"Response to my targeting by the police and the media", by 60 year old antiauthoritarian in Athens

Libcom.org Apr 14 2010

Amidst endless media reports targeting him in relation to the
anti-terrorist operation that are plaguing Athens, a veteran
anti-authoritarian social struggler, Manolis Barahas published today an
open letter to the authorities.

As rumors of more imminent detentions or arrests in Athens today are
spreading, one of the people targeted, the 60 year old Manolis Barahas,
veteran social struggle and antiauthoritarian published an open letter to
the authorities.

Response to my targeting by the police and the media

I am the “intellectual”, the “leader”, the “citizen of Magnesia”, the one
“who performs often excursions to Athens and Ikaria”, the one “with an
organisational role in anti-autoritarian mobilisations” – one wonders,
does your list have an end?

Am I good enough for the “profile” you know so well how to construct, in
cases of creating “terrorist organisations”?

Is perhaps something missing from your zig-saw and I fit for the job?

• Yes, then, I am 60 year old (although in the mileu I belong there are no
leaders, let alone middle-aged ones!)
• Yes, I am the inhabitant of the house you searched on Sunday 11 2010 in
Kypseli (21 Sporadon street), without any results of course.
• Yes, I am the father of the wife of Kostas Gournas (he is my son in law!)
• Yes, I am the granfather of their two 16 month old children, and finally
• Yes, I am an anti-authoritarian.

I confess that I took part since the 1970s in social-class struggles, that
are being performed by the opressed against the state and capital. And
because my list is big, I will refer to the recent past. I took part and I
take part energetically in the “coordinating assembly for refugees and
immigrants”, in movements of solidairty to the insurgent Zapatistas of
Mexico, to movements of solidarity to prisoners, in the “solidarity
assembly to K. Kouneva”, in the “People’s Assembly of
Petralona-Thisio-Koukaki”, and in the “PIKPA squat” by locals of these
areas.

And in order to facilitate your researches, I announce to you that these
days (ever since your amazing arrests and searches began) I am next to my
daughter, in her house, whuch you searched on Sunday 11 April 2010.

It appears that the Holywood super-spectaclt of busting the ‘Revolutionary
Struggle’ has been the best pill for you to muddy up the waters. In order
to pass your anti-social anti-worker measures, as well as the supervision
of the country by the IMF.

It is beyond doubt that the solidarity to the people persecuted for their
participation in the ‘Revolutionary Struggle’ is self-evident and massive.
I am part of the people in solidarity and shall be until their liberation.

The criminalisation of family and friendly relation of those who resist is
a well known tactic of yours, and I stand coscientiously against it.

Athens, Tuesday 13 April 2010
Manolis Berahas

P.S. Regarding the space in Kypseli, it is not the home, as it has been
misleadingly written in the official search report, of my son in law
Kostas Gournas, but the professional space of myself and my brother.


Apr 14 2010 11:55

Note: It must be noted that the four arrests made today in Kallithea and
reported by the media to be Revolutionary Struggle related, were in fact
hooliganism related - a fact that underlines the climate of media
scare-mongering and paranoia in greece at the moment.

Apr 14 2010 13:58

Please correct the original post as indicated in the edited version...

In terms of context it should be noted that a new wave of strikes is
mounting in greece, with taxi drivers having gone on a 48h strike, and the
centre of Athens blocked by several demos, one by taxi drivers, one by
farmers and one by health workers who are performing a 4h stoppage today.
All street market grocery producers are on strike today, while yesterday
they held a demo outside the Ministry of Education. Also lawyers are
currently in a 3-day strike, while teachers will perform a walk-out from
11 a.m to 2 p.m and drivers of buses, trams, the metro and trolley buses
will be performing a work stoppage between 11 a.m and 5 p.m tomorrow.
ADEDY, the public sector union umbrella has announced a 24h strike for the
22nd of April.