them the breed patriotism, the barrier to unity, and will expect you, or coerce you, into laying down your life to protect those imaginary lines drawn in the Earth. The fact that people leave their homes, family and loved ones, usual to get away from deprivation, persecution and death, make an extremely hazardous journey half way across the world and when they arrive here, they are deemed to be different, lesser, so need to be herded up, stored in inhumane conditions, robbed of their basic human rights, while their "betters" scrutinize their suitability to stay, is just another aspect of the state's injustice and inhumanity. Police brutality, asylum seekers and migrant, camps, detention centres, call them what you will, but barbaric prisons would be a better title, are necessary functions of the state in its never ending desire for control over a submissive population. 

Photo courtesy of RawStory.

     Somehow we are supposed to believe that teachers, bar staff, office workers, labourers, bus drivers, students from places like war torn Syria are different and inferior than teachers, bar staff, office workers, labourers, bus drivers, students, who happen though an accident of birth, live here in this collection of islands called the United Kingdom.

      You wish to end police brutality, and the abhorrent treatment of migrants, then you can highlight these injustices, but to remedy these problems you will have to get rid of the root cause, the state system and its economic master the capitalist system. 

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Migrants & Solidarity.

      Migrant centres, camps or call them what you will, prisons would probably be a more accurate name, go hand in hand with violence, intimidation, humiliation and denial of human rights. This is easily verified by a little research into reports from those detained. Since these degrading institutions are ordered, created and organised by the state, what this highlights is another strand of the states vindictive, callous, psychopathic,  violent, racist structure. As another display of the state's callous brutality, in most cases it hands these institutions over to private corporations to run them at a profit, making money from human degradation and misery, operated by the low life that calls this "a job". It is an inhumane society that treats those fleeing war, famine, deprivation and death in such a threatening and vicious manner. A society that doesn't have compassion for all human life is a flawed and failed society. Police brutality on the outside, state violence on the inside, two sides of the same coin, are the pillars of a this society, built on plunder, privilege, exploitation, intimidation and control.

The following from Anarchists Worldwide:

        Recently it became publicly known that systematic violence is perpetrated against refugees in the federal asylum camp in Basel (Switzerland). Obviously this violence is neither an isolated case nor is it limited to the asylum camps in Switzerland.

       This violence is systematic and the system has names. Those responsible are internationally represented and operate in many different places. Let’s name them and show them that their actions bear consequences.

The spread of the coronavirus has highlighted the violence of the European migration regime – both at the EU external border as well as in local asylum camps and prisons.

        This call wants to continue the intensified struggles against it.

What are federal asylum camps?

     Since the spring of 2019, asylum seekers in Switzerland are being administered in so-called federal asylum centres. The accelerated asylum procedures related to the erection of these new structures do not result in fairer procedures for most of the persons affected, but in faster deportation. The federal asylum camps are often geographically isolated. The type of construction, the location, as well as the rules imposed are reminding of prisons and other institutions that deprive people of their freedom. They are contributing to the racist constructs of the nation state and borders.

Whether the Swiss federal asylum centres, the German anchor centres, the CIE (Centro di Identificazione ed Espulsione/ Centro de Internamiento de Extranjeros) or the French CPA (Centre de Premier Accueil): they are all part of the European migration regime, which categorises, isolates and deports people by force and coercion.

      For the maintenance of these camp structures, various sectors must be covered. The include, for example, construction, administration, delivery of food, transportation, servicing, surveillance and security services.

All these tasks are entrusted to companies that profit financially from the precarious situation of people in search of asylum.

What is happening is Basel?

      Reports from witnesses show that in the federal asylum camp in Basel people from the Maghreb are deliberately harassed, abused, beaten and in some cases seriously injured by employees of the Security AG. The disciplinary measures referred to by Securitas as “self-defence” often end in hospital for those persons affected.

        Securitas is mandated and gets covered by the camp operator ORS and the SEM (State Secretariat for Migration): Those persons affected by the mistreatment are being blamed for any incidents. The injuries inflicted by Securitas employees are racist portrayed in the official reports as self-inflicted injuries by “aggressive North Africans”.

     The federal asylum camp in Basel is located directly next to the (deportation-) prison “Bässlergut”. Both in the prison and in the camp, there was and still is resistance from detainees. Actions and attacks against these institutions also take place outside the walls.

Further info:

        Documentation brochure of the Securitas violence in Basel (in German): https://3rgg.ch/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/3RGG_Immer-ein-Grund-uns-zu-schlagen_2020-1.pdf

   Information and past actions concerning the Bässlergut (in German): https://barrikade.info/tag/74

On the security business

       In Switzerland, Securitas AG is mainly responsible for “security and order services” in the federal asylum camps. Protectas is also deployed in the camps. Protectas is the Swiss version of the internationally active Securitas Group (logo with the three red dots), which has nothing to do with Securitas AG in Switzerland (eye logo).

