Category Archives: General

[Thessaloniki] Squat Libertatia burnt down by fascists

On last Sunday, 21. January 2018, the squat Libertatia in Thessaloniki (Greece) was burnt down by fascists, following a huge nationalist ralley against Macedonia. We document a statement of comrades from Libertatia:

Squat Libertatia’s statement regarding today’s arson

Today – Sunday, January 21th – around 1.30pm and just before the
nationalist gathering for Macedonia, fascist teams who took part in it
realized several attacks on occupied spaces.
First, they attacked the free social space "Σχολείο" and they were
rejected with success by our comrades. Then, they approach our squat,
provoking some damages on the facade and the fence. These damages were
fixed immediately by the members of our collective, who then decided to
join the antinationalist gathering in Kamara. About two hours later, a
group of some 60/70 fascists attacked again our squat with molotov
cocktails and distress flares, which provoked the fire. At this time,
there were no-one left in the building as everyone were in the gathering
in Kamara. While the attack was going on, there were so many cops in
plain clothes and vans of the antiriot police (τα ΜΑΤ) who were staying
next to the squat. They covered the attack without intervening.
The resistance of the neighborhood must be noticed, as some people went
to their balconies and screamed at the fascists, who replied insulting
them and throwing flares to them. When the fascists tried to head again
towards Σχολείο, the police was already there holding the place,
covering the fascists and locking the comrades inside the building.
Don’t be fooled: these attacks and the setting on fire of the building
couldn’t have happened without the « support » of the gathering for
Macedonia. They were going there and they were coming back from there.
All the far-right and neo-nazi groups were calling for this gathering
but no-one gave a fuck about it, offering them social legitimacy and
public space so they could express and act freely. We know very well
that all this couldn’t have happened under other circumstances and
that’s why everyone should clarify its position regarding fascism. All
these energies from such actual and real groups work as supplements for
the repression from the State agains those who fight and resist for
something better. Everyone should have a stand regarding the arson of a
building with more than a century of history which has been abandoned
for decades. The arson of a building that we, anarchists, libertarian
communists and revolutionnaries, have decided to renove and maintain,
first to cover housing needs of proletarians, migrants and people who
are expelled by the State and Capitalism and also in order to create a
radical political space where people can grow together and promote a new
libertarian culture. It must be clear to everyone that we are here
talking about a criminal act, which could have ended with tragic
consequences, i.e deaths.
These attacks doesn’t mean that we will stop fighting against the State,
capitalism and fascism. No attack can manage neither terrorizing us nor
making us do curtsey for any fascist, but with conscience and
determination, for a society of equality and freedom, we will continue
to fight our ideal.

THE FASCIST ATTACKS WON’T STAY UNANSWERED
LET’S RAISE DIKES AGAINST THE FASCIST THREAT
FOR ANARCHY AND LIBERTARIAN COMMUNISM
DEMONSTRATION ON MONDAY 01/22 AT 6PM IN FRONT OF THE SQUAT

during the demo following the attack 5 people got arrested, the court is at friday
we need any kind of political solidarity!
also there is a need of economical support (firstly for the court money
- that could be around 6000 Euros - secondary to start rebuilding the
squat)
there will be more feedback the next days.

For anarchy and libertarian communism
Libertatia, collective for libertarian communism

p.s. -please forward the e-mail to other collectives or individuals
-usefull links: https://www.facebook.com/libertatiasquat/
                http://libertatiasquat.blogspot.gr/

[Bulgaria] Bulgarian-Turkish border: Local District Prosecutor’s Office indicts 21 asylum seekers for a riot

comrades shared a report with us – for contact please use mf@bordermonitoring.eu

    Local District Prosecutor’s Office indicts 21 asylum seekers for a
    riot at Harmanli’s refugee camp

A Local District Prosecutor’s Office decided to indict 21 asylum seekers
for “hooliganism with boldness and cynicism
<http://sofiaglobe.com/2018/01/09/bulgaria-21-asylum-seekers-to-be-indicted-for-riot-at-refugee-camp/>”
concerning the riot which happened in December 2016 in Harmanli’s
refugee camp. The riot broke out after authorities closed Bulgaria’s
biggest refugee camp, because of a quarantine issue
<http://bulgaria.bordermonitoring.eu/2016/11/22/harmanlis-refugee-camp-under-quarantine/>.
Before the closing of the camp neo-nazi and right wing protesters
gathered on a regular basis in front of the camp to demonstrate against
foreigners. The authorities obeyed the orders from the xenophobic and
racist groups and parties and closed the camp for several days.

After the riot broke out on the 24th of November 2017, the camp was
stormed in the following night by a special unit of the gendarmerie.
According to several civil rights organizations, volunteers and refugees
many people in the camp were attacked and heavily injured without being
involved in the riot
<http://bulgaria.bordermonitoring.eu/2016/11/24/the-provoked-riot-in-harmanlis-refugee-camp/>.
Krassimir Kanev, the head of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC), who
was beaten up himself by unknown people during the middle of the night
in October 2016 stated:

    Lots of completely innocent refugees were chased in their rooms,
    attacked and severely beaten up by the police in the course of that
    operation. Nor is there any prosecution of those who closed the
    Harmanli center on the instigation of nationalists, turning it into
    a prison for several days, which provoked the riot. Instead, we are
    going to have several rioters prosecuted for destruction of property
    and hooliganism

<https://sofiaglobe.com/2018/01/09/bulgaria-21-asylum-seekers-to-be-indicted-for-riot-at-refugee-camp/>

The Center for Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria (CLA) condemned „the
absence of investigation of the police use of force against the
asylumseekers
<https://twitter.com/VoiceInBulgaria/status/950641658483355649>„.
Bordermonitoring Bulgaria (BMB) shares the concerns which were raised by
the BHC and the CLA. The aim of the prosecution cannot justify the
possible unlawful acts of the police, the State Agency for Refugees
(SAR) and the the Health Inspectorate, which should be investigated by
an independent agency.

