The Shackles Of State Laws.

        This short video highlights the true nature of the state. What individuals do in the spirit of humanity and co-operation, reaching out to those in dire need, offering and helping to create shelter and assistance, so the refugees can get on with their lives and become integrated in communities, is what the state is attacking in country after country. In Exarcheia, in Athens, the Greek state has launched a full scale and savage war against these very projects. Projects that would in actual fact save the state money, but dogma and ideology dictate that the state and/or its corporate bedfellows must control  all that happens within its proclaimed phony borders. No real rational approach, no humanity, just the rule of its shackling laws, created to ensure the continuation of its power and authority. Freedom and the state are incompatible.

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“No Pasaran”, Solidarity Is The Weapon.

        Exarcheia is not a militarised controled zone, it is still a battlefield, and the residents and their supporters are fighting back. This latest action took the riot police by surprise, showing it can be done, as they say, "you can't evict a dream". Solidarity of the people will eventually defeat any authoritarian repression, we have the numbers, it is all a matter of coming together and cementing that solidarity.

This from Anarchist News:

Exarcheia Anarchists surprise riot police, reoccupy squat.

 

 On Friday 20 September 2019, on the three years anniversary of the occupation of the building that became known as “Spirou Trikoupi 17 Squat” housing refugees in the heart of Exarcheia (Athens, Greece), people were not deterred by the fact that the Squat had been evacuated on Monday 26 August 2019, following a massive police raid and that the neighborhood of Exarchia has been turned into a “militarized” zone, with constant riot police attacks against people in the area and social centers.
         Instead, they chose to celebrate the anniversary like the evacuation never happened by organizing a collective dinner on Exarcheia square to celebrate the Squat’s birthday, “with their one and only weapon… Solidarity!”, as noted in their public communique.
        During the event, people decided to defy the “militarized” law imposed on Exarcheia and while taking the riot police brigades by surprise, managed to enter the sealed -with bricks- building, symbolically reoccupying it, hang a huge banner writing “No Pasaran”, light up flares ans shoot fireworks, while more activists started to protest in the street in front of the building.
        They then exited the building the same way they entered, unnoticed, leaving the riot police on the spot astounded, that then had to bring a crane to enter the building from the balconies in a big operation, puzzled, trying to figure out what has just happened.

        This was the communique of the “Spirou Trikoupi 17 Squat”:

     “We are waiting for you all, at 7 p.m in the square of Exarcheia!
3 years ago, an abandoned building in the center of Exarcheia was squatted to house the hopes and the dreams of thousands people that passed by, in their pursuit of a better life. The 3rd bday of Trikoupi finds us evicted from our house but still alive and strong, fighting for our principles and our beliefs. We organize a collective solidarity dinner in the square, to make the statement that trikoupi was far more than just a building. It was and still is an idea! An alive and active community!
       Collective dinner this Friday 20/9, in Exarcheia square to celebrate our birthday, with our one and only weapon… Solidarity!

See you all there!

You can’t evict our dreams… You can’t evict a movement!
Our community will never die. Trikoupi is still alive!
Solidarity will win…“

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The Heavy Boot Of Authority Marches On.

      What is happening in Exarchia should not be seen as something in isolation that is happening in a small district in Athens. It must be seen in the context of the continuous move to ever increasing authoritarianism that is gripping Europe and elsewhere in today's world. Far right groups and governments are gaining traction from the complete disillusionment of the people for the existing system. The people are looking for change and the mainstream media is channeling that desire in the direction that suits the power mongers and the corporate world. Exarchia is just one savage attack on the right of people to chose to live their lives in mutual aid, co-operation, self help, and a helping hand to all those in need, away from the shackles of the authoritarian state. The struggle is universal, it is our struggle, and we will in time feel the same savagery as Exarchia if we stray far enough away from the dictates of the system. To govern you need power and control, and they will do what is necessary to achieve these weapons.

The New War on Immigrants and Anarchists in Greece
An Interview with an Anarchist in Exarchia 

This from Crimethinc:

 

 