There are many other companies that offer these services and thus carry out the direct oppression and control of people through psychological and physical violence.

On the “Organization for Regie and Special Projects (ORS)”

       In Switzerland, ORS has a near monopoly in the management of asylum camps. It operates internationally in Italy, Germany, Austria and Spain (under development) and has an EU office in Belgium.

ORS Service GmbH
Muthgasse 36
AT-1190 Wien
+43 (0)1 8906666-808
info@orsservice.at www.orsservice.at
www.orsintegration.at

ORS Deutschland GmbH
Albert-Schweitzer-Str. 16
D-78052 Villingen-Schwenningen
+49 (0)7721 697 18 40
info@orsdeutschland.de

ORS Deutschland GmbH
Güterhallenstrasse 4
D-79106 Freiburg
Tel. +49 (0)761 769 931 20
info@orsdeutschland.de

ORS S.r.l.
Piazza Annibaliano 18
I-00198 Roma
Italia
info@ors-italia.com www.ors-italia.com

ORS Group
14b Rue de la Science
1040 Bruxelles
Belgium
info@ors-group.eu www.ors-group.eu

Further addresses (in Switzerland) of responsible companies can be found in the call at https://barrikade.info/article/3517

++++ This is a call! ++++

For solidarity beyond national borders. Let’s fight together against the Fortress Europe and all its pillars!

 Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Social Control.

      We can be sure that the state will use this pandemic as a platform for experimenting with new social controls that it can tweak and introduce after this pandemic is over. Social distancing, limited numbers at certain events, will continue for quite a while, and will be enhanced and modified to increase control over the population. The longer it goes on, the more they hope the public will become accustomed to some form of these measure. We have to vigilant and determined to ensure that all those restrictions introduced because of the pandemic must be totally scrapped as soon as this pandemic is under control. They will not do this willingly, it will require our determined and organised effort to unsure this happens.

      The following is an extract from an article on the Greek state's actions during this pandemic, from Crimethinc: 

 

 

       Night is especially scary; teams of Delta police can be seen riding around in motorcycle gangs, beating and arresting people at random, chiefly non-white immigrants. On top of this, gatherings of 30 to 50 cops can be seen at various checkpoints, flagrantly violating the social distancing protocol that is the justification for the lockdown in the first place. This sort of opportunism would be comical if it weren’t so oppressive for the most vulnerable residents.
     However, disdain for the police behavior is widespread, even among residents who were annoyed by Exarchia’s squats and riots in the past. We are certain that when the lockdown measures are eased, resistance will return with a vengeance.
      The state has done everything it can to blame the public if social distancing efforts fail. The state and corporate media have spread fabricated videos of people not respecting social distance in order to turn Greek society against itself. The state is using this pandemic to experiment with martial law, even enforcing prohibitions on swimming and fishing. Such measures serve to test what Greek people will put up with in order to refine plans for future authoritarian efforts to change this society, especially considering that the IMF now anticipates an even worse economic downturn than the recession of 2008.
    All across the country, Greek police are ticketing homeless people for violating the lockdown as a consequence of lacking shelter, ticketing immigrants at a higher rate and targeting the most vulnerable on the pretext of enforcing safety measures. The Greek state has also evicted student housing throughout Athens, a step they likely hope will make it easier to privatize the university system in the future. They are also using the text message system via which residents request permission from the state to go outside to collect information about the general population.
     In short, the Greek state that slashed funding for medical facilities and accelerated the privatization of health care is dealing with the pandemic by escalating state control and social manipulation. In early April, when doctors and other workers at the Evangelismos hospital in central Athens tried to stage a demonstration demanding more protective equipment, an army of police swarmed in to shut it down. In addition to ordering direct assaults on medical staff, the authorities have also told Greek medical workers that they are forbidden to speak publicly to the press about issues relating to the pandemic.

Well worth while to read the full article HERE: 

 Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk 

One Race.

      The incident in this post happens day and daily, in different degrees of harassment and intimidation in cities across the world. The nationalist fervour that is prevalent in our cities is a disease that we have to root out. Migrants are the easy scapegoat for nationalist bile, and the states create this by their nationalistic policies, in an attempt to get you all to rally round the flag. The other must be seen as a problem, the enemy, to get you to accept and embrace their policies of control. We are all people, we all have family or did have, we all fall in love, drive buses, fix plumbing, take care of grand parents, who look after grandkids. We can't allow the state to dictate who we like and who we should fear. Nationalism and patriotism are the enemies of unity across those false lines drawn on the map by power mongers. One race, one planet, one home. The following incident was in Athens, but that city is not unique in its treatment of migrants.

