Regarding the ignition of an explosive device at the free social space “Buena Ventura” (Thessaloniki)
At the dawn of November 24, at 03:55 am, the free social space Buena Ventura (which hosts the assembly of the group Solidarity – Antiauthoritarian Movement) came under attack with a strong explosive device.
The way in which the device was placed reveals much about the morality of the perpetrators, a morality of murderers – since they did not just attack Buena Ventura, but the entire neighbourhood. In short, the windows of neighbouring blocks of flats were smashed by the explosion in a radius of 15 meters, while shattered pieces were whammed all around, posing an imminent danger to the lives of neighbours. Shattered pieces also hit three cars, which also highlights the murderous nature of the attack since any random passer-by could have been hit by them too.
The attack comprises the tip of the iceberg – part of the framework of repression and of the blooming of para-statist action over the decades. It begins with the activity of the para-statist group “Karfitsa” in the 1960s and comes all the way to the placing of the explosive device at Buena Ventura.
It becomes painstakingly obvious that free social spaces are being targeted – as approximately six months ago the haunt of the “Struggle Movement” (Sfentona) was also attacked. The method of the attack and the construction of the mechanism reveals that the perpetrators are the same, naturally raising the question of who will be next and – what scale of attack they will come under.
Such attacks comprise expressions of a fascist-type logic that aims at the terrorising of people in struggle; a logic that finds refuge and legitimacy on a practical level in the coordinated attack launched by authority against everything last year’s December has given birth to.
This witch haunt, the zero-tolerance schemes, the demonization of the anti-authoritarian movement both from mass media and from the state (from the mouth of the “Citizen Protector”, Minister Chrisochoidis), offers the strongest alibi for the activity of such circles, within and in parallel to the action of the state.
In our face, the entire movement was attacked, since we consider the choosing of our particular group for the attack entirely random. In our place it could have been anyone who has chosen the paths of struggle and resistance.
It could have been any free social space, haunt or squat. Through us, they attacked all those parts of society that revolted in December, since the symbolism of the date cannot be overlooked: the attack came only days after the mass mobilisations of November 17th and ten days before December 6th, marking a year from the assassination of Alexis Grigoropoulos.
Our response cannot be other than the one given by society itself during last year’s revolt: The state and its dogs won’t scare us.
Open Assembly: 24/11, 7pm at Buena Ventura
Solidarity – Antiauthoritarian Movement
5 Comments
Sorry to ruine the whole solidarity feeling but this is n’t quite an anti-authoritarian space, since it is rented by an organization that may use an “antiauthoritarian” language and name, but has more in common with the Greek Stalinist and Socialdemocratic (eg SYRIZA) Left, with which they regularly co-operate in common fronts (eg. on the prisoners issue with the formation of the “Kini Drasi Allileggiis”, on the students struggle etc)providing thus a “hardcore” partner for the recuperation forces, also posing as the “official” anarchist organization in the media to attack comrades and undermine any non-mediated anarchist activity to gain credit as such, frequently even by litteraly attacking anarchists in demos or breaking squats, when they seem to have the upper hand (mainly in Thessaloniki that is).
A few weeks earlier a media-darling clown was also attacked by right-wing idiots for a short film of his carricature of an anarchist and a nationalist argueing about flag-burning. Does that make him also an anti-authoritarian?
well, the above comment nicely sums up the quite astonishing lack of solidarity among people in the anarchist/ anti-authoritarian scene in Greece. A space has just been attacked by para-statist thugs, the attack could have easily been a murderous one. Can the above poster disagree with that?
Rather than condemning the attack, some people try to pinpoint what distances us from the Anti-Authoritarian Movement! Sure, some of their tactics are foolish (media-friendly, the co-operation with the left – although they’ve never worked with stalinist groups)… There are obvious and substantial differences between how they and we work, sure. But to go from that, to saying they don’t deserve our solidarity, on the day of an attack like this, that’s quite a jump right there.
I agree that many times “Antiauthoritarian Movement” has cooperated with the left, some of their members have spoken to the mainstream media (both acts that are dissaproved by the majority of the anarchists in Greece) and many other.
The fact though is that yesterday in the open assembly that was called by this organization many people came between them many neighbors, anarchists (from almost all the major anarchist groups of the city), members of left organizations. A comment in the internet (antiantiauthoritarit’s one) cannot change the facts and cannot give a different image of the situation and the solidarity that is shown to Atniauthoritarian Movement by almost everybody that takes part in the movement.
The next days there are some actions that are organized by the yesterday’s open assembly.
Their bombs will not save a system that has lost legitimization and meaning for the society
mate, your sound insane.
I am an anarchist and I also do believe that co-operation with the left (on some points) and using all methods (like mainstream media) is just. And I am not from anti-authoritarian movement. Am am not from Greece even.
Does that make me an evil stalinist that deserves to get killed by nazis and cops?
I also have disagreements with tons of anarchists for tons of reasons. But you comment here is… just unimaginable how someone can even say something like that about such an event.
It seems clear to me that you have given too much effort to misinterpret what I wrote than what was necessary to simply undestand it.
I m not saying anybody deserves state repression and/or murderous attacks, and I am not saying it is “evil” to even be a stalinist, turn out on tv-shows with cops and blame all anarchists as apolitical hooligans, or cooperate with the forces of recuperation and parliamentarism. Further more, it doesn’t really interest me how one that does all theese things wants to introduce him/herself as, BUT as an anarchist active in this given area (Greece) with its own social-political dynamics, I find it ridiculous to pretend that the political organization I am most often opposed to (for example, when they try to “control” demonstrations, and retaliate uncontrollables beating people outside squats, or even attacking squats -all of these have happened the last 3-4 years in Thessaloniki), are my antiauthoritarian comrades. It is n’t just an issue of some “theoretical disagreements” (I could finds thousands of these, from promoting an intelligencia of scientists “that know better” in local/environmental struggles, to mediation in every other field, but this doesn’t really mind right now) we should overlook in front of a common enemy.
I don’t expect people from a background with a low-leveled and mediated class struggle, and no history of stalinist and other leftwing oppresion to accept my points, I just care to express my concern, since when after that these “comrades” attack yet another anarchist or squat, I don’t want to be furthermore discussed by people once again “surprised”. It is important to keep some kind of memory on such issues.
All I m saying is that this attack won’t be replied by affiliating with the victim just like when someone visits a dead man’s relatives, but by intensifying the self-managed ondeavours of our own power. Personifying solidarity to this specific organization, means lip-service to your future prosecutor.
Neither with the state, nor with the (antiauthoritarian) media-darling bureaucrats.
ps. The only one that has paid solidarity to AK is the marxist-leninist infoshop of Thessaloniki that was also attacked some while ago. scripta manent.
Post a Comment