See the full post on Bordermonitoring Bulgaria:
http://bulgaria.bordermonitoring.eu/2018/01/09/local-district-prosecutors-office-indicts-21-asylum-seekers-for-a-riot-at-harmanlis-refugee-camp/

[Roeszke 11] Continuation of trial – 14th & 19th of March 2018

– based on a statement by the “Free the Roeszke 11” solidarity network –

On the 8th, 10th and 12th of January 2018 the next round of hearings in the Hungarian states’ trial against Ahmed H. took place. His case is now back at he first court level. The second instance referred it back due to problems with evidences and translation issues.

There was no new material being used, instead the same police testimonies, police video footages (and randomly cut video material from Russia Today) and police witnesses were taken into consideration. As in the first round of the trial the judge seemed to take over the role of the prosecutor, even though the first judge was considered to be even more unfair and politically motivated than the current judge.

We still consider this as a political show trial, which by nature cannot be a fair trial.

The conditions of Ahmed H.s imprisonment remain unacceptable: being completely isolated for more than two years after he was arrested, not receiving proper food, having to fight for an isolated 1 hour walk to the yard and the mistreatment  by the wards are just some of many points to be criticized.

In addition to that the general situation of refugees and migrants in Hungary remains horrible: if people are caught they are immediately put into “transit” camps in the border area (container jails), inhuman treatment and physical violence is not unusual, asylum applications are almost always rejected with the consequence of deportation back to Serbia.

Generally it can be said that it is not a question whether the conditions of the trial are more fair now than before. This trial is a politically motivated show trial “proving” the narrative of “terrorist/refugees invading Hungary”, wherein the Hungarian authorities frame themselves as the defenders of democratic “Europe”. The European Union is benefiting tremendously from the role Hungary is performing here since the EU doesn’t have to exceed such a persecution itself. Furthermore, the institution

s and companies who profit from such an inhuman system is rarely discussed.

We stand with the demand of the “Free the Roeszke 11” solidarity network:

We don’t want a fair trial for Ahmed H. – we want his immediate release!

Migration and protesting is not a crime!

— The next trial is announced for 14th and 19th of March 2018, where the first instance verdict is expected. —

p.s.: Let’s not forget the Hungarian elections in April!

— further reference: Al Jazeera article about the trial

[Roeszke 11] Report from the trial against Ahmed H. on 10th of January in Szeged

Today, 10th of January 2018, we went to the trial of Ahmed H in Szeged (Hungary). We wanted to show our solidarity with Ahmed who got sentenced to 10 years in prison for participating in the protests on the hungarian-serbian border in September 2015.

In the beginning it was quite shocking for us to see how Ahmed was brought into the court with chains on his hands and feet, hold on a leash by two heavily armed and masked policemen. The second day of the trial was an analysis of video footage. It is four hours long and covered the protests on the border crossing Roeszke (Hungarian side). Second by second and minute by minute the video was shown to find out where Ahmed appears and disappears and what he was doing. For us it was also shocking to see the situation of this day again.

The judge behaved like he was a prosecutor and obviously tried to manipulate him into accusing himself. He asked some leading questions about the evidences he and the prosecutor found in the video. At some point he was succesful with that.

International and local supporters were present for the whole trial and were able to provide at least a smile and some supportive calls for Ahmed which the police instantly tried to prevent.

Also on Friday we will participate in the trial in solidarity and give a more detailed report on this blog, when the first part of the trial is finished.

There will also be a report on twitter for the trial on Friday, 12th of January 2018: https://twitter.com/freetheroszke11

For donation (urgently for his lawyer) please use the following details:

Account holder: Rote Hilfe e.V. Ortsgruppe Frankfurt
Catchword: Röszke 11
IBAN: DE24 4306 0967 4007 2383 90
BIC: GENODEM1GLS​

or support through crowdfunding:

https://www.generosity.com/fundraising/justice-for-ahmed-fundraising-for-defense-lawyer

[Thessaloniki] Orfanotrofeio: The story of a house in Toumba

This Text was written by comrades from Orfanotrofio Squat, Thessaloniki in May 2017.

The story of a house in Toumba, Thessaloniki 2016

Last summer the Squat Orfanotrofio in Thessaloniki was evicted and demolished by the Greek government. One commerade faces repressions now for the squating alone, standing at court for all of us, on the trial on the 31.05.2017. We call for solidarity.

(Greek below)

The story begins with the squatting of the Orfanotrofeio in December 2015. Thousands of migrants have been declared illegal overnight and are stuck on Greek territory. Within a months they were also displaced from Idomeni, an massive self-made and to a great extent self-managed settlement near the border with the Rep of Macedonia. They were moved to isolated camps throughout the country, under the surveillance of the army and the NGOs.

Those of us who had been visiting Idomeni frequently during the summer of 2015 had seen a wall being built in front of our eyes, people practically living in the mud, being beaten up by the police, giving birth in offhand tents, burning anything they could find from the ruble for some heat in the freezing cold, being moved around from town to town and from camp to camp, in buses that would just show up and then disappear, being constantly stopped for pointless checks in the middle of nowhere on their way to the border. If when they made it to the border, they were often pushed back to Athens, where many of them fell into the hands of smugglers and even organ harvesting mafias.

The list gets longer as the plight continues. Migrants are becoming invisible again, while Greece is being transformed from a mere smuggler-State to an NGO/humanitarian fund collector. At the moment, refugees are concentrated in detention camps, prisons and police departments, where they are being murdered, psychologically crushed, and inevitably pushed towards self-abandon or structural illegality, since they have no opportunity to settle, to work, to get some education, to claim their dignity.

