From the Greek Streets

A group appearing for the first time, calling itself “Groups of Proletarian Popular Self-Defense” has claimed responsibility for the attack on the police station of Ayia Paraskeui that took place in Athens on Tuesday. The communique, published in an Athens daily today, seems to be genuine. However, the initials of the newly-appearing group in greek make “OPLA”, same as those of the infamous armed group formed by the stalinist communist party (OPLA – Organisation of Defense of Popular Fighters) whose purpose of existence included the assassination of dissidents within the party and resistance fighters anywhere to the left of the stalinist party itself.

It goes without saying, then, that as anarchists we would not in any way support a group that, should it have it their way, would have us first against the wall. That said, the communique is peculiar (to say the least!) and its translation, we decided, was worthwhile.

The communique begins with a quote from the manifesto of the communist international followed by a quote by Nikos Zachariadis, the secretary general of the stalinist communist party from the mid-30s to the mid-50s (with some intervals).

The rest of the communique translates as follows:

The extreme conditions shaping up as result of the capitalist crisis, the intensification of statist and para-statal terrorism, urgently call for the setting up of structure of mass popular self-defense to deal with them.

Faced with the regime of terror that state forces of repression and fascist gangs jointly attempt to install in the spaces where the proletariat and the youth lives, works and struggles; a regime of terror that would comprise an ideal environment for the smooth operation of the passing on of the losses caused by the capitalist crisis from capital to the working people, the popular revolutionary movement must immediately take all incentives required, all the organisational and technical measures that will allow the proletariat to fight back terrorism and cancel its exploiters’ plans.

In this direction, an attack against the Office of Army-Police (translator’s note: they use a term for the state force that was used during the civil war) of North Eastern Attica was organised by a group of proletarian fighters.

Against the armed terrorism of the army of plutocracy we shall counter-position our own dynamic self-defense. Opportunist swinging, retreats and further tolerance lead to the exhaustion, weakening and eventual extermination of the proletariat and the revolutionary movement.

A call to arms, in the struggle for the dictatorship of the proletariat and communism.

Long live OPLA, long live October 28, 1946!