Patriotism

No, I shall not die for the fluttering flag,
if truth be known, ’tis nothing but a multi-coloured rag
held aloft by some foolish hand
inciting worker and peasant to kill
on some green and wooded hill,
peasant and worker from some other land.
Nor shall I shed blood for the fluttering rag
that brings out fools to stand and brag
of brutal deeds painted grand,
deeds where rustic and craftsman lie so still
killed by my brothers' misguided hand.

No allegiance have I for the Nation
this man made autocratic creation
that divides my brothers in a world so small,
binds us to a country's cause, right or wrong,
bids us follow its drum, sing its song,
then sheds our blood in some border brawl.
 

No, I'll be no slave to flag or nation,
have no ear for power oration,
though its iron heel is on my breast,
my back feels its leather thong,
at patriotism's barracoon, I'll be no guest.

The following from Act For Freedom Now:

       On 5/4, a friend from Pakistan was walking on Amfipoleos street in Votanikos towards Rouf train station. At the traffic lights, 2 DIAS bikes that were headed to the opposite direction did a U-turn and stopped him. They asked him where he lives and where he’s going, he showed them the handwritten paper that said he was going out for exercise and then they asked him for his residence permit. He showed them the application certificate, because he’s expecting his papers in the next month, they tore it up, shouting that this isn’t valid anywhere, they pushed him against the wall hitting him in the face, one of them pulled his gun, the other two were holding him and the third one was looking around. One spit at him. At that moment the man’s phone was ringing, the cops saw that those were calls from his girlfriend and started mocking him saying: “Do you have a date?” and “Is your girlfriend looking for you?”.
      Then they pulled down his trousers and opened his jacket, they did a body search on him, for drugs as they said, they searched inside his underwear and pulled off his socks and shoes. They started threatening that they were going to lock him up since he has no papers, they told him they were taking him straight to the police station, and when they saw he wasn’t answering them and just asked to call his lawyer, they refused, hitting him, and sarcastically asked if he was going to start crying, too. What’s more, they doubted that the paper of movement was written by him and they were laughing at him, saying there is no way he can write so well, they stated to him that now they’re going to send the photos from his documents everywhere and they’ll be watching him wherever he goes and in the end they told him that they’ll send him back to Pakistan if he wants to walk free in the street or to exercise, because “here, it’s forbidden”. Then they let him go, telling him that they’re doing him a favour by letting him, and only on the condition that he’ll go home.‌
      One more time, the face of democracy and its instruments is made clear. We are reporting this incident not as something new, nor as something shocking. We are aware of the living conditions of migrants in Greece, of the abuses of the state, of their ill treatment by the police and by every fascist scum, and of the suffering they’re put through—if they’re lucky—to get their papers and live with dignity.‌‌
We’ll soon deal with the cannibals of this world.‌‌
NO ONE ALONE AGAINST REPRESSION.
SOLIDARITY TO MIGRANTS.
LET’S BREAK THE FEAR
source

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk 

Fascists And Migrants.

      The situation at the European border in Greece has become a war zone. Turkey, to push for support from NATO and the EU has started to use migrants as bargaining chips to further its land grab into Syria. Migrants in the eyes of the state are not people in desperate need but a thing they see as a problem or a group that can be used to build on their poisonous patriotism.

     Meanwhile as the various states procrastinate on this flow of humanity, vigilante fascist groups do their dirty work for them. Along the Greek/Turkish border these right wing thugs roam the area hunting migrants, terrorising them and subjecting them to brutal beatings, while the authorities turn a blind eye. On the Greek island of Lesbos, these fascists have gather from other countries to to roam freely attacking anybody that's doesn't speak Greek. 

     all this goes on uninterrupted  under the surveillance system of the state. This freedom granted to the fascist groups to use migrants as prey for their demented hunting forays, tells you the true nature of the states that try to control ever aspect of our lives. As long as states exist, freedom will struggle for survival.

This from Act For Freedom Now:

 

      Athens, Greece: On Saturday, March 7, 2020, anarchists and antifascists, anti-authoritarians marched through the downtown of Athens in solidarity with the migrants struggle, against all detention centers, against fences and borders. Against war, nationalism and fascism.

Greek vigilante groups in Evros are roaming freely the borders, terrorising and arresting groups of migrants that manage to find a hole through the fence, while in the greek island of Lesbos vigilante groups act like a mob that has set check points at the edges and the centre of Mytilene town (the capital of Lesbos island), verbally abuse any migrants in dinghies that reach the greek shores, attack and terrorize volunteers or NGO workers aiding migrants, smash their cars or violently beat them. Fascists from several european countries have flown to Lesbos island to take part in the mob that attacks anyone not speaking greek, migrants, NGO workers or tourists.