Who we are

Within this situation many people chose to act and stand by the migrants. Not our of pity, not for money, just like that. That is who we are. We came together from various parts of the city and of the world, from the social movement of struggles in the workplace, in our neighborhoods, at school and college, on the streets. We had the common need to create a place where locals and migrants could gather and meet, a collective space away from the surveillance and control of NGOs, of the State and its institutions, a space that would encourage equality and self-organization. This space was the abandoned former Orphanage (that had been occupied by the movement before). It was occupied so that it could provide shelter to migrants, people who are being repressed and marginalized simply because they were unlucky enough to be born on the wrong side of the earth, on the wrong side of a hierarchical bipolar value system for which some human lives are superior to others. They were unlucky enough to exist in a world that imposes and reproduces the repressive notion that divides people into privileged and disenfranchised.

What we became

We became an assembly, of privileged locals and europeans as well as migrants, with many different translations and even more languages among us, for a common struggle, not a struggle of representatives.

We squatted the former orphanage ‘Megas Alexandros’ and with our own hands we, (the migrants, the locals, the europeans) created bedrooms for up to 80 people, a kitchen, a pharmacy, a children’s space, a café, a garden. We held regular meetings with lawyers who took care of migrants’ papers, and regularly received food and clothes offered by neighbors (who often participated in the life of the house too). We organized talks and discussions within the house but also at open squares, squats and festivals about the Orfanotrofeio project, as well as about the rights of migrants to free mobility and papers. We organized actions against the evacuation and the demolition of the building, called meetings in front of migrant detention camps demanding their release, demanded free access to work and health services, several groups continued their regular visits to the camps and actively participated at antifascist initiatives. All decisions were made at the weekly assemblies that were translated in languages that covered all participants. We did not discriminate according to religion, country of origin or family status.

Most importantly, we did not and never will accept the distinction between legal and illegal migrants. For us, this squat became our vital space and the first safe place for migrants. It lasted for eight months and it was proof that we can live, work and struggle together.

Repression but not suppression

At the end of July, the police knocked on our door with cranes and bulldozers, arrested whoever they found inside and finally left the contractors finish off the holy business of the church and pulled down the entire building. It is amazing how well the town council, the SyrizANEL government, the police, the university, the mass media and the church can collaborate when it comes to the management and repression of migrants.

We had been threatened from the very beginning by the «charitable» priest mafia. There are reasons. Because the majority of migrants are muslim. Because these migrants were visible, they participated in the everyday life of a lively area, instead of being socially excluded, out of sight, as the State would want them.  Because the church wanted the estate without the building for a charitably profitable mega-project of its own.

After years of indifference, the church finally decided to demolish not only a historically significant building but most importantly a project of solidarity, that had managed to live up to the needs of society, against the logic of capital. It demolished a building that had become our home. A lot went down with it: A place for meeting, a place filled with stories and experiences, whole storage rooms with clothes and food, personal  belongings. But we will not give up. Some of us continued our journey, some have stayed here looking for a job or preparing their next move. For us, giving up would be denying the urge for freedom.

What has remained

Until today, the estate of the former squatted home at the Orfanotrofeio is full of rubble. There has been no «effective use» or «transformation» the church and  authorities were talking about. This proves what we knew already. The evacuation and the speed with which the demolition took place had nothing to do with the need to create an «institution for the common good» and everything to do with wanting to destroy a dangerous project, a community of struggle where locals and migrants lived and acted together.

The situation for migrants has not changed much. People have become accustomed to hearing about the drownings in the Aegean. The majority of refugee children did not start attending school. The camps are being “upgraded” so that they can receive more refugees, away from the city centres, isolated and marginalized. Deportations to the “safe country” of Turkey are going on, following the Greece-Turkey deal.

After the evacuation of the Orfanotrofeio squat we were lead to camps outside the city. We chose to return to the city and unite with other people in the struggle against repression, yet the State is determined to isolate and divide us. People in solidarity in court are facing serious sentences and huge fines. Our unity however is getting stronger, and we will always be together in solidarity and in a quest for a life of dignity and freedom.  We share what we have and we struggle together for what we deserve, against the devaluation of our lives and dreams. We might have lost one squat, but  above all we confirmed that the State and its lackeys are seriously afraid of self-organization, practical solidarity to the sans papiers, and common struggles of locals and migrants.

COMMUNITIES OF STRUGGLE WITH THE MIGRANTS IN ALL NEIGHBORHOODS
FOR A SOCIETY FREE OF EXPLOITATION, SEPARATION, BORDERS AND STATES
STOP ALL PERSECUTIONS NOW
SOLIDARITY TO OUR COMRADE WHO IS FACING INCARCERATION FOR THE ORFANOTROFEIO SQUAT

Meeting: THESSALONIKI COURT HOUSE, MAY 31, 9am

Former Occupied Home for Migrants ORFANOTROFEIO

If you want to support us and our commrade to pay that fine get in touch with us:
salonikasolihouse(ätt)espiv.net
facebook.com/katalipsistegismetanastonorfanotrofeio/
As well there is a solidarity campagin for all the repression put on activists in Thessaloniki:
https://cantevictsolidarityenglish.noblogs.org/

Μια ιστορία για την Τούμπα του 2016

Η ιστορία ξεκινά με την κατάληψη του Ορφανοτροφείου τον Δεκέμβρη του 2015. Χιλιάδες μετανάστ(ρι)ες κηρύχθηκαν ξαφνικά παράνομοι και εγκλωβίστηκαν στον ελλαδικό χώρο. Μέσα σε λίγους μήνες εκτοπίστηκαν και από την Ειδομένη –έναν υπαίθριο και σχετικά ανεξέλεγκτο, με στοιχεία πρόχειρης αυτοδιαχείρισης, χώρο εγκατάστασης στα σύνορα– σε απομονωμένα και επιτηρούμενα καμπς και κέντρα κράτησης σε όλη τη χώρα.

