On the killing of Alexandros Grigoropoulos

greece / turkey / cyprus | repression / prisoners | press release Sunday December 14, 2008 13:03 by Dmitri - 1 of Anarkismo Editorial Group

Athens workers' statement

Radical and interesting statements from an employees association and a worker's initiative in Athens.
Initiative from inside

REALITY IS AN ILLUSION.

NORMALITY IS BEYOND US.

During the last days we have been living in a constant contradiction. Work in the mornings, "insurrection" at night. An insurrection triggered by the cold blood murder of Alexis Grigoropoulos by the police. The murder and the explosion of the reactions that followed were not accidental events. It was the catalyst that brought to the fore a situation whose conditions were formed some time ago.

These conditions have much to do with the economic situation, the insurance deregulation, the education reforms and the intesification of our lives in every aspect, the plundering of our space and time. And it's not just these conditions. The era of the first victories of the workers' movement isn't much different from our experiences, with the actual annulment of basic labour rights, the curtailment of the personal freedoms, the attempt to turn society into a "fragmented puzzle" of insecurity, confusion, terror-hysteria and repression. The workers' rights of yesterday are becoming object of dispute for today's struggles.

We are living in an era of intesification of production, of flexible working conditions, the rejection of the collective spirit, and the glorification of individualism at every level. The loss of the worker' s identity inside the production process is the logical outcome of the always intesifying demand of the boss for a worker-"chameleon", that adapts with ease to any condition of wage exploitation.

An exploitation that doesn't shrink from legalizing workers who are in reality rented, from throwing the working force into a precarious workers' market. The more extreme part of this uninsured work is done mostly by immigrants.

Simultaneously, as workers we are called to pay for the economic crisis. A crisis that is mostly caused by our inability to exert a shining consuming behaviour, while remaining docile to the commands of the bosses, and contented with crumblings of the basic wage. And it's not just that. Not only do they steal our labour power, they overwhelm us with tax-plundering to cover the deficits of a national budget that does not serve the interests of the workers.

And while the socially necessery working time is on the wane, our working hours keeping growing up in direct proportion to the rhythm that a stratum on the margins of society is growing and reproducing - the jobless. To summarize, to solidify the relationships of exploiters-exploited the illusion of a "common interest" is created, while in reality we all work for the interest of the boss. The title of our text is not accidental.

From the ashes of last days' destructive spontaneity, we recognize the power of those "from below" to define the public sphere and create the social frame in which to function. We are not just the producers of the social wealth, we are the social wealth itself. We are the ones who keep the cohesion in society and ensure its viability.

As we acquire awareness of our power, we are becoming more dangerous than ever. We propose:

- immediate blocking of the production process.

- social wages regardless of occupation, to live in decency, and to annul the separations promoted by the State and the Capital.

- social insurance for all - creation of poles of self-organized collective struggle in every working sector.

- Against the bureaucratic syndicalism of the state "guild" that is GSEE-ADEDY Greece's two largest reformist unions

Bring it down!

LETS BUILD TODAY THE WORLD OF TOMORROW

fellow precarious workers from the occupied ASOEE (Athens University of Economics and Business - the occupation is comprised out of students, workers, jobless, radicals, immigrants etc etc).

* Translation by Sotev, slightly edited by libcom

Statement of the association of employees of the suburb of Agios Dimitrios in Athens

On Saturday night, the Greek police assassinated a 15 year old student. His assassination was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was the continuation of a coordinated action, by state terrorism and the Golden Dawn, which aimed at university and high school students (with the private universities first), at migrants that continue to be persecuted for being born with the wrong colour, at the employees that must work to death without compensation.

The government of cover-ups with its praetors, having burnt the forests last summer, is responsible for all major cities burning now, too. It protected financial criminals, all those involved in the mobile phone interceptions scandal, those looting the employees’ insurance funds, those kidnapping migrants, those who protected the banks and the monasteries that steal from the ordinary people.

We are in Civil War: With the fascists, the bankers, the state, the media wishing to see an obedient society.

There are no excuses, yet they once again try to use conspiracy theories to calm spirits down. The rage that had accumulated had to be expressed and should not, by any means, end.

Throughout the world we are making headlines, it was about time that people uprise everywhere. The generation of the poor, the unemployed, the partially employed, the homeless, the migrants, the youth, is the generation that will smash every display window and will wake up the obedient citizens from their sleep of the ephemeral American dream.

Don’t watch the news, consciousness is born in the streets When the youth is murdered, the old people should not sleep Goodbye Alexandros, may your blood be the last of an innocent to run rough translation by www.occupiedlondon.org/blog