A school for refugee children has also been burnt to the ground by this right wing racist mob. Tourists, volunteers and NGO workers are fleeing Lesbos island because it’s not safe for anyone not speaking greek, except of foreign fascists and nationalists aiding the vigilante mobs.
        And while you would think that these despicable acts would be condoned by the majority at least of the people, the contrary happens. Racists, nationalists, conservative, neoliberals, right wingers, social democrats, even some self-proclaimed lefties, have united in a front, backing these acts or turning a blind eye on them.
      And when you hear their narrative, that the migrants are invaders and not people and that this is a war on Europe, you can’t help but remember another time when people were treating others like they were inferior, like the enemy and were applauding the attacks on people based on different characteristics and were applauding the burning of the enemy’s schools, shops and books, and they were laughing with the gassing of the “enemy” and were applauding the deaths of the “other” and then you remember this:
“First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me”.
     On Saturday, March 7, 2020, thousands of anarchists, anti-authoritarians, antifascists and people in solidarity in Athens, Greece, did exactly that. They chose to speak out, in defence of humanity against fascism, in defence of a world without borders, in defence of those who don’t have a voice because it has been choked by the teargas, the guns and the barbed wire fences at the edge of “Fortress Europe”.
athens.indymedia

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Laugh In Their Face.

       Despite the unbridled brutal repression from the Greek state's minders, against autonomous spaces, migrants, squats and self organising communities, the people of Exarcheia, and further afield, are determined to hold on to these features of their lives and are resisting and fighting back. In the face of the authoritarian, repressive state they are showing it the two fingers. Their struggle and determination should be an inspiration to us all to stand up and resist the ever encroaching tentacles of the state. 

This from Act For Freedom Now:

 

      On Saturday 29/2 at Exarchia Square we will burn our own “cop-carnival-dummy”. We come with our friends, our children, our nephews, our grandmothers and grandfathers, and take back the square from the occupation forces and all those trying to make repression a permanent reality in our neighborhood. We bring our drinks, our masks, our music instruments and all of our toys for a frantic carnival from two in the noon until late in the afternoon!
         Oust the fear, the streets will win!
     Open assembly of squats, collectives,internationalists, migrants and solidarians

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Humans As Things.

 

      Day and daily an army of individuals, families, groups, including children take the decision to try and get out of a raging war area, leave behind their home, possessions, friends and other family members and make the treacherous journey to Europe in hope of a better and safer life. In most cases the death and destruction they are fleeing is a direct result of American and their side-kicks the EU's foreign policy. Many lose their lives in that arduous and treacherous journey, and those who make it to Europe end up being treated worse than cattle, and with less rights than animals. This is the reality migrants are faced with as they enter, so called , civilised Europe. As the article states, "--but the outcry is absent--", why?

     What is happening on the Greek islands is being played out at other locations across Europe
      I am posting this article in full as I believe it should be widely read and spread far and wide.

This from Anarchists Worldwide:

       Just one month has passed in the new year and it already casts a grim shadow over the months yet to come. Blow after blow, new atrocities occur, and the government issues one fascist decision after another. Public outcry is absent.
      Still, almost every day people set out on the dangerous journey across the straits between Turkey and Europe. Forced by a system that criminalizes and negatively stigmatizes migration, people unsafely have to board boats and leave everything behind, in the hope of a better, normal life – and for the EU (and within it the Greek government) no effort seems too big or too expensive to crush said people, no matter the cost.
     The numerous shipwrecks in this month alone shows yet again how dangerous the crossing is. The Turkish coast guard rammed a rubber dinghy, 4 people drowned, one person went missing – and the excuse of missing safety precautions on board is accepted without comment. A fiber boat broke, 11 people died, of whom 8 were children – but the outcry is absent.
     Driven in desperation by a dehumanizing and exclusionary system, a man finds himself during the first days of January in prison. He is locked away in solitary confinement, out of sight. He is a man with known psychological problems and he is left alone. Nobody will take responsibility for him. Death appears to him as the only way out of this hell.
       In response to this, approximately 150 people took to the streets to protest against Moria Camp and the conditions in its prison. In a public statement (in several languages), the violent methods, which are de facto torture, were criticized, and the release of all prisoners demanded, as well as the closure of Moria camp and freedom of movement for all.
        Towards the end of the month around 300 women protested in the streets of Mytilene with slogans such as “we want to be free, we want to be human”. They criticized the horrible living conditions in Moria camp and the ongoing violence. Meanwhile, another hundred women were prevented from participating in the protest and were blocked at the streets entering Mytilene. More than ten non-refugee women that attended the demonstration were removed and taken to the police station. The police were of the opinion that it was they who organized the rally, based on no evidence and only prejudice, the racial prejudice that the refugee community were unable to organise the demonstration themselves, and that it must have been done for them.
Women have to live under constant fear of assaults and rape. Medical help for pregnant women is barely existent. General medical support is scarce. Children grow up in a hostile environment. They are denied their childhood. But the outcry is absent.
      Over 20,000 people are currently stuck in and around Moria camp, having to call it their home. Basic needs are not even close to being met. The ideal environment for violence has resulted in several attacks. Already more than 10 people have been injured and hospitalized since the start of the year. Among those, two men were killed. Some no longer dare to stay in the camp and see themselves forced to endure the cold winter nights in public places. But the outcry is absent.
       On January 22nd, with the slogan: “we want our islands back!”, thousands of Greek civilians went on strike and protested the government’s refugee policy. The general strike was supported by the broad public, and a poster with their inflammatory demands could be seen in countless shops and stores of Mytilene, resulting in the largest protest in the history of Lesvos. Thus, domestic politics evaporates, and the belief that those who have newly arrived are to blame for the old, structural problems of the country spreads.
         This is a perfect example of the recently formed government confirming its desire to show hardness and “strength” by implementing xenophobic policy. Championing the ideal of “out of sight, out of mind”, the first closed camp is already being built on the island of Samos, afar from any civilization. Men, women and children are to be imprisoned there on a general basis, their only “crime”: they came to Europe. They shall be imprisoned for 25 days. Within this time, it is supposed to be decided who is allowed to stay and who will be deported. The new law, however, provides for numerous possibilities to extend detention – up to 18 months if the asylum application is rejected. In addition to this, the time limits for appeals has been shortened, and any appeal must be submitted by a lawyer. This gives rise to the fear that under these circumstances many will not find a representative in time to appeal against a negative verdict.
          But the government cannot wait for the completion of the closed camps to achieve their goal. Thus, on the last weekend of January, 55 people, most of them families, were locked up in a wing of the prison on Kos island. EU law ubiquitously requires a case-by-case assessment of whether there is a reason for imprisonment, and the Greek government flagrantly shows a clear disregard for such legal principle. If even legal principles are so publicly ignored, how are we to believe that any moral or ethical principles, such as a basic human right such as migration, will ever be followed?
       Help and support will never be close at hand. The dehumanization continues. Imprisonment of the innocent, even children, is legitimized by our xenophobic system. But the outcry is absent.
        The closed camps are intended to accelerate and intensify deportations. By the end of 2020, the government wants to deport 10,000 refugees to Turkey – five times greater than the total number of deportations since the EU-Turkey deal was made. So far, in accordance with former practice, many deportations have been prevented (or at least delayed) with the argument that the horrific conditions in Turkey classify a return as unsafe. However, the Greek government has installed a new judiciary for decisions in regards to deportation, and hopes they will decide differently. But the outcry is absent.
      The European Union continues to fully support and implement the entire system. They don’t only demand more “effective (frequent)” deportation but also demand the doubling of EASO (European Asylum Support Office) staff officials to carry out the heinous act. It is not the only staff increase. The cruel, so-called “defenses” continue. The government announced to have 1200 more border police officers in the coming months. Already 400 jobs are advertised for the borders at the river Evros, and 800 are to be added on the Aegean islands.
Now they also want to install a floating dam system on the water. How exactly this is supposed to keep boats away is unclear to everyone. Considering that Lesvos is roughly 70km long, the 2.7km long barrier with blinking lights does not invoke an effective approach to the “issue”. The half a million-Euro project seems even more senseless when one takes in to account that people who are stopped by the barrier have already reached Greek territorial waters, and would therefore have to be rescued and taken to Greek soil under maritime law. But the outcry is absent.
      As well as this, Stage 2 was closed on the 31st January. Stage 2 was the short-term transit camp to ensure people who land on the northern coast can access safety and receive medical aid and shelter. Over half of the total arrivals on Lesvos are on the northern shore. With closing Stage 2, people arriving will be left waiting for hours on beaches, by the side of the road, or in remote rocky areas, with no access to immediate shelter, protection or medical aid; some may even attempt to walk for hours to the south. But the outcry is absent.
      Irony screams out, with all of the events aforementioned taking place in the same month in which the liberation of Auschwitz was remembered during the 75th anniversary of it’s closure, with politicians from left to right wing parties proclaiming: “never forgive, never forget!”. But they do forget. They forget all people who are not wanted in Europe because of their country of origin. They forget the tens of thousands of people who lost their lives because of the current EU policy. They forget the children who have experienced nothing else in their whole life than war, conflict zones and flight, and now are forced to live in hostile environments which provoke child suicide attempts. They forget all the young people who are condemned to do nothing, full of potential – potential Europe desperately needs, but apparently would be provided by the “wrong” people. They forget humanity in view of their own political and economic interests. They forget that fascism is in our midst and again the majority is not only watching but willfully ignoring. Thus, new atrocities take place over and over– but, once again, the outcry is absent. Deafeningly, forever absent.