Όσοι/ες πηγαίναμε τακτικά στην Ειδομένη από το καλοκαίρι του 2015, είδαμε τον χειμώνα του 2015-2016 να χτίζεται ένας φράχτης, είδαμε ανθρώπους να ζουν μέσα στη λάσπη και να ξυλοκοπούνται από την αστυνομία, να γεννάνε σε σκηνές, να καίνε ό,τι βρουν μπροστά τους για να ζεσταθούν, να μεταφέρονται άσκοπα από πόλη σε πόλη με λεωφορεία, να «πετάγονται» από καμπ σε καμπ, να τους σταματάνε στο πουθενά ώστε να καθυστερήσουν την έλευσή τους στα σύνορα. Ακόμη και αν τα κατάφερναν, τους γύριζαν στην Αθήνα, με αποτέλεσμα πολλοί/ές να πέφτουν θύματα εμπορίου ανθρώπων, ακόμα και οργάνων. Ο κατάλογος της κακοποίησης συνεχίζεται επί μακρόν και για πάντα, αφού η κατάσταση μέχρι σήμερα δεν έχει αλλάξει. Συγκεκριμένα, οι μετανάστ(ρι)ες ξαναγίνονται αόρατοι, και η Ελλάδα, από αποκλειστικά κράτος-διακινητής, γίνεται σιγά σιγά και κράτος-εισπράκτορας κονδυλίων ανθρωπιστικής βοήθειας. Πλέον οι μετανάστ(ρι)ες σε όλη τη χώρα βρίσκονται σε καμπς, φυλακές, στρατόπεδα συγκέντρωσης και τμήματα, όπου δολοφονούνται ή εξοντώνονται, ωθούνται αναγκαστικά στην παραίτηση ή τη στημένη παρανομία, αφού δεν έχουν καμία δυνατότητα να εγκατασταθούν, να μορφωθούν, να δουλέψουν και να ζήσουν με αξιοπρέπεια.

Ποιοι-ες είμαστε

Μέσα σε αυτές τις συνθήκες κινητοποιήθηκαν πάρα πολλοί άνθρωποι στο πλευρό των μεταναστ(ρι)ών. Όχι έμμισθα, ούτε από οίκτο. Είμαστε λοιπόν κάποιοι/ες από αυτούς. Συναντηθήκαμε από διάφορα σημεία της πόλης και του κόσμου, άνθρωποι που χρόνια τώρα αγωνιζόμαστε στους χώρους εργασίας, στις γειτονιές και τις σχολές μας, άνθρωποι που συμμετέχουμε ενεργά στα κινήματα και στους κοινωνικούς αγώνες. Κοινή μας ανάγκη υπήρξε η δημιουργία ενός τόπου συνάντησης ντόπιων και μεταναστ(ρι)ών, ενός συλλογικού χώρου, μακριά από την επιτήρηση και τη διαχείριση του κράτους, των θεσμών του και των ΜΚΟ, ενός χώρου που θα προτάσσει την ισοτιμία και την αυτοργάνωση. Πρόκειται για ένα κτίριο που είχε καταληφθεί για να στεγάσει μετανάστριες και μετανάστες, στο πλαίσιο της αλληλεγγύης προς ανθρώπους που υπόκεινται την καταπίεση και την περιθωριοποίηση επειδή είχαν την «ατυχία» να μην γεννηθούν στην κυρίαρχη (καθώς και κυριαρχική) Δύση, επειδή είχαν την «ατυχία» να βρίσκονται στην υποτιμημένη πλευρά ενός διπόλου που είναι δομημένο ιεραρχικά, ορίζοντας και διαχωρίζοντας τις αξίες ανθρώπινων ζωών σε ανώτερες και κατώτερες. Επειδή είχαν την «ατυχία» να υπάρχουν σε έναν κόσμο που επιβάλλει και αναπαράγει την ύπαρξη της καταπίεσης, διακρίνοντας τους ανθρώπους σε προνομιούχους και μη.

Ποιοι-ες γίναμε: δημιουργήθηκε έτσι λοιπόν μια συνέλευση που δεν αποτελούνταν μόνο από «προνομιούχους», ντόπιους και ευρωπαίες, που οι μεταφράσεις ήταν πολλές και οι διαφορετικές γλώσσες ακόμα περισσότερες, που αγωνιζόμασταν μαζί και όχι γι’ αυτές/αυτούς.