        Filled with squatted social centers and characterized by a combative anti-authoritarian spirit, the neighborhood of Exarchia in Athens, Greece has long been an important reference point for autonomous movements around the world. The new right-wing government that has come to power in Greece has pledged to crush this experiment in inclusivity and self-determination. On August 26, massive police raids evicted four occupations, including some hosting refugee families, many of whom have been sent to concentration camps; at this moment, riot police surround Exarchia, preparing their next attacks. In response, demonstrations have been called for August 31 and September 14. We interviewed a resident of Exarchia about the context of this new chapter of struggle and the prospects ahead for those who seek a world without capitalism or state oppression.
        In January 2015, as the global wave of right-wing electoral victories was picking up momentum, the new left party Syriza won the Greek elections. At the time, this inspired a lot of enthusiasm from leftists and socialists in Greece and elsewhere around the world; yet we argued that Syriza would draw movements out of the streets, re-legitimize the institutions of the state without changing their essentially repressive character, and ultimately fail to address the consequences of capitalism, polarizing Greek voters to the right. As we anticipated, Syriza did not follow through on their promises to defend Greece from the austerity measures demanded by the European Union. Instead, they imposed austerity measures themselves, further polarizing Greece and confirming that there is no viable electoral solution to the crises imposed by capitalism.
          Consequently, in July 2019, the longstanding right-wing party New Democracy won the national elections by a clear majority. Some corporate media journalists celebrated the victory of New Democracy as a return to business as usual, a rejection of the supposed “extremism” of both Syriza and the fascist Golden Dawn party. But the victory of New Democracy is also a victory for the far right, who have seen their racist, nationalist agenda become mainstream. They took office with the intention of scapegoating immigrants and anarchists for the failures of neoliberal capitalism and the betrayals of left politicians. Taking advantage of the summer holidays to strike, they have already begun violently evicting anarchist social centers and self-organized refugee housing in Athens, openly declaring war on all who stand in the way of their oppressive vision of order.

          We conducted the following interview with an anonymous black flag anarchist resident of Exarchia three blocks from Exarchia Square following a small riot in the early hours of August 28.
      New Democracy began by declaring war on anarchists, specifically on the neighborhood of Exarchia in Athens. We have seen a series of poorly-written articles from the yellow press spreading fear about “anarchist violence” and promising major government crackdowns. Why have they prioritized focusing on anarchists and specifically Exarchia as the chief enemy of the state? How much of the population do you think agrees with this characterization of anarchists?
          New Democracy has shown a sort of delusional obsession with Exarchia. They refer to it as if it were the basis of the crisis here, as if it were the foundation of all of Greece’s problems. As a resident of Exarchia and an active anarchist, I can confirm that the language they use to describe my neighborhood is ridiculously overstated.
        Sure, there are some issues with drug dealing and predatory mafia practices in Exarchia. The mafia recruits refugees, taking advantage of their desperate need for employment, hoping that anarchists who oppose opportunistic attempts to establish a drug market in the police-free zone of Exarchia will hesitate before hitting a refugee. This situation is the result of the poverty refugees face as they wait to receive asylum or struggle to make their home in Athens, trying to avoid harassment from police or fascists.
          This is tragic, but it is nothing compared to a typical ghetto in the United States; it’s the inevitable result of the combination of the economic crisis and the so-called refugee crisis. The image of a refugee dealing drugs in Exarchia is an easy scapegoat for the right, and New Democracy has used this over and over in a cowardly manner to rally reactionary support.
           Most people outside of Greece don’t understand that Exarchia is a very large neighborhood. It is only a five-minute walk from the most expensive part of the city center, Colonaki, a middle-to-upper-class neighborhood comparable to Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The anarchist movement emerged in the early 1970s out of student resistance to the Junta, which was concentrated at the nearby Polytechnio, the architectural university of Athens. Until then, Exarchia was a sort of extension of Colonaki. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has become a gathering place for anarchists and squatters, but also for the theater community, leftists, intellectuals, artists, and the clients of an array of alternative bars. It is known locally as a nightlife destination on the weekends for students and partygoers as much as it is known for riots and squats.
         While all of these elements coexist in a sort of chaotic equilibrium, the old inhabitants of Exarchia still complain. Unless you are one of the lucky few who have found an apartment here owned by an old person unaware of its Airbnb potential and the erupting real estate market in central Athens, or you are living in a squat or in a home owned by family, it is unlikely that a typical working-class Greek person could afford to live here. The wealthy residents of Exarchia complain to the municipal authorities. They have been doing so for years. New Democracy is responding in a way that may go beyond their whining.
        For example, there is famous hill called Streffi where youth and anarchist-friendly folks go to chill with their friends and comrades. It is also a beautiful park that used to house parties and gatherings to celebrate and benefit the punk and hip-hop counter-cultures and anarchist and anti-fascist movements. Because it has a view of the Acropolis and some of the most expensive houses in Exarchia, a brutal initiative began in the summer 2018 to crush the cop-free-zone culture of Streffi. Riot police surrounded the hill before any announced event, and completely demolished the only squat in the area shortly after it declared solidarity with those trying to reclaim Streffi.
          In short, Exarchia is not a beautiful utopia in which anarchists live in harmony together and with other locals. There are snitches and “good citizens” here who applaud the police.
         New Democracy has been in power before; they are not something new. But after five years in exile under Syriza, they are declaring revenge on the left. Unlike Syriza, which has a realistic understanding of Exarchia, New Democracy members have a childish image of it. They mystify it as the enemy of all Greek civility and as the epicenter of all things left or anarchist. - - - - -

 Continue reading the full article HERE

Further Reading
        For perspectives in English from other anarchists organizing in Athens right now, you could begin with these starting places:

No Pasaran! poster

Exarchia: Solidarity to Squats and All Spaces of Struggle—Assembly Announcement

Statement of the Anarchist Political Organization against the Repressive Campaign of the State

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Latest From Police Occupied Exarcheia.

