Updates of the last days ... Sunday 28th March
Bomb explosion at Patissia district of Athens with a 15 years old boy from Afghanistan murdered because of the explosion, the sister of the family serious injured and the mother also in hospital.
- The mass media on their first reports started transferring information that "the victim was the terrorist who was trying to place the bomb", later the murdered boy became "a 30 years old Afghan, possibly carrying the explosives" and after the mother's statements the 'serious journalists' informed the screen-addicted society that "the innocent boy lost his life because the Conspiracy Cells of the Fire have hallucinations for a revolution" ... The explosion, when we search back in the history of social struggles, reminds of several state's methods around the world to cause victims with 'blind attacks' and blame any leftist movement ... According to cops' reports about the construction of the bomb, it is possible that it was not a clockwork bomb but a 'Bobby Trap', a bomb in tube which goes off after it gets moved, namely something like land-mine constructed straightly to murder. Beside the mass media propaganda, a communique from a group under the name Revolutionary Social-Nationalist Front appeared on zougla.gr 'journalist' website taking the responsibility of this action and stating solidarity with the Nazi prisoners of Combat 18.
- Bomb explosion outside the National School of Public Administration in Athens:
http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2010/03/29/226-bomb-explosion-outside...
- Statement by the Conspiracy of Cells of the Fire regarding last night’s explosion:
http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2010/03/29/227-statement-by-the-consp...
- Who killed 15-year old Hamidullah Najafi and blinded his 11-year old sister? (or, how far is Patisia from Piazza Fontana?): http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2010/03/30/229-who-killed-15-year-old...
- Similar historical events of (para)state actions:
- Celler Loch: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celle_Hole
- Lavon Affair: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavon_Affair
- Operation WASHTUB: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_WASHTUB
- Britain 'bombed itself to fool Nazis: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2522115.stm
- Gleiwitz incident: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleiwitz_incident
- Marxist-Leninist Party of the Netherlands: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxist-Leninist_Party_of_the_Netherlands
- Operation Northwoods: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods
- Russian apartment bombings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_apartment_bombings
- Reichstag fire: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_fire
- Masada Action and Defense Movement: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masada_Action_and_Defense_Movement
- Bologna bombing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bologna_massacre
- Piazza Fontana bombing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_Fontana_bombing
Monday 29th March
- Errikos R., arrested before some days and blamed as a member of Conspiracy of Cells of the Fire, was set free under restrictive terms until his trial. One more case of state's massive suspects' creation in the frame of daily repression and terrorism. (watch older updates)
- Mr Panagopoulos, 'syndicalist' leader of GSEE (General Workers' Confederation of Greece), was attacked in Agrinio town with water and yoghurt by protesters condemning his position of not protecting the workers' rights. He has also been attacked several times in the past with clashes between the protesters and his body-guards. (watch older updates)
- Attack to Emporiki Bank at Delfon Street in Thessaloniki late an night. All the front glasses got smashed and many parts of the inner space were looted.
Tuesday 30th March
- Revolutionary Liberation Action took the responsibility for looting attacks to Agricultural Bank in Kypseli district on 26th of March and to PASOK ('socialistic' party on government) offices on 27th of March in Aigaleo district of Athens.
- Around 2,000 people (independent base's syndicates, out-parliamentary communists, etc) demonstrated in the center of Athens in solidarity with Carmen M. who was dismissed from her job and heavily attacked by the boss's body-guards. The front glasses of two cafes owned by the boss got smashed. Announcement about the case by Waiters’ and Cooks’ Base Trade Union:
No worker is alone – war against the bosses’ war
Our colleague Carmen M, member of our union, was fired by the boss of the coffee shop chain VIA VAI after returning from a legal leave. In the meetings that followed in order to arrange for the salaries and compensation she was owed, Karezos was provocative against the worker as well as representatives of the base union. On March 23d, the day when the final settlement was to be made, Karezos realised the mass presence of members of the union and started photographing them with his digital camera. After a demand that he deleted the photos, he pulled up his shirt to show the GUN he was carrying with him. The story continued at the local police station, where the police “suggested” to Carmen that she did not sue her ex-boss or he could counter-sue her, which would result in all of them being detained overnight. During the entire incident her ex-boss Karezos was repeating the phrase “now you got yourselves into trouble”…
The next day, March 24th late in the evening, Carmen M. was attacked by persons unknown as she was heading to her home. She was brutally hit on the head and abandoned bleeding and unconscious outside her house. The motive of the attack was not robbery since when she recovered Carmen still had her money and phone on her.
