The national army and the exemption papers

greece / turkey / cyprus | imperialism / war | opinion/analysis Monday January 22, 2007 10:39 by OAE (Press Office) - Anarkismo outetheos at yahoo dot com dot au

Statement of OAE (Press Office)

The initial title of this statement was “For the national army and exemption papers (I5) from it”

The Federation of Anarchsts of Greece (OAE), considering that the issue of the obligatory military service in the national army of Greece is pre-occupied all the local society, regardless if today it is a news subject because the scandal of “eponymous” exemptions from this service, is pointing out the following:

1. The national army of every state is serving the interests of the sovereign classes. It prevails always in it inequality, and always the “eponymous” ones enjoy a better confrontation than the rest ones. The rich and those from the sovereign classes never fought by the first line of a national army. In every war, the most oppressed layers of society served by the first line, while the generals and professional politicians were giving the commands from behind the line.

2. The obligatory national military service constitutes a school of national education for the youth. In this school, the newly recruited learn better what compulsory discipline, hierarchy and, finally, class segregation means. The mercenary orientation that the Greek national army has taken during the last few years had not change its character, but it simply confirms that the most poverty-stricken and most oppressed layers of the population have been deceited in undertaking the protection of the sovereign’s interests.

3. The safety of the exploited and oppressed parts of the population from a likely war between states cannot achieved with the national army. Always the proletariat was the victim in the national wars, wether in the “winner” or in the “defeated” side. It was the proletariat of the both sides that during bloody national wars destroyed by itself for the interests of sovereign classes.

For the above reasons, we approve the choice of every oppressed and exploited person to select of not serving in the national army. Also, we believe that the means by which every commited militant selects of not serving should keep pace with the end. Our aim must be the change of the social organisation in which the nationalistic army is abolished and it is substituted by the people militia which defends the anarchist revolution of equality, freedom and common posesion of the goods. It is for this aim that we call every exploited and oppressed person to enlist.

No to the war between states

Yes to the war between classes

OAE (Press Office)

January 2007