        The latest from the police occupied district of Exarchia, Athens.

     EXARCHIA: Solidarity to squats and all spaces of struggle- ASSEMBLY Announcement 

August 29, 2019 in Events/Global movement/Void Network News 

        The state and capital always attack the freedom of the social base, steal its labor and resources. In recent years we have experienced one of the most violent attacks through the massive impoverishment of people who are already oppressed and exploited.
        On the other hand, there has been widespread social resistance and solidarity. People have created a variety of self-organized spaces such as housing infrastructure, social medical centers, community kitchens, open parks and public spaces which are just some of the main examples. In spite of weaknesses and setbacks, with squats, political groups, base unions, squares and neighborhood assemblies, the movement has created a solid social territory that has gathered significant knowledge and experience, forming communities of struggle with strong social bonds, addressing society with criticism. On many occasions the movement had to use violence to defend and expand the free spaces and territories from state and capitalist interests and fascist attacks. The movement has grown in diversity and vitality, despite the continued criminalisation of solidarity and mobilisation.
        In the context of this socio-class conflict, on Monday, 26/8, the state, armed with police forces, seized Exarchia and evacuated four squats. Two of them were refugees / migrants’ houses, Transito and Sp Trikoupi 17, where they captured 144 refugee migrants by uprooting them from their residences for a second time and isolating them in what they call detention centers.Intrusions-evicted were also carried out in an ongoing housing and political squat in Assimaki Fotila and the Gare squat where three arrests were made. The cops also invaded the comrades’ home from Gare.
        In addition to the squats and the movement itself, this repressive operation is aiming at migrants. They are one of the most oppressed parts of society since their very existence is considered illegal. In a state of illegality there is no access to health and education while working conditions are exploitation and subjugation. The situation of exclusion, which often comes also from a section of society, leads them to violent and wild situations, which are then used by the state and racists to attack migrants. Many choose their self-organization and solidarity structures in order to survive and resist. Together with local and international solidarity they build communities and claim their visibility, posing a direct threat to political and economic power. The solidarity we are building is in contrast to the humanitarian aid of NGOs that victimize migrants and make money from their problems. Real solidarity is at odds with the humanitarianism of the state which is a simple cover up of deaths at the borders and the murderous conditions at the concentration camps. Prisoners do not receive medical care but instead suffer daily from diseases that lead to death. These concentration camps lack basic hygiene, people live with bed bugs and miserable food, constantly being beaten or raped to force them to flee the Greek and European territory or commit suicide. Transferring them from the squats they have chosen to live, undermines their dignity and self-determination, while the excuse that these camps are safer and healthier is one of the most vicious state lies, an absolute reversal of reality.
        As far as squats are concerned, all these years they have responded to a variety of needs and desires. They are free spaces where the social base re-creates its relationships without state control and economic exclusion, over-coming national, gender and other systemic discrimination. They respond to basic needs such as housing, breaking out of rent coercion and wage exploitation. In times of migration, they have offered shelter to thousands of people by making spaces beyond the barbaric so-called ‘detention centers’ which are nothing more than concentration camps. The most important achievement is that people of different backgrounds were organized into squats and formed collective bodies to create projects that reflect the world of equality and freedom we desire. Squats in collaboration with the social and other grassroots forces defend neighborhoods and public spaces from the business and political interests of power.
        The political agenda of the “New Democracy” is a continuation of Syriza’s policy. It aims to transform the entire region into easily exploitable land for local and foreign capital. The result is the further exploitation and destruction of the environment and the aggressive gentrification of urban space that transforms neighborhoods — within cities — into tourist consumption areas, displacing residents and carrying out informal “social cleansing”. The militarisation of public space and the imprisonment of those who are rising up is of prime importance and requires the implementation of repression against migrants, workers, students, the unemployed, women and queers. Some of the state’s first moves were to integrate the correctional system and the immigration ministry under police jurisdiction. At the same time, they hired 1,500 new people to the police force, expanding the state’s repressive army. They further criminalised the means of struggle and abolished university asylum in preparation for the new social class struggles. The struggles that Syriza assimilated and disintegrated paved the way for an even more capable totalitarian state that we saw with the rise of New Democracy.
        As a continuation of the resistance of all recent years, we call on people of struggle, the rebellious, the squatters, the collectives and individuals to step up their efforts for an open front against repression. With the primary aim of defending the squats and of a broader objective of defending all social achievements against the state and capital until they are overthrown. Strengthen social structures and create new ones, further escalate social, class and local struggles. Don’t let the struggle be assimilated by any regime of power. To crush the repressive forces, to break the media propaganda, to bring out the truth of the struggle of the oppressed.