Από τη θεωρία στην πράξη

Έτσι, κάναμε κατάληψη στο χώρο του πρώην ορφανοτροφείου «Μέγας Αλέξανδρος» και φτιάξαμε μέσα σε αυτό με τα ίδια μας τα χέρια (ντόπιοι, ευρωπαίοι και μετανάστες) δωμάτια φιλοξενίας (για έως και 80 άτομα), κουζίνα, φαρμακείο, χώρο για τα παιδιά, καφενείο, κήπο, κάναμε τακτικές συναντήσεις με δικηγόρους που φρόντιζαν για τα χαρτιά των μεταναστ(ρι)ών, με τη στήριξη της γειτονιάς σε είδη πρώτης ανάγκης αλλά και τη συμμετοχή της. Ταυτόχρονα, κάναμε εκδηλώσεις με ομιλίες μέσα στην κατάληψη αλλά και έξω από αυτήν, σε πλατείες, καταλήψεις και φεστιβάλ, μιλώντας τόσο για το ίδιο το εγχείρημα όσο και για τα δικαιώματα των μεταναστ(ρι)ών για ελεύθερη μετακίνηση και χαρτιά. Προχωρήσαμε σε παρεμβάσεις ενάντια στην εκκένωση και την κατεδάφιση του κτιρίου, καλέσαμε έξω από στρατόπεδα συγκέντρωσης με αίτημα την απελευθέρωσή τους, διεκδικήσαμε έμπρακτα την ελεύθερη πρόσβαση στην περίθαλψη και την εργασία, ομάδες ατόμων πήγαιναν συνέχεια στα καμπς και συμμετείχαμε ενεργά στα αντιφασιστικά καλέσματα. Όλα αυτά τα αποφασίζαμε και τα διεκπεραιώναμε όλες/οι μαζί, με εβδομαδιαίες συνελεύσεις σε όλες τις γλώσσες, ώστε όλοι/ες να μπορούν να συμμετέχουν. Δεν κάναμε διαχωρισμούς βάσει θρησκείας, ούτε χώρας προέλευσης, ούτε οικογενειακής κατάστασης. Επίσης, δεν αναγνωρίζαμε και δεν αναγνωρίζουμε το διαχωρισμό των μεταναστ(ρι)ών σε νόμιμους και παράνομους. Για εμάς, λοιπόν, αυτή η κατάληψη αποτέλεσε τον ζωτικό μας χώρο, καθώς και τον πρώτο ασφαλή χώρο για τους/τις μετανάστ(ρι)ες για περίπου οχτώ μήνες, και ήταν η απόδειξη ότι μπορούμε να ζούμε, να δουλεύουμε και να αγωνιζόμαστε μαζί.

Καταστολή, αλλά όχι αναστολή

Στα τέλη Ιουλίου 2016, η αστυνομία «χτύπησε την πόρτα» του Ορφανοτροφείου με ΜΑΤ, φαγάνες και μπουλντόζες, προσήγαγε όποιους/ες βρήκε μέσα (εκτός από τις οικογένειες με μωρά και μικρά παιδιά, που δεν θα έγραφαν καλά στις κάμερες). Στη συνέχεια, άφησε την εργολαβία να ολοκληρώσει το έργο της Εκκλησίας, με την κατεδάφιση του κτιρίου. Τελικά, κατηγορίες για την κατάληψη αποδόθηκαν μόνο σε ντόπιους και ευρωπαίους, ενώ όσοι μετανάστες είχαν προσαχθεί οδηγήθηκαν σε καμπς έξω από τη Θεσσαλονίκη. Η συνεργασία που επιτυγχάνουν ο δήμος, η κυβέρνηση Συριζανέλ, η αστυνομία, το πανεπιστήμιο, τα μμε και η Εκκλησία στον τομέα της διαχείρισης και της καταστολής των μεταναστ(ρι)ών είναι εντυπωσιακή.

Βέβαια, από την πρώτη κιόλας μέρα δεχτήκαμε απειλές από το κατά τα άλλα «φιλάνθρωπο» παπαδαριό, για πολλούς λόγους: Γιατί η πλειοψηφία των μεταναστ(ρι)ών είναι μουσουλμάνοι. Γιατί ήταν εμφανείς στην τοπική ζωή και καθημερινότητα και όχι κοινωνικά αποκλεισμένοι, όπως θέλει το κράτος. Γιατί η Εκκλησία διεκδικεί το οικόπεδο, χωρίς το κτίριο, για να χτίσει «φιλανθρωπικό» μεγαθήριο για τα κέρδη της. Έτσι, μετά την χρόνια απραξία της, τελικά προχώρησε στην καταστροφή όχι μόνο ενός ιστορικού κτιρίου, αλλά και ενός εγχειρήματος, που με όλα του τα προβλήματα στάθηκε αλληλέγγυο και στο ύψος των περιστάσεων απέναντι στις πολιτικές των συμφερόντων που εξυψώνουν το κέρδος και υποβαθμίζουν τον άνθρωπο. Ένα κτίριο που κατάφερε να γίνει το σπίτι μας. Με αυτήν την κατεδάφιση χάθηκε ένας χώρος συνάντησης, γεμάτος ιστορίες και βιώματα, αποθήκες γεμάτες είδη πρώτης ανάγκης που είχαν συγκεντρωθεί και πολλά προσωπικά αντικείμενα, αλλά όχι η επιμονή μας. Κάποιοι συνέχισαν το ταξίδι τους, κάποιοι παρέμειναν ακόμα εδώ ψάχνοντας για δουλειά ή προετοιμάζοντας την επόμενή τους κίνηση. Αν δεν συνεχίζαμε, θα ήταν σαν να αρνιόμαστε το ίδιο το ένστικτο της ελευθερίας.

Τι έμεινε

Φυσικά, μέχρι και σήμερα ο χώρος όπου στεγαζόταν η κατάληψη στέγης μεταναστ(ρι)ών Ορφανοτροφείο είναι γεμάτος μπάζα. Τελικώς δεν έγινε καμία αξιοποίηση του χώρου. Το γεγονός αυτό δείχνει ότι η εκκένωση και η ταχύτητα με την οποία ξεκίνησε η διαδικασία κατεδάφισης δεν επαληθεύει τα λεγόμενα κράτους και Εκκλησίας για αξιοποίηση του χώρου για το κοινό συμφέρον, αλλά δηλώνει την πρόθεση να χτυπηθεί ένα «επικίνδυνο» εγχείρημα, ένα κέντρο αγώνα όπου ντόπιοι και μετανάστ(ρι)ες ζούσαν και πάλευαν μαζί.

