On June 14th, anarchists stormed a super-market in Thessaloniki, Greece. They destroyed the security systems, took food and money from the cashiers, which they burnt outside. A short video from the action and a translation of the communique follos (greek original here).
On 14/06/10 we stormed into a super-market of the chain Masoutis on M.Kyriakou street, we took basic need goods (olive oil, pasta, milk etc.) and destroyed the anti-theft systems and the surveillance camera while we also smashed the cashiers and burnt all the money they had inside.
From the beginning we had decided that the goods of the appropriation would be distributed among the comrades who participated, not outside the super-market. With this choice of ours we want to make clear that this, and other practices aim not at promoting some of us as saviours of the society – rather, we want society itself to familiarise itself with such practices and to embrace them without waiting for the “revolutionary” philanthropist/ friends of the poor. Especially in a period like this one, where the rottenness of the present system is pushing it toward collapse. As for the term “Robin Hoodies” (in Greek: Super-market Robins) we believe it consists another typical attempt to twist the meaning of such actions by Mass Media, which present comrades as some sort of elite stealing for the poor. In result, the distribution of the goods is presented in a way that refers to the narcosis and the passivity reflected in the thinking “someone will think-act-take care of us”.
We do not believe in a society of “weak-minded” people who must necessarily be ruled, as is wished by the ruling propaganda. We are happy when people walk on with the belief that their life belongs to them, away from mediators and needless gabble, when they organise under the premise of solidarity, anti-authoritarianism and self-organisation; under the guidance of active negation and attack. When they do not fall for the fallacy of the regime that “by helping each other we will scrape through the crisis”. It is important, finally that when distributing goods you have no way of telling if the recipients are indeed in solidarity, even if that is not active, or if they are just hypocrites taking care of themselves only – and perhaps even, in another case, they would be the first to inform to the police. Of course we applaud similar actions by comrades who distribute the goods: as as we said earlier the aims are the same.
The burning of money is a symbolic action speaking for itself. These little pieces of paper that turned into ashes within seconds have managed, in even less seconds, to destroy lives, relationships, to transform the human and her desires by transforming life into indexes, digitalising feelings and experiences, simplifying the feelings of joy and misery down to the dipole I have/ I have no money.
As for the action itself it took place exactly as planned. Our getaway was relaxed and with no unexpected incidents. We used bins to block off some roads precautionary while we made sure to know the movements of the cops before and during the action. It is telling that pigs of the Z force (motorcycle cops –trans.) were sitting around confused by the fountain on Egnatia Ave, obviously waiting for reinforcements and tried to approach only when we were already gone.
We are consciously and actively in solidarity with every other action sabotaging capitalism within the urban environment in which we act.
PS 1. A warning toward the “macho Greeks” who might want to become heroes: they’ll receive the treatment they deserve, exactly as it happened when one of them was spotted to be calling the cops – he was chased, along with the bunch who were about to intervene. But as the saying goes, “the mother of the fast one has never mourned”
PS 2. We can only laugh at the misinformation of the media about supposed clashes with repression forces, trolleys filled with goods that we never managed to hand out etc…
PS 3. Of course we support the appropriation of money for the needs of the movement, it is just that we wanted to give a different context to this particular action.
The thieves’ thieves
23 Comments
How many actions like this are happening in Greece that aren’t filmed/publicised?
what superficials and hypocrites you are, sheeps trying to be wolves – grow up and start to use your brains… properly
For how long do we have to see actions (although supported) like skipping, stealing (but I would preferably called it espropriation) and living at the side of capitalism untill we’ll actually create an alternative system where we don’t need capitalism anymore?
the hope is soon, but its not easy
χαίρομε που κόψατε το ενα ματσάκι χρήματα κ το αλλο δεν καιγόταν…. γιατί άραγε…
προφανώςκ αυτο θα ήταν μεσα στο “απαλλοτριωτικό μοίρασμα μεταξύ των
συντρόφων-συντροφισσών που συμμετείχαν και όχι να διανεμηθούν…
τωρα ο κόσμος ξέρει οτι είστε αναρχικοί, το λέτε κ χαίρεστε κ χαλάτε όλους τους άλλους…
Το κέρδος ηταν να τρομοκρατήσετε τον κοσμάκη, που υποτίθεται για αυτούς παλεύετε κ για την άμοιρη φτωχια κ τους εργαζομένους που στα μάτια της υπαλλήλου βγάλατε το μίσος τον αφεντικόν κ των χρημάτων.
Μπράβο.. Ωραία κίνηση.
Απλα αν γινόταν για τον λαό θα σας έλεγαν σίγουρο μπράβο, δλδ οι άλλοι που δίνουν στης λαϊκές τι φάση άτομα είναι χαζοί;…. α, ναι δεν είναι αναρχικού ,είναι αγωνιστές….
άντε γεια.
ελπίζω να δημοσιευτεί αυτό….
Stupid thugs who know nothing about discipline and think they can go to every place, stealing things and do whatever they want. Nice job, your teachers perhaps forgot to tell you that communism does not work, socialism is an utopia. Where are the parents, where are the teachers, where are the priests? You are giving your country a bad name.
burn it all down – leave the bankers nothing but ashes!
companera/os – let there be bricks!
Not enough.