SOLIDARITY TO SQUATS AND ALL THE SPACES OF STRUGGLE

COMMON STRUGGLES OF LOCALS AND MIGRANTS

       Open Assembly of affinity groups, international solidarity activists and migrants / refugees at Polytechnic University

CALL OUT for actions
THUR. 29/8 – 18.00: Occupied Space Mpoumpoulinas 42 / Info Megaphone
FR. 30/8 – 05.00 ‘o clock in the morning: Mpoumpoulinas 42 / Organized Defense of the building
FR. 30/8– 18.00 Polytechnic University/ Open Assembly for solidarity to Occupied Spaces of Exarchia
SAT. 31/8– 12.00 Exarchia Square- DEMONSTRATION against the organized

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Let's Squat The World.

     Today is the era of peddled illusions, misinformation and double speak, it is also the era of sanitised words, where ugly and cruel events are given a nice sounding name, like "austerity", translates into a vicious and ideological cull of the poor by plundering the public purse for the benefit of the rich and powerful. Another nice sounding word, "gentrification", has much the same meaning when applied as "austerity", a removal of locals from their neighbourhoods and covering the local area in luxury flats away above what the local residents can afford. Not an accident nor an unavoidable action, but a deliberate ideological strategy to maximise profits at the expense of the local community. Of course to the money moguls and the financial Mafia, profit from tourism is much more valuable than the quality of life of the local community.

      It is always encouraging to see the local community fight back, and a powerful weapon in this struggle is the squat. A beacon of resistance to the advances of the profit driven system that dominates our lives. When ever and where ever they occur they demand our unstinting support and solidarity, they are a necessary step in the demolishing of this exploitative greed driven system of capitalism.

This from Enough is Enough:

         We have returned to Ca La Trava, now an empty plot, and we are not planning to leave. This space, until now closed, will again be open to the neighborhood, and we will defend it as we have defended our houses. We want it to be again a trench from which to resist the onslaught of the speculators and give war to all those who are destroying our neighborhood. If in Ca La Trava they make luxury flats we all lose, and we can’t allow that.

       Originally published by Squat Net. Image above by @elmaurz.

These are times of empty phrases, of euphemisms, of symbolisms without content and of politicians contradicting each new declaration. For this reason, we want to make it clear that when we say “Ca La Trava will never be luxury flats” we say it as seriously as possible. The struggle of Ca La Trava is not a lost struggle, and resquatting is not an improvised decision or the fruit of sentimentalism. Our goal is to win and we are convinced that we will.

We live in a Barcelona devastated by speculation and which expels us from our homes to build luxury flats. We need to fight against every rent increase, for every flat, every block and every plot of land. That’s why we have squatted and reoccupied Ca La Trava, we resist and will resist eviction, and that’s why we encourage you all to come closer, participate in this space and make your own this struggle that affects us all.

Let them meet the rising up Barcelona, the rebellious Barcelona, the Rose of Foc. Let’s make our cry a reality.

CA LA TRAVA WILL NEVER BE LUXURY FLATS!
CA LA TRAVA RESISTS!

Ca La Trava
Travessera de Gràcia 154
Barcelona
calatrava [at] riseup [dot] net https://squ.at/r/484z

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How Dare You Try To Live Outside Our System!!

       Greece, Argentina, Germany, Russia, France, no matter where, when people start to set up a life style contrary the laid down norms of our State/corporate/consumerism society, they are met with the full frontal force of the authoritarian state's enforcers. The intimidation is to create subservience in the population, it is saying, "How dare you try to live outside our system, get on with your work, your shopping and screen watching, leave us to handle everything else". Of course people are not like that, they prefer freedom, freedom to choose their own way of life, freedom to shape their society and communities they way they want, not follow the dictates of an authoritarian exploitative economic system.

This from Enough is Enough: 

Saturday 20.07.2019 Friedrichshainer Nordkiez:      

      This morning, the cops of the LKA 5.21 unit under the command of Kranich raided Liebig34. Unusual was the Saturday, unusual the mix of units from different departments. New were a few civil cop faces, not new: the repression.

Originally published by Indymedia DE.