Σήμερα η κατάσταση για τους μετανάστ(ρι)ες δεν έχει αλλάξει. Οι πνιγμοί έχουν γίνει συνήθεια, τα παιδιά των μεταναστ(ρι)ών στη συντριπτική πλειοψηφία τους δεν πηγαίνουν σχολείο, και τα καμπς «αναβαθμίζονται» για να στοιβάξουν και άλλες/ους, περιθωριοποιώντας τους μακριά από τη ζωή της πόλης. Κόσμος συνεχίζει να απελαύνεται μαζικά στην «ασφαλή» Τουρκία με βάση το σύμφωνο ΕΕ-Τουρκίας. Τα 70 στα 100 ευρώ που αντιστοιχούν σε κάθε μόνιμα εγκατεστημένο αιτούντα άσυλο δεν ξέρουμε πού πήγαν.

Ως μετανάστ(ρι)ες μετά την εκκένωση οδηγηθήκαμε σε καμπς εκτός πόλης, και ανεξάρτητα από την επιλογή μας να γυρίσουμε στο κέντρο της πόλης και να ενωθούμε με τους υπόλοιπους/ες στον αγώνα κατά της καταστολής, φάνηκε ξεκάθαρα η πολιτική διαχείριση, της απομόνωσης και της διάσπασης, που ακολουθεί το κράτος. Ως αλληλέγγυες/οι αντιμετωπίζουμε μεγάλες ποινές φυλάκισης και υπέρογκα ποσά σε δικαστικά έξοδα. Οι σχέσεις μας όμως δυναμώνουν και θα μας συνδέει πάντα η αλληλλεγγύη και η ανάγκη για αξιοπρεπή ζωή. Μοιραζόμαστε όσα έχουμε και αγωνιζόμαστε μαζί για όσα μας ανήκουν, ενάντια στις αιτίες που γεννούν την υποτίμηση των ζωών μας. Σίγουρα επιβεβαιώσαμε το πιο σημαντικό: ότι τα εγχειρήματα αυτοοργάνωσης των μεταναστ(ρι)ών, η έμπρακτη αλληλεγγύη στους/στις χωρίς χαρτιά και οι κοινοί αγώνες ντόπιων και μεταναστ(ρι)ών είναι και παραμένουν η μεγαλύτερη απειλή για το κράτος και τα τσιράκια του.

ΚΟΙΝΟΤΗΤΕΣ ΑΓΩΝΑ ΜΕ ΤΙΣ/ΤΟΥΣ ΜΕΤΑΝΑΣΤ(ΡΙ)ΕΣ ΣΕ ΟΛΕΣ ΤΙΣ ΓΕΙΤΟΝΙΕΣ

ΓΙΑ ΜΙΑ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑ ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΗ, ΧΩΡΙΣ ΕΚΜΕΤΑΛΛΕΥΣΗ, ΔΙΑΧΩΡΙΣΜΟΥΣ, ΣΥΝΟΡΑ ΚΑΙ ΚΡΑΤΗ

ΚΑΜΙΑ ΔΙΩΞΗ ΤΩΝ ΣΥΛΛΗΦΘΕΙΣΩΝ

ΑΛΛΗΛΥΕΓΓΥΗ ΣΤΗ ΣΥΝΤΡΟΦΙΣΣΑ ΠΟΥ ΑΝΤΙΜΕΤΩΠΙΖΕΙ ΠΟΙΝΗ ΦΥΛΑΚΙΣΗΣ

ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΚΑΤΑΛΗΨΗ ΤΟΥ ΟΡΦΑΝΟΤΡΟΦΕΙΟΥ

Πέμπτη 25 Μάη, 7 μμ: Συγκέντρωση – Εκδήλωση, πλατεία Αγ. Θεράποντα, Τούμπα

Τετάρτη 31 Μάη, 9 πμ: Δικαστήρια Θεσσαλονίκης

Πρώην συνέλευση κατάληψης στέγης μεταναστ(ρι)ών Ορφανοτροφείο

Thessaloniki: Trial for the eviction of the squat Albatros postponed

Report by comrades from Thessaloniki.

The trial against the arrested at the eviction of the squatted house Albatros on April 5th 2017 that was supposed to happen last Thursday 4th of May was postponed again to December 15th 2017.

The weeks between the trial and the day of the trial the Greek mainstream media has built up a campaign targeting autonomous solidarity movements. “Alpha TV” has tried to link demonstrations against the closing of the borders to the international acivists that have been arrested during the eviction. This narrative is used to victimize and mute people that are rising up against the injustices they are facing on the one hand and is on the other hand trying to criminalize structures and movements that refuse to participate in the management of migration movements by only providing humanitarian aid and that struggle against the political and systematic roots of this situation. Like this the media and the governments are trying to delegitimize resistance against the system of borders and nations and the connection of the struggle for freedom of movement with other social struggles, like the struggle for housing or the struggle against capital.

The owner of the former squat Albatros is using this media attention to depict herself as the victim. She is still refusing the former inhabitants of Albatros the possibility to take their belongings from the house.

This is the statement of the accused for the squatting of the house Albatros:

“The legal situation and the living conditions of people forced to migrate in Greece and other countries in Europe are not giving people a chance to have a life in dignity. The conditions in the camps on the islands and the mainland of Greece are not even providing people with their basic needs, not to mention the freedom to make choices about one’s own life or participating in a society or community. The EU Turkey deal and the closing of the so called “Balkan route” have led to people being stuck here and even dying because of the horrible conditions in the camps, prisons and detention centers they are forced to live in. These circumstances have also led to the fact that they are forced to choose dangerous ways of traveling when a safe and “legal” way was made impossible.

