Call-Out For Solidarity With Greek Struggle, May 13-15

Puget Sound Anarchists May 12, 2011

In Athens, over the past three days, there have been two murders and one
attempted murder. A Greek man was killed on May 10th in a largely
immigrant district, triggering a police-sponsored fascist pogrom that is
still taking place in the immigrant neighborhoods. Immigrants had their
car windows smashed out while they were driving, many have been beaten on
the street, and a Pakistani family had their house fire-bombed. This
pogrom continued with the murder of a 21 year old immigrant by fascists in
the early morning of May 12th. The police have been directly sponsoring
and protecting this racist terror and have also cooperatively attacked the
anarchist squats Skaramagka and Villa Amalias.

In the midst of this extremely volatile situation, the police attacked
dozens of people during the May 11th General Strike and many of them had
to be treated at the hospital. During this attack one protester had his
skull smashed and is now in a deep coma. It is unclear whether he will
survive the coming days.

It is with the utmost seriousness that solidarity is requested from all
those outside Greece. It is asked that people choose one of these two
general options for action.

1) Have a manifestation, action, or other such gesture that directly
impacts the functioning of either a Greek National Tourism Office,
Consulate, or Embassy. These efforts will be felt by the Greek State
itself and would be direct solidarity with the struggle.

2) Have a manifestation, action, or other such gesture that is directly
related to the struggle against the police in your own city or town.
Information and leafleting about the situation in Athens will have little
resonance there. Choose actions that will have the maximum resonance in
your own geographical areas and help strengthen the international
anarchist struggle against the police forces of each State.

The target date for these actions should be the weekend of May 13-15. This
is short notice, and actions soon after this date will still be welcome.
However, if possible, please act during this time period as the weekend is
the time when the situation will likely intensify in Greece.

On the morning of May 12th, the Refectory of the University of Athens in
Central Athens was occupied to be used as a base for counter-information
and action. The building is located near to where the police attacked the
demonstration. A demo is called today for 6 PM in Propylea. These are the
first gestures in an escalation of the struggle against the State, their
police, and their fascist paramilitary.

Statement from occupation

From Athens Indymedia

The Refectory building in Propylaea is occupied
από SOLIDARITY IS A WEAPON! 3:30μμ, Πέμπτη 12 Μαΐου 2011
(Τροποποιήθηκε 4:47μμ, Πέμπτη 12 Μαΐου 2011)
e-mail: mailto:contrainfo@espiv.net">contrainfo@espiv.net
θεματικές: Ανένταχτο

   http://en.contrainfo.espiv.net
   http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog

The Refectory building in Propylaea is occupied since the morning of May 12th

The building of the Refectory of Athens University in Propylaea,
Panepistimiou Street, Athens, is currently occupied by comrades, on the
occasion of the events that took place on May 11th general strike
demonstration.

At least three demonstrators had to undergo medical operations the last 24
hours as result of their injury by riot police. The protest march was
brutally attacked by police forces that caused very serious injuries to at
least 100 people, who had been transferred to hospitals. One demonstrator
was taken to the General Hospital of Nikaia in a heavy, antemortem
condition with severe head injuries; he is now in full clinical
repression.

A morning assembly was held in the Refectory building; another assembly
will take place there after the 18.00 demo. Loudspeakers have been erected
on the Refectory square (Propylaea) informing people about police
brutality, and the first announcement of the occupation has been already
issued and was distributed out on the streets/ here in English and French.

There are calls for anti-repression and anti-police demonstrations at
18.00 (GMT+2) in 11 cities so far, and more are to be added.

Ruling party’s (PASOK) offices were attacked by protesters in Volos last
night, while various spontaneous demos took place in other cities.

The Workers’ Centre in Corfu is occupied at the moment by an assembly,
preparing for the 18:00 demo.
Comrades wish to create an outbreak of counter-information and continuing
struggle, so they call on all militant parts of society to participate.


First announcement from the occupied Refectory building in Propylaea, Athens

In the May 11th general strike demonstration, thousands of protesters
voiced their opposition to the Greek government’s anti-social measures
which directly affect workers. While the predatory policy of the ‘Troika’
along with the cooperating Greek government, is pushing even larger
sections of society in absolute poverty and destitution, the riot police
forces are attacking demonstrators with fury.

In the demonstration of May 11th and while a big part of the demonstrators
had passed the parliament and were heading to Propylaea (Panepistimiou
Str.), the cops attacked furiously and unprovocably against various blocks
of demonstrators (neighborhood assemblies, rank’n'file labour unions,
anarchists/anti-authoritarians, extra-parliamentary left) beating them
wildly and firing tons of tear gas. More than 100 demonstrators were
transferred to general hospitals (Nikaia, ‘KAT’, ‘Evangelismos’), while
three of them underwent surgery.

Comrade Yannis K. has been murderously attacked by the repression forces.
Wounded and with a bleeding head, he began to move away from Panepistimiou
Street along with another demonstrator. Going down Amerikis Street, at the
height of Stadiou Street, they entered into a porch where people who were
present saw him bleeding. He was then transferred in antemortem condition
(according to the hospital doctors union’s press release) at the General
Hospital in Nikaia suffering from an internal head bleeding. He was
directly operated and hospitalized in intensive care, in a coma situation.

While this text is being written, the formal mechanisms of manipulation,
along with their regimes’ apologists are intensively trying to present the
murderous attack as an ‘injury under unclear circumstances’ relieving
thereby the principals and instigators (Greek state, repression forces).

The memory of December 08 revolt is turning like an ax over the heads of
the rulers, that tremble while facing the possibility of a new social
explosion. Alongside, the repression forces  in close cooperation with
members of extreme-right organizations, have launched a coordinated pogrom
against political milieus and squats (Villa Amalias, Patission 61 &
Skaramaga squat), attempting thereby to disrupt the ‘enemy within’ by
sending messages of terror and fear to anyone who fights back.

Today, May 12th, at 9 o’clock, we occupied the Refectory of University of
Athens in Propylaea, in Panepistiniou Str., in the centre of Athens. We
have already converted the building and the courtyard in front of it into
a counter-information centre and a front of struggle, as an embankment to
the States’ invasion and capitalist brutality.

NO PERSECUTION AGAINST THE ARRESTED
OF THE MAY 11th GENERAL STRIKE

WAR BY ALL MEANS AGAINST THE STATE-MURDERER

CALL FOR AN ASSEMBLY IN THE OCCUPIED REFECTORY BUILDING
AT PROPYLAEA, RIGHT AFTER THE END OF THE DEMONSTRATION
(THE DEMO WILL BEGIN AT 18.00)
Anarchists/Anti-authoritarians from the occupied ground of the Refectory
building (Propylaea)