United we stay- divided we fall.
No borders
Solidarity will win

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

State's Inhumanity.

         It is unbelievable that a so called civilised democracy can treat humans with such cruelty, herding them in disgusting conditions, removing their right to decency, inflicting on them conditions that endanger their physical and psychological health. Treating them to harsh and brutal treatment should they dare to object.
       Migrants, it's as though they arrive with a special badge signifying that they are sub-human, and deserve nothing from the community, no rights, and must be kept enclosed in filthy detention centres. One such detention centre that our media seldom if ever, mention is the Greek island of Samos, an island that its past can lay claim to be the birth place of such luminaries as the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, after whom the Pythagorean theorem is named, the philosopher Epicurus, and the astronomer Aristarchus of Samos, the first known individual to propose that the Earth revolves around the sun. (this info from Wikipedia)

     Nowadays  It is home to 7,497 migrants in a camp made to house 648. these appalling conditions merit outrage not just from the migrants, but from all decent civilised people. These conditions are inflicted knowingly and deliberately by the Greek state authorities. Where is the international outrage, perhaps because the migrants on Samos are not the only ones, this is common practice across the globe by state after state.

This report from Act For Freedom Now:

 

         At the moment 7,497 people are being held in a centre built for 648.

     Many are unaccompanied minors. Protests against the dramatic living conditions are frequent: yesterday, Thursday, a revolt was suppressed by riot police, a fire had destroyed about one hundred tents and shacks on October 14 leaving thousands of people without shelter and forced to sleep outdoors.
      A protest was held on October 18 to claim freedom of movement and the possibility to finally leave the island concentration camp and for two days between October 24 and 25 a group of people held a permanent sit-in in piazza Pitagora, in the centre of Vathy. A riot had previously been severely repressed in the month of May. Also this morning, Friday December 20, the people being held in the Samos concentration camp continued their struggle without letting themselves be intimidated by the repression, and came out into the streets again reaching the city of Vathy in a determined and noisy demonstration. Translation to Italian by: Athens Indymedia

       About 300 immigrants began to protest on Thursday December 19 against the segregation and detention on the island, outside the main entrance to the detention centre, shouting slogans. They then headed for the minor entrance (which links the hotspot with the city of Vathy) and blocked the road. The police prevented them from carrying on the protest towards the city, which was only 500 metres away.
       The immigrants responded by overturning the chemical toilets, putting up barricades and throwing stones at the police, who reacted with a shower of teargas. The municipality of eastern Samos decided to suspend lessons in the nearby primary and nursery schools because of the strong smell of teargas present in the air.

Solidarity with the rebel immigrants!

       “They will never admit in their news that the act of rebelling was our extreme attempt to remain human” – from “Lotta contro l’oblio”, [Struggle against oblivion], the latest text of Apatris

       Try to imagine, 7,497 people, young and old, living in a detention centre, mainly tents, built to house 648 in rather sparse and restricted conditions!!

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Insanity Reigns.

        It is difficult to comment on the recent drone killing in Iraq by the irrational and impulsive action of Herr Trump, the possibilities for misery, carnage, chaos, death and destruction, involving millions of innocent people, is so multi-faceted that the mind draws back in horror and disbelief. However, it is a reality and must be faced and met with mass protests and direct action against all those who for whatever reason support this insanity. This is just the latest act of bloody imperialism by the US establishment, the latest in a long line that goes back more than a century. The blood of innocents drips from every dollar, countries become metropolises of misery and populations become an army of migrants, as a result of the US foreign policy, aided and abetted by its varies poodles dotted around the planet, including that previous blood soaked imperialist state of the UK.

     Sanity and humanity demands that we do our utmost to bring down this festering system of plundering the planet by the powerful for their own gain. As long as capitalism exists, power will dominate, wars will persist, death and destruction will be a daily occurrence for millions, and waves of displaced people will wash across the planet in search of safety and sanctuary. As always the rich and powerful will gain, the poor will always pay the price in sweat and blood. 

        Who can disagree with this extract from an article by Black Rose Anarchist Federation

In today's world, a daily occurrence for millions. 