The current system of only being able to obtain a legal status via Skype leads to a situation where people are divided in having legal papers and not having legal papers and is therefore excluding an ever growing group of people from access to any form of humanitarian aid structures. People are forced to live on the streets and due to racist police practices like racial profiling, they live in constant fear of police brutality, being controlled, put in jail and deported either to their home countries or third countries like Turkey, where their life can be in danger and their living conditions are even worse.

There is clearly a need for adequate housing and conditions that allow people to be human again and not the object of the political despotism of the EU migration policy. The occupation of a house that has been abandoned for years like many others in Thessaloniki is a reaction to these circumstances and an attempt to give people back the dignity they are deprived from. It is also a political act against the capitalist right for property, a system that is establishing and maintaining inequality. We do not see the squatting of this house as a criminal act but a form of political resistance against a humanitarian crisis that was created on purpose in order to scare people from overcoming the divisions of rich and poor, europeans and non-europeans, that the system of capital and nation state needs in order to reproduce itself. The squatting of the house was considered a danger for this system and the eviction of it was therefore a political act by the authorities and not just an act that wants to give back the house to it’s “owners”. It is a part of an ongoing war against self-organized and autonomous projects as it already became obvious in the evictions of three houses in Thessaloniki in summer 2016 and the recent evictions on Lesvos and in Athens. The treatment of us by the authorities and media during the eviction and in the police station as well as the treatment of us and supporters in the courthouse last Thursday where we were constantly exposed to verbal and physical violence, is just another proof that the authorities want to make an example of us against autonomous solidarity structures. Since the beginning of the so called “refugee crisis” this strategy has not changed.

It is the first time that the people without a european passport are also accused for squatting and this has the purpose of scaring others from becoming politically active against their oppression and isolation in the society. This is targeting a group of people that has been labeled as “economic migrants”, which means they are already facing a huge discrimination in the asylum procedure and are more threatened with deportations than others. We do not agree with the accusation of the destruction of the house. The house was in a very bad condition when it was found with the walls falling off and dirt everywhere. The more than 100 people that have called this house their home over the time of it’s existence as a squat have put constant work and effort into rebuilding and improving the conditions of the house.

We demand all charges against us and our friends that still have to face trial for the events last Wednesday to be dropped. We condemn the imprisonment of our friend Aziz, who was held prisoner for two more weeks for not being able to obtain legal papers and demand an end of the practice of imprisonment of people practicing their right to freedom of movement in Greece and elsewhere. FREEDOM FOR ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS! FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHERE AND HOW WE WANT TO LIVE!”

In order to cover the costs that are following with the trial there is a need for support. Also physical support in order to keep independent and autonomous solidarity structures with people stuck in Greece ongoing is needed. If you want to support the people of Albatros in their struggle write an email with your pgp encryption key to antirep-thessaloniki@riseup.net.

We also support the accused of Albatros squat with the ‘cantevictsolidarity’-campaign.

[Thessaloniki] About the eviction of the squatted house “Albatross”

We report an article of comrades from evicted albatross squat in Thessaloniki (8.4.2017):

In the morning of Wednesday the 5th of April, the police, led by an OPKE unit, evicted a house in Ano Poli, Thessaloniki. Under the threat of fire-weapons, 13 people were arrested and brought to the police station in Monastiriou.

The cops refused to let the arrested use their right to contact a lawyer and get translators for 5 hours.

9 people that came to in solidarity were also brought to the “megaron” and kept 3 hours for identity control. One of them now faces the charge of resistance after the pigs beat him up.

 

During the day, 2 people had to be transferred to the hospital : one with a severe head-wound after the treatment he received in the police station (the physical and psychological violence of the cops following him even in the walls of the hospital) ; the other because of his health, the pigs refusing for hours to take in consideration his signed appointment with a doctor for this precise day, and for hours refusing giving their prescribed medication to him and another person.

After 32 hours, only 12 people were set free before the trial, one being kept imprisoned for having no paper. He may stay in up to six month for this only, and is also accused, like the others, of both squatting and damaging private property. The asylum process in Greece is still so insufficient that thousands of people are not able to obtain a “legal status” and have therefore no possibilities to get access to accommodation or other forms of support. Living in a squat is often the only option they have.

Over the time, Albatros was a home for a lot of people. Their “nationalities” do not matter.

We live together, we fight together against the violent oppression of a society that wants us unequal and divided.

We fight racism by building free association based on affinity and common interest instead of the stupid categories that are “nations” “races” and “cultures.”

We fight the oppression of a police-state and its system of borders and papers ; we refuse its authority like any other kind of power. Albatross was not a squat formigrants opened by western europeans, the house was opened by people with and without a “legal” status in Greece. By creating a home and a community where there’s space for everyone who wants to be part of it, we want to show an alternative for this cage that has been created and that has to be kept up with guns and walls. We do not need and we do not want authorities to govern us, we organize ourselves, because we know and we can see every day that humans are very well capable of living without hierarchy.

We live and create together with people that have been stripped of their rights and that are refused a part in this society, because we believe that the only way of counteracting a system of closed borders and an always-growing militarization of society is if we are claiming back what they want to take from us: our voices, our dignity and our humanity.

We fight the property system that divides us between rich and poor by using the houses left empty when so many people live in the street. Property is not safety, it is violence.

This house was made suitable for living again without money, using material found in the streets and in the trash. We did this because we want to show that in this society people do not have to be poor (as we are told by our governments), but that on the contrary this system is creating tons of “trash” on the one side, while on the other side people are left to starve.

Without money, hierarchy or a “legal status”, a house left abandoned to fall in ruin was made into a home for free people willing to self-organize.

Albatros was an answer to the politically motivated evictions of three squats in the summer 2016 in Thessaloniki that left many without a roof.