      The reason for this raid was probably stones thrown from the house during the last few weeks. After the cops collected stones from the Dorfplatz around 2:30 this morning, they obtained a court order and search warrant to search part of our house and returned around 6:30 a.m.. They came through the backyard and the front door, sawed the doors and barris, picked them up and thus forcibly gained access to our project. A lawyer was quickly on the scene and was able to observe and testify. Altogether the cops were about three hours in the house, having searched officially and intensively three connected rooms and the attic. They also snooped around in unlocked private rooms, tore posters from the walls, knocked over furniture, cut internet cables and destroyed windows. During the search, they extensively documented the interior and structure of our house. In the officially searched part of the house they collected plenty of DNA and fingerprints from everyday objects. They also confiscated some items from these rooms, such as cigarette butts, stones, deposit bottles, internet switches, wall paint and clothes. They did not seek contact with the people in the house and did not record any personal data.
      Meanwhile and immediately afterwards there were soli actions: the cops were shot from the roof of Liebig14 with fireworks, a cop car covered with stones and paint, barris burned in Rigaerstrasse. People came to support and are still supporting now, helping us to repair our doors together.
This morning joins into the sharpening situation here in the neighbourhood: our anger becomes bigger and the harassment and repression increases. Together we have survived the morning well, but the extensive DNA recording concerns us. It suggests an intention to normalize DNA recording and shows that the cops want to fill their databases. Collecting random samples such as those from cigarettte butts, cups, empty bottles and window frames, shows that even the most basic forms of daily alternative life are criminalised preventively and placed under general suspicion. So it is now enough to drink a cup of coffee in a queer-feminist house project and end up in a DNA database for life, without even a concrete accusation of a so-called crime.
      Our answer: Form gangs and get your crew! Only together are we strong!
        Become active and do not wait for a dayX. In the case of Liebig34 , we welcome both centralised and decentralised actions of all kinds. Over the past few months, they have put a mischievous smile on our faces. We are seeing an increase in radical and militant practices that implicitly and explicitly refer to feminist issues. We want more of it!
Probs to the action of a FLINT* action group against the ASW last week.
For current information on Liebig34 check: twitter @Liebig34Liebig and http://liebig34.blogsport.de/
Dates:

Today, Saturday 20.07., 9 pm,Dorfplatz

Tomorrow, Sunday 21.07., 6 pm,manifestation at Dorfplatz in front of our house
Come over! If you have discarded long internet cables, please bring them with you, the pigs have cut our cables, but we won’t be cut off!

Who’s Kiez? Our Kiez!
Love, Your 34 collective

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Squat The World.

 

     Squats are always a symbol of rebellion, an important aspect of taking control by ordinary people, and sometimes a matter of necessity. They are however, detested by the powers that be, as it is a group that is stepping out of the status-quo, a group moving with self determination, a group that is not being subservient to the rules of this exploitative system, a group that refuses to see the sanctity of private property. Squats should always be publicised and supported when and where possible.

      Athens is no stranger to squats and they are always under attack from the authorities who see them as part of the population that has not submitted to its authoritarian and unjust rules, a threat to its total control of the population, a threat that could spread, so must be eliminated.

This from Act For Freedom Now:

         Today 17 July 19, we the self-organized collective of anarchist immigrants together with other self-organized collectives and  individuals in solidarity occupied an abandoned shop at the corner of Tsamadou/Tositsa streets, Exarchia.

Our goals to use this steki as the self-organized collective of anarchist immigrants are:
1- a centre of struggle for anarchist immigrants
2- self-organizing immigrants for common struggle and building relations between the immigrant communities and the movement
3- a collective cafeteria in solidarity with political prisoners
4- education activity
Our opinions on the identity of squat:
A- the squat is not the goal of struggle but is the tool of struggle, which means: the struggle should happen in the street and the squat is a help to organize the social struggles which should happen in the street.
B- the squat should be a social open space, creating open activity for society. For example: open education classes etc…
C- the steki of self-organized anarchist immigrants will not be a housing project. In our opinion: it is not a project to occupy a space for housing. Housing by squatting a place is only a project when the squat is a social political space and is active for struggle in the neighbourhood and other areas.
D- in the squat decisions should be taken in the collective way and the assemblies should be with no authority or hierarchical situation.
In reference to our opinion on squatting, we are struggling to SQUAT THE WORLD.

       Once a place is squatted, it has to be defended, it will always be a point of conflict with the stifling state. Again from Act For Freedom Now:

Photo: The squat patrol in Exarcheia, in front of the memorial for Alexis Grigoropoulos and Michael Kaltezas.

      17.07.19: They think that we will live like slaves. They expect that we will cease to exist, that we will die quietly to perpetuate the world of power. In stubbornness of the times, not only have we not been destroyed, we have strengthened, we have spread everywhere, we have become the hope of the earth. They continue to torture us, preparing prisons and concentration camps for us, sprinkling our streets and our bodies with chemicals and plastic bullets and killing us. Once again they announce that they will take our homes, our squats, our squares, everything.
     We are determined to defend our squats, our neighborhoods and the memory of our struggle. We will fight. The world of freedom, community and solidarity will win.
via: anarchistsworldwide.

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Again, Migrants At The Harsh End Of The State's Heel.

        Anarchist and migrants seem to be the preferred target of the day for most of the European states at the moment. The Greek state, of late, has been particularly active in attacking migrant squats. As in most cases it is usually the vulnerable that are the first to feel the hard heel of the state in its authoritarian drive for complete control of the its captured population. Such harsh treatment of migrants deserves our full support and solidarity.

This from Enough is Enough, first published in Athens Indymedia:

 https://enoughisenough14.org/2019/04/18/refugeesgr-athens-clandestina-and-cyclopi-squats-evicted/#more-54517

                  CALL for an open assembly tonight at Gkini at 19:30 for the EVACUATION OF 4 MIGRANTS SQUATS and an ANTIAUTHORITARIAN QUEER FEMINIST SQUAT.