        We share the view of fallen Black freedom fighter and Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. that “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world: my own government. I cannot be silent.” Much of the world has become a scorched battlefield for over two centuries as the dark shadow of U.S. imperialism, resource extraction, and capital accumulation first spanned the continent, then the globe. Through the colonization of indigenous peoples in the Americas to imperialist expansion around the world, this great purveyor of violence has displaced, imprisoned, tortured, enslaved, and killed untold millions. It is no surprise that in our time, through an endless “war on terror” that the darkest areas of this shadow have engulfed the broader Middle East.
        We stand in solidarity with the people of Iran and the Middle East who have suffered greatly from U.S. imperialism. The 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup that ousted Iran’s first democratically elected prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh and brought the oppressive shah back to power made the ground fertile for the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Since then, the U.S. has been directly involved in destabilizing both Iran, and later, Iraq; first starting with the Iran-Iraq war (1980). The Gulf War of 1990-91, the intermittent bombings as well as the sanctions and blockade that lasted through the 90s, the 2003 invasion and ensuing occupation, and the battle against ISIS can more accurately be viewed as a three decade long war waged by the U.S. Intermittent threats of war against Iran, crippling economic sanctions and drone warfare have finally come to a tipping point. The world waits in horror as lines are drawn in the sand and Trump openly threatens to commit war crimes in Iran through the targeting of cultural sites. Millions of people who are desperately trying to escape the clutches of this endless war have fled their homes: the U.S. is guilty of creating the largest refugee and humanitarian crises since WWII. We demand: U.S. Out of the Middle East!

Read the full article HERE:
       My only disagreement with the above statement is that it is not "Out of the Middle East", it is off the face of the planet for all imperialism, capitalism.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Fascism, The State's Natural Home.

      As the capitalist system of neo-liberalism lurches from crisis to crisis, its blatant dangers to all life and the very planet itself become more obvious, the various states response is to march firmly towards fascism. This is an attempt to stop the rapidly rising protests and insurrections that are flaring up across the planet, as people become more aware and more determined to call a halt to this greed driven insanity.
      Populations awash with poverty and deprivation because of this system, are now aware of the cause and are venting their anger with a strong desire to end this engineered injustice.
     The following article is from Greece, where since the election of the new government of the "New Democracy" party their has been a military style brutal attempt to crush any and all dissent. Migrants and any group that supports them, have come in for some savage treatment from the "New Democracy" facade. Autonomous spaces, long standing squats which have been hubs for local communities, groups who openly oppose the authoritarian rule and individuals who stand against the injustice, inequality and corruption of this exploitative system, have all felt the wrath of the Greek state as it strides further into the fascist mode, the states' answer to the rising fight for freedom and justice.

     From Act For Freedom Now, Just one case of many:

Financial support for the persecuted antifascists
firefund.net/persecutedantifa

       On 1.11.2019 there was an arson attack against neo-nazis Golden Dawn’s head offices in Diligianni street, resulting in the destruction of the building’s second floor where N. Michaloliakos’ office (the secretary general of the party) is located. According to the file of the case, while the perpetrators were trying to escape, police cars belonging to the “counter”-terrorist agency pursued a car. The pursuit resulted in a car collision and to the policemen’s injury, with the perpetrators managing to get away.
     This incident was used as an excuse to start a targeting and persecution campaign against anarchists, which reached its peak with the arrest of two anarchist militants and the manipulative police tactics that aimed to put them in provisional custody.
      The bill of indictment’s upgrade by the “counter”-terrorist agency and the leaks to the media created the anticipation that the two comrades would be put in custody. In this climate of terror, the comrades and their lawyers were called to fight an unequal battle.
      More specifically, the state’s repressive mechanisms, with the CT agency in the lead role, fabricated according to the provisions of article 187A (anti-terrorist law) a “terrorist” group named “Taxiarchia” (Brigade) which first appeared in March 2017 with the attack against the (then) HQ of the neonazi party Golden Dawn in Mesogeion Avenue, under the name of “Pavlos Fyssas Brigade”. According to the court file, the group executed 6 attacks against structures and members of the fascist party up to its last hit against the head offices in Diligianni str. in November 2019.
      In that way, the authorities made an attempt to isolate certain claims of responsibility within a plethora of antifascist-anticapitalist actions which led, together with other things, to a significant weakening of the fascist movement in the last few years. Among dozens of attacks and claims of responsibility, they chose a few which, by having the noun “Taxiarchia” as a first component, could be presented to the investigative judge as persuasive evidence of “joining and participating in a terrorist organization”. The law enforcement authorities in their attempt to patch a case together, fabricated the existence of a terrorist group in order to sentence the two comrades to dozens of years in prison. And all this for the CT agency to restore its damaged public profile after the fiasco it suffered in Exarheia.
       More specifically, the court document, apart from the attack to the -then- party HQ in Mesogeion str, alludes to three more attacks against party members and the Local Organization in Aspropyrgos which led to the final shutting down of their offices. For these attacks, responsibility was taken using three different signatures, namely “Sahzat Lukman Brigade”, “Petrit Zifle Brigade” and “Abd Elsalam Brigade”. The arson against the Local Organization of Golden Dawn in the area of Menidi, which led to its shutting down for an indeterminate period of time, under the signature “Durruti Brigade”, is also referred in the court file. The same goes for the destruction of the Führer’s office in Diligianni street, an action for which no one yet has claimed responsibility.
        The expanded and unfounded indictment has been composed, among others, based on anonymous calls to the “counter”-terrorist agency which has no caller ID (!!!). The indictment is full of lies and exaggerations which can easily be demolished just by reading the file. The two comrades who were arrested about two months after the Diligiani incident, are prosecuted for two attacks against the Golden Dawn offices, the one at Menidi and the one at Diligiani str. The “evidence” in the authorities’ possession is that on the dates of the attacks, the comrades happened to rent cars for personal use, a fact that was considered suspicious by the CT agency.
        All this is happening in a conjuncture when the Golden Dawn trial is coming to an end and the state prosecutor (Adamantia Economou)has suggested the charges against the members of the neonazi party be dismissed. In this way, the murderous violence of the criminal organization is downgraded and legitimized.
       All this is happening in a conjuncture when the New Democracy government introduces bills which repress the right to strike, to protest and to the university asylum. In just a few months it attempts to take back everything the society has won in decades of struggles at a great cost and sacrifices. It launches an all-out attack on the social conquests using a policy of social genocide against refugees and migrants, while building an Orwellian racist and authoritarian police state which spies on militants and political spaces, fabricates prosecutions and indictments, aims to eradicate the resistance and to spread fear and conservatism in the society.
        It’s in this conjuncture that our comrades were taken to the state prosecutors on a flimsy indictment for their “crime” of continuing to struggle. The two comrades were released under strict conditions: they have to report to the police four times a month and deposit a 15,000 euro bail (per person) in order to avoid custody, until 17-1-2020. It becomes evident that way that the financial bleeding of the movement is an everlasting goal of the system and a primary instrument aiming at its eradication.
     It should be clear at this point that regardless of the blatant manipulation of the case, the defense of the militant antifascism and the movement’s anti-violence against the system cannot be confined in dilemmas of guilt or innocence. The movement’s self-defense against the authoritarian and market-based neoliberalism, which uses the fascism in order to crush social and class resistance, is the existential position of the struggle for a better world. It is the combat position of the oppressed all over the world and one of their principal means to assert their claims. Because the organized manifestation of the class anti-violence is our only chance against capitalism and state repression. Because the anti-fascist anti-violence may not be tried in civil courts, nor is legal or illegal. It is historically imposed and fair.
       Under these circumstances, we make a call to the movement as a whole to support the efforts of collecting the bail money till the set date, so that comrades will not be remanded in custody; to show again to the state and its mechanisms that the solidarity of the oppressed is the foundation stone for the formation of a revolutionary movement. This is the next fight we are called to give against the repressive mechanisms that attempt to put the comrades in provisional custody.

Solidarity is our weapon

Contact with the assembly:

antifa-initiative@riseup.net – protov2free@protonmail.com

Antifacist Initiative

Αρχεία:

af-en.pdf

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk      

A Dehumanised Human, The Migrant.

       Migrants don't get the cover from our media that the used to get, does this mean all is quiet? Have people stopped fleeing poverty, destruction, death, persecution and started to accept their lot midst the storm of deprivation that surrounds them? No, it just means that they are no longer a item to be used to create a sensational article, so the media turns the focus elsewhere.
 

       When ever they do get coverage in the media, it is never the face of ordinary people. We are sometimes shown "camps", "detention centres", filthy living conditions, remember the "jungle". It was "dispersed", that doesn't mean they are all settled and contributing to the community. Most are probably in detention centres or sleeping rough. They are displayed as shadowy figures scurrying about in the dark, trying to get a free ride on a truck, or breaking through fences. No attempt is ever made to show them as ordinary people like you and I. Remember Bulligdon Club Boy Cameron, referring to them as a "swarm"? They are seen as an inconvenience to our business, they cause delays to our travel. Never are they ordinary people fleeing the cauldron of chaos and savagery spawned by the foreign policy of Western imperialism in their home region. Heaven forbid that we should see them as desperate human beings in need of help.
 

        How do people become "migrants". Migrants are never people giving up a decent life to face a long and hazardous journey that often ends in death, just for the hell of it. But as long as we have imperialist power blocks building borders to proclaim "their" territory, and battling to expand their power, we will have people fleeing in desperation. State borders and power blocks are an anathema to freedom and justice, a hindrance to a civilised world, a blight on the face of humanity. States, borders and power blocks have to be destroyed before we can call ourselves a civilised species. 

 

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk