THE BATTLE FOR EXARCHIA AND STREFFI HILL: PART 3

The privatisation and the redevelopment of Exarchia’s Strefi Hill that started two years ago, is the second plan by the state and the municipality to sell out the area to private companies. In January ’21, the council conceded the hill to a real estate company, Prodea Investments.

Strefi hill is one of the last green free spaces in central Athens and also a place for assemblies, meetings and solidarity events. The open assembly for the defence of Strefi hill counts two years, with daily actions for the protection of the hill, the nature and the non-human animals who live in it.

The defenders of the hill succeeded to block many of the Prodea’s interferences, by pushing back the surveyors and the workers. Actions like marches, demonstrations outside Prodea’s offices and the city hall, tree spiking, daily patrols, airbnb building attacks or days of film screenings, activities for children, cleaning, gatherings with vegan collective kitchen, have been trying to keep the hill alive and free, even though it’s been flooded by multiple cops’ units.

Unfortunately, all of the above were not enough to prevent the destruction of the hill and to stop once and for all the redevelopment plan. Under the excuse of “flood protection” plans, Prodea along with the Unison Facilities Services, have already started destroying the hill by cutting the trees and the bushes, where the turtles and other animals find their shelter and their food. Also, the intense lighting that is included in the project will push away many bird species. Prodea’s plan is an anti- ecological plan and will totally affect the life of human and non-human animals and has to be stopped before it’s too late.

Exarchia and Strefi hill will not be given away without a fight and their history cannot be erased so easily. It’s our duty to defend the mountains, the forests, the hills, the parks, the seas and every form of life.

Capitalism will not win!

For earth liberation! For animal liberation! For human liberation!

WHAT IS AUTONOMY?

Autonomy is, to an extent, freedom, freedom over yourself. The right to self govern, make decisions, and follow through on them without asking an authority for permission. 

Individual and collective autonomy are fundamental to anarchism. People choosing to come together and work towards a collective goal, whether that’s teaching each other self-defense, growing veg communally, or beheading the monarchy. Autonomy is not something we are dependent on a state or other authority giving us, though they can and often do punish us for practicing it. Autonomy starts on an individual level and grows. Instead of a top-down model as with hierarchy, it’s bottom up, with people choosing freely to come together make decisions and take action.

Every time we make a choice without being coerced we are practicing autonomy. Every time we make decisions and follow through without holding ourselves back and waiting for our boss/government/police/royalty to tell us we are “allowed,” we are being autonomous.

Waiting to be told what to do, or what you can’t do or think, is something that is drilled into us from an early age. Resisting this oppressive dynamic, even when you’re conscious of it, can be a challenge, but practice makes perfect. 

For further reading on anarchist concepts, check out these anarchist publishers/bookshops:

https://www.akpress.org

https://redemmas.org

www.woodenshoebooks.org

THE BATTLE FOR EXARCHIA AND STREFI HILL: PART 2

Exarchia has been a target by the state for years through police control and brutality, gentrification, evictions, arrests. In 2019, the greek state began massive evictions of anarchist and refugee squats in Exarchia, trying to muzzle all the political voices. The government’s plan is to put the history of Exarchia in a “museum” that will be remembered only through tourist tours around the neighbourhood, while the place will be available only for the privileged ones, since the locals will move to other neighbourhoods.

The plan includes the construction of a metro station on the square, the conversion of the Polytechnic school into a museum and the privatisation of Strefi hill where cameras, gates and security posts will be placed. Last August, despite the continuous fights against it by groups and individuals, sheet metal was placed around the square of Exarchia for the construction of the metro station. The spot for the construction site wasn’t chosen randomly. Police forces are “protecting” the construction site 24/7, by bullying, offending, beating and arresting anyone who is trying to resist.

THE BATTLE FOR EXARCHIA AND STREFI HILL: PART I

The neighbourhood of Exarchia (Greece) has a radical, revolutionary, anarchist political background with continuous struggles, solidarity places to welcome and protect the refugees and migrants, squats, political assemblies and social centres.