       This morning two squats were evacuated. Clandestina, on Mpoumpoulinas street, a building housing migrant families. 68 people were transported to Petrou Ralli. The other squat is Cyclopi, antiauthoritarian queer feminist squat in Zoodochou Pigis. Two comrades were arrested in the second one. The comrades are accused of disturbance of house peace, weapons possession and denial of fingerprints. All these are minor accusations.
      We see a repetition of last week’s evictions of New Babylon squat and Azadi squat, both migrant squats. From these evictions, approximately 70 people were taken to Petrou Ralli and some of them are in the process to get deported. Again, in today’s opperation they didn’t find any drugs in the squat, but in order to link their operation with the anti-drug war, they entered in a private apartment that had weed inside.
       The information about the number of prosecutions and arrests was gathered from mass media.
        Some months ago another eviction of another migrants squat took place, the squat of Single Men in Arachovis 44.
        We see a straightforward stategy of the state to “clean” te neighborhood of Exarcheia, as an anti-drug/anti-mafia operation. However, it is clear that this as a war against squats and the migrant population.

ASSEMBLY FOR SOLIDARITY ACTION THURSDAY 18/4 at 19:30 in GKINI

 

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From Desperation To Scapegoat.

          Once again we see another attack on the vulnerable and needy by an EU state, certainly a daily occurrence across Europe. Refugees/immigrants are the people with no basic human rights, scapegoats for the states policy of divide and conquer. Creating the illusion of the foreigner destroying our "way of life", the enemy responsible for all our ills, keeps the population locked in internal squabbles, allowing the state to exert greater authority over the situation.

         The EU has an influx of migrants due to its foreign policy, in conjunction with the US, especially in the middle east and north Africa. Rather than helping these vulnerable and needy people, whose situation they created, it will use this army of desperate and vulnerable people to further its own agenda. People are of no consequence to the powers that be. Civilised Europe, will herd them into unsanitary and over crowded detention centres, by propaganda, lies and misinformation, it will link them to organised crime and violence, feeding the far right with ammunition.

      This is just one recent example of a state's agenda of useing migrants as a tool. This from Athens, Refugee Accommodation and Solidarity Space City Plaza:

          The police operation that took place 2 days ago in Exarchia, against the two refugee squats was not directed against the mafia in the neighbourhood. Despite the propaganda, they did not find anything in the squats to link them with mafia. The goal of the government and the police was a show of power. Refugees have been turned into scapegoats for pre-election purposes. Refugee targeting does not harm mafia, but it strengthens the racist stereotype of identifying “foreigners/refugees” with criminal activity and of course, opens the way to fascist violence.
         We remind them that the squats are the voices against the failed policies of the state on “migration management”. The housing problem is more acute than ever, for both refugees and locals. Instead of finding solutions for the housing problems, government and the oppositions are turning against those who have no shelter and hope. The recipe is classic: Instead of limiting poverty, targeting and criminalising poverty.

Do not let them impose the policy of fear and hatred.

Refugees Accommodation and Solidarity Space City Plaza, April 13, 2019

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Callous, Cruel, Capitalism,

       An all too common aspect of capitalism is its continuing gentrification of our town and city centres, and the commercialisation of all open spaces within the towns and cities. This is not peculiar to any one country, it is the global design being forced on the ordinary people. The result being the eviction of those who can't afford to stay in the new up-market, tourist orientated commercial centres. They are horded out to the periphery, usually in large depressing housing estates, where they are left to see their surroundings deteriorate because of austerity and endemic poverty.

       Within the glossy town and city centres there is homelessness and rough sleeping, while property lies empty waiting for the lucrative offer that fits into their glitzy commercial plan, and makes its owners much richer. Any humane attempt to bring the homeless and empty property together, will be met with the full force of the state's minders, the police. People are away down the ladder of concern when compared with profit. This is the only way capitalism can functioning, amassing wealth for the few at the expense of the many, and it will defend this aspect of its purpose with lies, propaganda and brute force.

     However, across the globe people are resisting this frontal attack orchestrated by the commercial/financial Mafia aided and abetted by the state. 

This from Enough is Enough:

     Berlin, German territory: Today (April 6, Enough 14), after the #Mietenwahnsinn (rent madness) -demonstration, the empty Bizim Bakkal shop was squatted, which had been empty for 4 years. Berlin police evacuated without a valid eviction title, without contact to the owner and using massive force against activists, journalists and parliamentary observers.
Originally published by Besetzen. Edited machine translation by Enough 14. Imahe above byZecko Twitter account.
       Last year, we occupied several houses, apartments and shops, all of which were evicted by the Senate and the Berlin police except one apartment in Großbeerenstraße. We see ourselves as part of a movement that is defending itself against Berlin increasingly developing into a city for the rich. A city in which social participation and place of residence depend on income and in which every square centimetre is used. The city is losing its open spaces, and Berlin’s neighborhoods are increasingly shaped by tourism, consumption and property speculation. Despite many promises regarding housing policy, the Senate is only watching or even actively helping in this process of displacement.

pic.twitter.com/CpyWgnuwKW— andi.waffen (@lamda14) 6. April 2019

      Today, 40,000 people took to the streets in a demonstration against rent madness and displacement. How have the demands, which were also supported by parts of the Berlin Senate, been put into practice and how have we begun to get our neighbourhood back? Many demonstrators joined this project on the spot in Wrangelstraße.
      This made it all the more dramatic how the Senate dealt with such practical forms of action. After the police were first prevented from entering by demonstrators present, the police violently cleared blockades in front of the shop and smashed the door of Wrangelstr. 77. The people in the shop, as well as the demonstrators in front, were arrested and many activists and solidary neighbours present were injured by batons and pepper spray. Members of the House of Representatives as well as members of the Bundestag and journalists were also violently prevented from exercising their right of observation by the police. Senator of the Interior Andreas Geisel was informed about the police operation and is politically responsible for it.

pic.twitter.com/MRZf8GPNP8— andi.waffen (@lamda14) 6. April 2019
        Press spokeswoman Alisia Ney: “Today’s eviction without an eviction title is a new stage of escalation and shows that the state is not even abiding by its own rules. Yet every eviction, whether with an eviction title or without injustice, remains in a city where people live on the street while houses are empty.”
      Press spokeswoman Jona Sommer: “Since taking office, the red-red-green Senate has been claiming “The city belongs to you!” Obviously, it belongs to investors and the Berlin police. Either Senator Geisel does not have his riot squads under control or the SPD is now solving its internal government crisis by police. In Wrangelstraße 77 it became clear that a majority of the population supports our concern to set up a non-commercial neighbourhood centre in the shop which has been empty for years. ”
        Both conclude: “We will not let an arbitrary and insane police force, like fickle politicians, stop us from occupying more empty spaces and taking back the city actively and directly. We will continue to occupy until we no longer have to.”  

Besetzen, Berlin, April 6, 2019.

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

     

A Squat, Always A Welcome Spark Of Humanity.

       While this capitalist system is hell-bent on power mongering, death, destruction, exploitation and selfish greed, it is always heart warming to see a spark of humanity illuminate some of its dark corners. Like Azadi, a new squat in Exarchia Athens. As they start their journey of co-operation and mutual aid, they are making a call for support to help them on their journey.

      This from Act For Freedom Now:

        Why we call us Azadi? Azadi is meaning freedom in Farsi and Kurdish language. We took this name because the most of our residents are Iranian and Kurdish Families! Freedom of movement- Freedom of ourselves- Freedom of our minds is what we want. so this is why we meant this gonna be a good name for our house!
     We are in the process of reorganizing ourself. We are a selforganized community of international people who opened this house to give a safe shelter for woman and children!
we have some rules in the House:
No Violence
No Sexism
No Racism
No Drugs
      This is the main consensus of the people who are living in this house. This time we are around 50 people living peacefully together. Most of us are woman and children. We are on the way to set up the house in a good living standard for everyone who is having a room in the building. Currently we are not able to take new people in the Squat. But we are able to take care of those who are living inside!
What we need:
Fridge, Blankets, Pillows, Lamps, Food, Cleaning stuff
Find out the news at our blog:
https://azadiathens.noblogs.org/

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

The Relentless March Of The Financial Mafia.

 

       It is relentless, it is gaining in pace, it will continue as such, unless we stand up and resist. I'm talking about the march of privatisation, gentrification and corporatism, the commandeering of public spaces, a process that can by any rational thought, be called the culling of the poor. Excluding them to the margins of this new society, built for profit only. The ordinary will be dumped in poverty camps on the periphery, there to be called upon when needed to serve the new society built to the god Mammon. Obviously autonomous spaces are a threat to this financial Mafia dream, so must be rooted out, by rigged laws or brute force. Argument and dialogue will have no more than a delaying effect, they have the wealth, and the power of the state behind them, they know their goal. Do we the ordinary people, know ours?

This from Autonomies

         Anarchist social centres constitute fragile points of passage for anti-capitalist archipelagos of resistance.  There fragility is born of the (ever increasing) restrictions of private property and State opposition.  Yet they are often the only link to rebellious pasts and radical presents: they are the vehicles of radical thought and practices, the precious islands of different futures struggling against and creating beyond the violence of the present.
      The Centro de Cultura Libertária of Cacilhas-Almada, Portugal is the oldest anarchist cultural centre in Iberia; a centre whose space is now threatened by rampant real-estate speculation.  From the CCL, we share their urgent call for solidarity.