On March 26th members of the Union together with tens of others in solidarity blocked off the shop VIA VAI (3, Stadiou Str in Athens) for many hours while the up-to-that-point provocative boss Karezos hid in the basement. Similar interventions followed at the VIA VAI cafes on Panepistimiou Avenue (opposite Propylea) and on the corner of Mpenaki and Feidiou Street. On the evening of the same day Karezos got in touch with our union asking that he pays Carmen the money he owes her, claiming it was all a misunderstanding.
There are obviously no misunderstandings and no isolated incidents. Unpaid overtimes, “forgotten” medical insurance contributions, the non-payment of supplements, sackings, wage decreases, informal labour are all part of the reality we experience daily in the labour galleys.
Whoever dares to speak of this is faced with, on the one hand, the terrorism of the bosses that includes guns, threats, bouncers and sulphuric acid – and on the other hand, the terrorism of unemployment. All these take place at a time when the state, this time under the pretext of the financial crisis, re-defines the terms of paid employment in favour of the bosses; institutionalising the abolition of gained rights, opening a path for the intensification of exploitation and repression.
In this attempt of theirs, the state and bosses have found as willing allies the leaders of the sold-out trade unions, giving them future government and party positions in exchange. In this direction, the latter sign collective agreements that include the freezing or decrease of wages; they ignore the assassinations and butchering of tens of workers; they cover-up the mega-contractors’ bussiness and refuse to call for general strikes. When they do at times call for strikes under the pressure of the workers, they sabotage them themselves and repress them. A typical such example was the stance of GSEE (General Confederation of Workers) at the strike of March 11th, when in co-operation with the police it distanced itself from the base unions, which resulted to the attack of the latter by the riot police.
Within this bleak reality, the mass media are on an assignment to try convince us it is all happening for our own good, according to which “we must all make sacrifices in order for the economy and the country to be saved”. As it is well known, the journalist’s microphone reaches where the cop’s baton can’t. And so, on the one hand the mass media publicise the details and the name of the member of a union, pointing at them as responsible for the “labour accident” of the sold-out trade union leader Panagopoulos and on the other hand, smelling a “popular” story, they rush to publicise the case of VIA VAI, aiming at promoting the isolated character of the incident.
We are negative toward mass media because for us information is action that is connected to the medium – and for this reason action that brings us, as bodies, to the physical space of exploitation and struggle. It does not take place, then, at the stories of the 8 o’clock news but at the stories of the streets. And so, the bet is of our own structures of labour counter-information to develop; and this current struggle has such potential.
From our own labour experiences we believe that EACH OF US and ALL OF US TOGETHER must take responsibility for:
- The formation of Base Unions in all labour sections wher they do not currently exist
- The support of existing Base Unions
- the strengthening of the General Assemblies of workers
- the overcoming of boards of directors and all mechanisms of mediation
- our lives and all that concern us
RESISTANCE to the terrorism of the bosses
SOLIDARITY between workers
SELF-ORGANISE in all workplaces
Gathering-demonstration
Tuesday March 30, 6pm at the Propylea, Athens
Union of Waiters, Cooks and all Workers in the Food Industry
6, Lontou and Mesologgiou Streets, 2nd Floor, Exarcheia / 210- 3820537 / 6997736504
ssm.info@gmail.com or protovouliaergazomenon@yahoo.com
Wednesday 31st March
- Peaceful and mute gathering of Afghan refugees in front of the parliament after the murder of the 15 years old Hamidullah Najafi. The refugees on their announcement call the mass media to stop disturbing the family who lost their son and stop the hypocritical propaganda. They also call the Greek government and the European Union to take their responsibilities and give them rights of war refugees.
- Greetings-letter of Dimitris Koufontinas for the discussion with members of the German Revolutionary Link (1967-1990) that took place in Athens on the 10th of March (de):
http://de.indymedia.org/2010/03/277101.shtml
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