The eviction of Albatros is also a political decision, considering the context of repression against squatting (and especially the “migrant squats”) and the fact it happened on the very next day after a protest about this precise topic, when the accusation of the “owners” apparently dates back to December.

Repression will not stop our struggle. You can take our house and you can try to deprive us from our liberty but you will not silence us from speaking out and struggling against fascism, racism and every kind of violence and injustice.

We call everyone interested to show support this Tuesday 11th of April at 12 at the courthouse of Thessaloniki.

No people without a house, no house without people

No house in the hands of the capitalists !

[Thessaloniki] New eviction // Greek government escalates

After the three evictions of Refugee squats in Thessaloniki last year  and of two homes in Athens three weeks ago the Greek state seems two make his words true two evict all squats and escalates situation further.

we are documenting the report of an activist.
Albatros squat was evicted yesterday. During the eviction, there were 13 arrests inside the house (activists from various countries and 5 migrants). 8 more activists gathered outside the building during the police raid and were brought by force to a police station but were released after 3 hours of checking their IDs. One of the arrested activists had to be carried to a hospital, because he was wounded during the eviction. All the arrested were freed earlier today, as the court could not provide translators. Their trial will take place on coming Tuesday,

Albatros was a privately owned house in the old town of Thessaloniki, that was squatted past autumn by internationals.

This is an image of Albatros squat, publishing in a local web site six days ago, in an article announcing coming evictions of squats.

Albatros was a rather small squat, mainly internationals were living there, but also a good number of migrants, especially the period after the eviction of Orfanotrofeio and the other squats in Thessaloniki, while the “refugee camps” around Thessaloniki were still full (during last July NoBorder Camp there were 27,000 migrants living in camps around Thessaloniki, now there are less than 3,000).

We call for your solidarity!

CityPlazaAthen: Regarding the rumors on the imminent evacuation of refugee squats and the escalation of the anti-refugee policy

Regarding the rumors on the imminent evacuation of refugee squats and
the escalation of the anti-refugee policy

http://solidarity2refugees.gr/regarding-rumors-imminent-ev…/

CLOSE THE CAMPS OF SHAME – NOT THE REFUGEE HOUSING SQUATS

It looks like the government attack against the refugee housing squats
is being escalated. Following the evacuation of the Thessaloniki squats
in the summer, the Alkiviadou refugee housing squat and Villa Zografou
were evacuated a few weeks ago. Following the statements by Minister of
Public Order Nikos Toskas last week, regarding the evacuation of refugee
housing squats, rumors and leaked information has been circulating,
setting the stage for a new round of attacks.
Instead of planning to close the refugee detention centers, end the
apartheid between the Greek mainland and the islands, and house trapped
refugees within cities in dignified housing conditions, the government
is ramping up measures against the trapped refugees, is preparing to
open more closed detention centers, mass deportations and, in order to
implement a “policy of deterrence”, is organizing a completely
authoritarian neoliberal programme against the trapped refugees, thereby
being a keen implementer of the EU-Turkey deal of shame.

We are certain that the planned attack against refugee housing squats is
part of exactly this anti=refugee and anti-migration policy. It is
neither an exception nor a diversion. It is completely logical that a
government policy that presents refugees as being an enemy within is now
adopting a policy of hostility to any example of dignified living and
housing. This is, of course, a continuation of the broader anti-grass
roots government policies.

As Refugee Accommodation Space City Plaza, we are completely against
this racist policy, and we are unwilling to make a step back in the
struggle for dignity, social integration and equality, coexistence
between locals and foreign nationals, solidarity to all those fleeing
war and poverty, from Syria to Senegal and from Afghanistan to Morocco.
Over the course of one year, over 1500 refugees and hundreds of people
in solidarity, local and international, are organizing a model for
meeting fundamental human needs and a model for social self-organization
and multi-ethnic cohabitation. An abandoned hotel on Acharnon is a
center of struggle and solidarity at an international scale.

We demand nothing more than the free movement of people, dignified
living, the granting of asylum, equality and freedom for all the people
who fled their homes and arrived here. We accept nothing else.
We are here and we will remain here! Don’t even think about it…

Refugee Accommodation Space City Plaza
Athens, April 3, 2017

Eviction of 2 refugee squats in Athens: Villa Zografou & the Hospital squat on Alkiviadou

The repression by the Greek state and police against self-organization and solidarity between people on the move and activists or just supporting people does not decrease at all. We can recognize the opposite – an aggravation of oppression, violence and criminalization of support and solidarity.

On the 13th of March, again two squats were evicted by the cops in Athens. One of them a refugee housing squat. The police entered the squats, Villa Zografou and the hospital squat at 5 am in the morning and arrested 200 people.

Here is a statement from the Khora Social Centre:

This morning at 5am, 2 squats in Athens, 1 housing refugees, were evicted by the police.
Around 200 people are currently being held in police stations, with no access to a lawyer. One person we are in contact with was told she doesn’t have the right to see a lawyer, telling her she “isn’t being detained, just ‘held back’ before being referred to a camp.”
Those with papers have been separated from those without papers, and we don’t yet know what will happen to them.
A policeman we spoke to outside the police station this morning admitted to following orders that he knows go against the refugees’ rights.

We will update this page as we find out more: https://enoughisenough14.org/2017/03/13/athens-khoras-social-centre-on-squat-evictions-refugeesgr-living-there/

We stand in solidarity with those detained and in opposition to the continued refusal of the state to grant refugees their rights and allow them access to safe living conditions.

Khora Social Center

Repression, criminalization and the try to detain our visions of freedom and solidarity are present every where. But we will not give up to fight against this shit! but we will continue fighting for our rights, for our freedom and for our vision of a good life for every one!