Back in 1973, Athens Polytechnic uprising began by the students against the military junta. The students decided to show their rejection to this regime with massive demonstrations. Students, citizens and workers became one and rebelled against the dictatorship. The students ended up inside the Polytechnic school and occupied the place. The tanks entered the place by crashing the gates on November 17. Many students and residents got injured, or died around the area. Years later, during the annual 17 November protests, young people continued getting murdered by the state. Iakovos Koumis and Stamatina Kanellopoulou were the victims of police brutality in 1980 and the 15 year old Michalis Kaltezas was shot dead by a cop in 1985. The Polytechnic university, which is located in the area of Exarchia, was a factor for the neighbourhood to acquire the political features that it has until today.

Until a few years ago, Polytechnic university was a place of resistance, freedom and expression.

The police brutality against a 15 year old student was repeated on December 6 of 2008. This time the target was Alexis Grigoropoulos who was hanging out with his friends in Exarchia. Two cops drew their guns on the kids and one of the cops murdered Alexis in cold blood.

Alexis’ murder was the spark that turned the anger into a fire and burnt the whole city. The riots started immediately and the centre of Athens became a war zone. The uprising lasted for weeks and was the biggest that took place in Greece, after 1973. “These days belong to Alexis” was written all over the city. Soon, the whole country was protesting for Alexis.

The “Black December” started spreading everywhere.

WRITING A LETTER TO A POLITICAL PRISONER: A QUICK GUIDE 

A good way to support political prisoners is to write them a letter. Writing a letter in solidarity is not complicated. You don’t have to write a long letter, nor do you have to know the person you are writing to. There are however some things that are important to think about, when you writing a letter to a political prisoner. 

  • Don’t write anything incriminating, or about the person’s case. Your letter could be monitored by the guards, or even scanned/recorded.
  • In your first letter you can write a little introduction of yourself, and maybe tell how you first heard about the prisoner. You can write about stories or books you’ve read, hikes or walks you’ve had, hobbies, silly jokes, news, stories from outside the prison, so that the memories of the outside world doesn’t fade away, and their mind can escape the bars and concrete. Ensure to talk about your ability or intentions to stay in correspondence.
  • Include a name and return address, both at the back of your letter, and the envelope. You don’t necessarily have to put your own legal name as recipient. If you ask your local ABC group, infoshop, or some radical space, they might have it so that you can put their address as the sender to receive mail.  
  • Check what rules the prison have regarding mail to the prisoners. Can the prisoner receive photos, news-clippings, newspapers, money, or stamps? Can you write with coloured pencils? If the prisoner has a support crew, also check with them if there are certain things the prisoner needs, that you maybe can help with, like sending books. 

SOLIDARITY IS OUR WEAPON. UNTIL ALL ARE FREE! 

(Check the list of political prisoners at our web site, for more info and details about which prisoners you can write to)

image: NoBonzo

JOIN THE CALL FOR SUPPORT BY HUNT SABOTEURS SWEDEN AND HELP THEM KEEP UP THE FIGHT!

Hunt Saboteurs Sweden has been expanding massively in the past year, taking part in multiple actions against hunting, and are in need of support. They depend solely on donations, and to make ends meet many of the hunt sabs have been spending a lot of their personal money just to keep the fuel costs covered!

With more and more folks joining their ranks and more actions in the horizon, they are asking for economic support to be able to afford new tools to sabotage the hunts, from cameras, radios and torches to fuel costs, if you can donate a couple of coins they will be greatly appreciative of the solidarity.

They have also said that if you have spare cameras, or radios or other tools that could be useful in their fight for the wild, they are happy to receive those instead of money, so have a look around and see if there is anything spare!

Their fundraiser is only asking for 220 EUR, which means if you all donate just 1 EUR we would raise that money and much more very quickly! If you have any to spare, please drop them some coins here:

https://www.firefund.net/fightforthewildlife

You can get in touch with them here:

IG: @huntsabssweden
FB: https://www.facebook.com/HuntSaboteursSweden
Email: [email protected]

SOLIDARITY WITH THE WILD, AND WITH THOSE TAKING ACTION!

“THE COALITION TO BLESS THE FLAME” BURNS A BULLDOZER IN MEMORY OF TORTUGUITA.

March, Atlanta USA.

via: Scenes from the Atlanta Forest.

“During the, “Week of Action,” a bulldozer-like machine with a subsequent drilling apparatus was completely decommissioned before it could continue to destroy more of the Welaunee forest on the South Black Hall plot.

