What is happening today in Exarcheia, in Athens, which is at the present time, under police occupation, is the true face of our so called representative democracy. It has nothing to do with humanity, and all to do with dogmatic ideology. Logically the state should welcome what goes on in that district, locals help refugees to live with some dignity and freedom of movement without any state aid, surely to be applauded by financial pundits in the state apparatus. However. like I said, the state is not about humanity, dignity or freedom, it is all about control and the development of big corporate profits. Self organising people living with the ethos of mutual aid, is an anathema to the state. During the recent election in Greece, the rhetoric from the right-wing party that gained power was that the district was a nest of criminals and they promised to bring it back under the control of the state. What in fact they wish to do is to clear the district that survives more or less outside the state by means of self-help, mutual aid and co-operation, and hand it over to the corporate juggernaug who would start by clearing out the locals and building luxury hotels, expensive restaurants, opulent apartments and shops filled with over price trinkets for the wealthy Greeks and rich tourists.
The method used by the state in this operation of control and suppression is to bring in an army of armed thugs in uniforms and beat up and intimidate the locals, arresting some of the locals, and all the refugees they can lay their hands on, men, women and children, hoarding them onto buses, taking them for a position of self help and some dignity and locking them up in over crowded concentration camps with appalling conditions. To date approximately 150 refugees have been arrested in the district, and rising. This operation will be carried out with brutality and out without any thought of humanity.
What is happening in Exarcheia, is just anther step deeper into the fascist state of politics today, and demands our strongest opposition as across the globe states seek ever greater control over the population, all for the benefit of the corporate world of greed and profit. We must continually struggle for a society of mutual aid, self help and co-operation and support all those who walk that road.
Yesterday in Glasgow a group of people took to the street to show their anger at what is brutally being executed in Exarcheia and their support for the people of that district. More of this is required across the globe.