The CCL needs your support!
       The Centro de Cultura Libertária, an anarchist association with 44 years of activity in Cacilhas-Almada, Portugal, is again threatened. The continued pressure of the real estate business, the change in the rental law and the gentrification that forces the departure of residents from the central spaces of cities, the destruction of non-profit spaces or the closure of neighborhood stores, now also touches the CCL.
What is happening?
       This is not the first time that the CCL’s permanence in its historic headquarters has been called into question.
Between 2009 and 2011 the Centro de Cultura Libertária resisted an eviction procedure initiated by the landlord. Only the solidarity of many collectives and individuals here and beyond allowed us to face the costs of the judicial process, which led to two trials and one appeal. In the end, we reached a rent increase agreement that allowed us to continue in the space without changes in the duration of the contract.
      However, in 2014, as a result of the changes in the rent law in favor of property owners’ interests, the CCL contract duration was set at five years. At the end of 2018, we have reached the point where, as has happened to thousands of tenants, the continuation of the rent of our space will be at the mercy of the owner’s will and the conditions that he wants to impose on us.
Why support the CCL?
      The CCL is an anarchist cultural centre founded in 1974 by old libertarian militants who resisted the dictatorship, occupying since then the space rented at number 121 Rua Candido dos Reis, in Cacilhas-Almada. The Center has a unique library and archive in Portugal, with documents produced over the last hundred years, as well as a bookshop promoting libertarian culture. It has been a fundamental space for anarchism in Portugal, welcoming successive generations of libertarians. During its existence, the Center hosted numerous activities, such as debates, meetings, reading circles, video sessions, workshops, dinners and various learning workshops, and served as home to many libertarian groups and collectives. Different publications came out of the space, such as the Voz Anarquista in the 1970s, Antithesis in the 1980s, the Anarchist Information Bulletin in the 1990s, and Húmus magazine in the first decade of this century.
As an anarchist association, the functioning of the CCL’s internal organisation is horizontal and is based on the assembly of its members, where decisions are made and the tasks inherent to the life of the association are distributed. Participation in the CCL is always voluntary, unpaid and non-profit. The only sources of funding are membership fees, the bookstore, dinners and solidarity donations.
What future for the CCL?
       We do not want the Centro de Cultura Libertária to end! We want it to continue to exist as an active libertarian association for many years!
       But at the moment the future of the CCL is open: it can remain in the same space, paying a much higher rent, or move to a new space, where we would try to have better conditions for our activities, but where expenses will also be higher.
       In both cases, and given the conditions imposed by the current housing market bubble, we know that we will need financial means that we do not have. For this reason, we will start a fundraising campaign, which will include crowdfunding, concerts, dinners and other initiatives.
      We count on your solidarity support so that together we can guarantee a future for the CCL.
Center for Libertarian Culture
October 2018
C.C.L. bank account details for donations
Holder: CENTRO DE CULTURA LIBERTÁRIA
IBAN: PT50003501790000215493029
(Bank: Caixa Geral de Depósitos)
Contacts
E-mail: ateneu2000@gmail.com
Mail: Apartado 40 / 2800-801 Almada – Portugal
http://culturalibertaria.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/CulturaLibertariaCentro
The website for the crowdfunding effort can be found here. 

        For the Centre’s blog, click here.
       Original Portuguese language statement from CCL, HERE

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

A Day In A Greek Court.

 

         Greece with its supposedly "left-wing" socialist government, displays all the usual signs of fascism. Its institutions lined by riot police, armed to the teeth with batons and body armour, special protective treatment for fascist groups and fascist individuals. However, the people of Greece don't let this pass unchallenged, physical and relentless solidarity against the fascists in the country is the norm. From the streets to the courts, the anti-fascists turn up in numbers to confront and defeat this vile poison that is seeping through the fabric of their country. This fascist poison is also tainting the lives of millions throughout Europe and America, perhaps we could take a few leafs out of the Greek anti-fascists' book.

        Update from the trial of the antifascist centre Distomo in Athens – Greece

           The hearing started with the clashes between antifascists and the Y.M.E.T squad which had the task of private security for the parastate gunman Perrakis inside the court, during his testimony. During his testimony the squad had raised its shield against the defendants and their supporters who showed up in solidarity, creating a protective wall in front of him.
          During his exit he was again escorted while the people threw coffee and spat on him. During the effort of the police to guard Perrakis a riotcop pushed down a comrade and an elderly person who fell down from 1,5 metre height causing him head injuries and a broken arm. In the meantime we managed to achieve that the trial would continue without the presence of Y.M.E.T. and the riot police, the second round of testimonies began.

         That’s when Panayotis Rakovitis and Demetris Tzavellas were humiliated by the antifascists. They were so afraid they kept contradicting themselves. After their testimonies they tried, unsuccessfully, to leave unscathed through the crowd.
Then spoke the owner of the building where the office of the Golden Dawn is housed, who, pressurized by the climate in the court room and the defeats the party has had through the years, said openly that he wishes for the closure of the office. As AntifascistCentre Distomo we openly defended the choice not to leave any space for fascists and the possibility every antifascist has, to be outside the Golden Dawn office at any time.
          We carried this understanding in action inside the courtroom by reversing the role of defendants into accusers.
         Antifascist unity is the only way toward a toward a militant and physical attack against fascism.

 via: Athens Indymedia
Translated by Radio Fragmata.

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