The proposed huge-ass soundstage adjacent to proposed Cop City will also never be built!
We are advocates of actions that actually STOP WORK, & work gets STOPPED by directly confronting WORK, our enemies, & earth destroying machines.

Let it be remembered that though other gatherings & gardens are also good, these types of activities are only made possible by actions that DISABLE OUR ENEMIES from being able to work & gain territory.

The only good machine is a machine on fire, & we will not let our comrade Tortuguita’s death be in vain, nor will we allow counterrevolutionary discourse & behavior to permeate the movement or exploit Tort’s murder.

Blessed be the barricades & Blessed is the Flame!

Act like the cops and their lackeys are trying to kill us because they are.

Are you here to fuck or fight?

The Coalition to Bless the Flame”

Note: photo not associated with action.

STRUGGLE, SOLIDARITY AND RAGE ¡VIVA TORTUGUITA!

On January 18th police murdered a forest defender, Tortuguita. Immediately, a call was put out for a “night of rage”. The rage was instead was not limited to one night, nor only retaliation.These actions have been claimed in honor, memory, vengeance, revenge, for, or in solidarity with Tortuguita.

From January 18th onward across the USA people held vigils, built barricades, attacked a realty office, attacked banks, smashed the windows of the skyscraper housing the Atlanta Police Foundation, torched a police cruiser, vandalized cars in a Porsche dealership, attacked UPS shipping center, set construction equipment on fire, and attacked the offices of those responsible for cop city. Across turtle island we felt it from California, Illinois, North Carolina, Minnesota, Colorado, Michigan, Atlanta, Georgia, Oregon, Pennsylvania, OregonMichigan, New York, Colorado, Indiana, and Minnesota.

 In February across the USA, banks were attacked, excavators in Weelaunee forest were set on fire, Amazon delivery vehicles vandalized, Atlas offices targeted, a Norfolk Southern rail line sabotaged, the home addresses of employees of Atlas were published, in France a transmission pylon was set on fire. Rage was had from California, Brooklyn, New York, Georgia, South Carolina, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, to Bure France and back.

 In March during the week of action in Atlanta, GA USA, a demonstration of 300 people stormed and destroyed a construction site and police staging area, and later that week machinery in Weelaunee was destroyed. More construction equipment was sabotaged and, offices vandalized. In late March the home addresses were published of several Judges, a Police Investigator, an Assistant Chief of police, and a GBI Special Agent.

 In April three excavators owned by Brent Scarbrough Company were burnt. (Brent Scarbrough is the company and individual responsible for clear-cutting the Weelaunee Forest)

By carrying our friends in our hearts and actions they live on in spirit and in memory. With Love and Rage, we carry on those who have been taken from us.

ANARCHISTS SABOTAGE THE REDEVELOPMENT WORKS IN STREFI HILL.

9th April, Streffi Hill, Athens.

via: DarkNights.

“The Hill of Strefis is under police occupation.

The works carried out in the last six months are destroying the flora and fauna of the hill, while the operation of its regeneration seeks to isolate it from the movements of the area and the neighbourhood in general, aiming to make it a tourist attraction.All this with the cooperation of the Municipality and the real estate and investment company PRODEA, which through the regeneration of the hill seeks to expand its capital in the neighbourhood.

So in an effort to put obstacles to the projects that are being carried out on the hill we have taken the following actions of sabotage:

1. cutting the industrial power cables that feed the construction site,

2. disconnecting and destroying floodlights installed on the hill under the pretext of site security,

3. drilling and cutting pipes through which the perimeter lighting and camera system will be installed on the hill.

AGAINST THE PILLAGE OF NATURE, THE STRUGGLE FOR LAND AND FREEDOM

Anarchists

THREE BRENT SCARBROUGH EXCAVATORS BURNED IN ATLANTA

5th April, Atlanta USA.

via: Scenes from the Atlanta Forest

“On the night of Wednesday, April 5, we set fire to three excavators owned by Brent Scarbrough Company on a site across from the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta. Brent Scarbrough is the company and individual responsible for clear-cutting the Weelaunee Forest.

We are not done here. Tortuguita lives. Weelaunee lives. Cop City will never be built.”