Not enough at all …
It’s exactly people like you which axiomatically exemplify the main problem of the inextinguishable nature of stupid, barbaric, conservatism that has scourged civilization ever since Greeks lay it’s foundation. I reckon you don’t even recognize yourself your own pathetically distorted constitution, entirely unable to break out and escape the suppressive dogmas of monetary systems in terms of ism’s & schisms in which you’re manifestly caught up to circle pointlessly in the narrow alley ways of small time thinking which the bankers and their corporatocracy prescribed for you to hang around in on their technocratic prison yard. And hence it’s only perceptibly measured by your cliche conventionalities, your limited vocabulary, and improvident formulation – (that anti-intellectually talks in questions & sentimentalities, instead of objective reasoning, evidently deficient to sensibly raise your point as intelligent human beings,) – effortlessly to descry the representation of superficial individuals intelligently too incapacitated to penetrate the very exposition of nothing but their own mindless degradation. Not to mention that in the face of this clear simplemindedness you patently display the embodiment of an inferior outdated breed of man whom’s expiration date is soon nearing it’s terminus. I suppose the born losers that you are in your brainless ignorant state of mind that apparently bespeaks to enjoy no college or even any autodidactic education whatsoever, you probably deem to be fortunately equipped with some sort of superior leverage to have the competitiveness of capitalism, or rather all the same the PHD cult society, working to your benefit. Furthermore no doubt unsalvageable duped into believing capitalism governs emancipated from totalitarian rule in favor of the individual prosperity & happiness. Good luck with subserviently abiding in these common man fallacies and appreciatively praise Jesus, thank the good lord & honor their holy priesthood, for the granted opportunity to be able to take advantage of the ‘earnest democratic’ American ‘dream’ for as long as it still avails your egotistic tendencies & misguided illusions afore it forever fades away into the oblivion of the devaluated past tense in which all history is eventually judged, as shall Satan’s Semitic charlatan prophet may he eternally burn in fire & brimstone.
Or in your plain language so you can understand; you’re only giving yourself a bad name.
Now kssssst, … be off go shop something on e-bay or whatever before you disgrace yourself any further.
Kai BRAVO; symfono orea kinisi.
A number of comments have been removed from this thread.
from http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2010/05/04/a-note-on-comments/ :
“We have neither the time nor the intention to intervene in the comments section except for the absolute basics (i.e. to remove spam, fascist comments and obvious trolls) – we simply ask all our users to respect a space that is intended first and foremost for the dissemination of information.”
wonderfull… even though that money could be used printing books, putting upp stores, supporting prisoner etc….
but hey. the people who does things is the people who descieds things…. ure cool
Some people broke into a supermarket and took what they wanted and might have needed, O.K. They wanted to make clear that they weren’t Robin Hood(Or any other outlaw dressed all in green to quote an old song) O.K. They burnt the money because it was a symbol and an agent of Capitalist social relations,OK. Well I don’t have a problem with any of that. As a hobby it beats playing a computer game. But if there’s more to it than that I don’t see it.
Well Admin, although I altogether disagree to reserve the site for merely informative purposes and pertinent responses. Which destination is of course, – albeit that from an anarchistic standpoint I have to formally subscribe my outraged protest against any censuring, – entirely your own call. In unawareness of your apparently amended policy to exert a somewhat stricter moderation since the blog started out, that so appears to entail a more measured tolerance for the exchange of relevant dialogue. To that extend I sincerely apologize for misinterpreting the purpose of the blog and trespassing the rules (*!) by my own for whatever reason still present comments. That in all honestly reckoned can as well be characterized within the circumscription of provocative, disrespectful, with an intend to evoke discussion, and that partially responded on some of the negatively charged remarks from certain posts which you afterwards precluded. Yet I can´t help myself wondering, rhetorically that is, why the blog that has through the internet wise prioritized status of the occupiedlondon.org, more or less, monopolized the primary place on provisioning the foreign info on the Greek Riots, seems averse from facilitating the evident need of a forum for unobstructed solid dialogue on pertinent to the subject devoted topics.
Of course I don´t anticipate any response on this post, neither on your part for which you claim to have no time to spare, neither from the visiting guests who unfortunately all throughout ventilate for 99%, be it predominantly supportive, still pretty vacuous cries in the dark, therewith as I see it only degrading the ideological substantiality of the Greek Riots, as well in the eyes of the some more thoughtful people probably even demeaning the content of the page itself. I do however like to note with circumspection that excuses as being understaffed or pressed for time isn´t positively attributing to the struggle on the streets that methinks prerequisites constructive backing dialogue in order to avoid apprehension by the generally ignorant public with a preference to paint us as an out of control band of looting & arsonists thugs. Which we are for sure though, nevertheless, I appraise that in such it remains vital to keep up the appearances of semi-intellectuals if you can catch the psychological drift blowing in the direction of the undersigned. Otherwise to conclusively hit my point home. Imagine how, all hypocrisy of a pure informative site discarded, entirely switching of the comment option would negatively influence the number of visitors drastically. Where I feel compelled to advocate in a relevancy to the well being of the unilateral cause, that from a philosophical point of view, being unauthentic, unreasonable or even inadequate always means a suffocation of growth. Where I suggest to everybody’s concern and in all correctness that a reassessment in the overall state of affairs is for now best advisable for the blog.
So please I hope you’ll take my recommendations under serious consideration, thanks for taking note and be confident that I will abide to whatever you decide, simply cause I developed a dependancy on the service you provide. Johnny.
I would love to see you greek Anarchists doing more constructive stuff like running building co-ops, running a doctors black cross,etc, anarchists don’t just burn stuff, ya’know… Maybe it happens, but I haven’t seen anything..
Democracy is born with State. State is always a form of violence as well as the alienation of people from the power to rule their ownn lives! It said Democracy is historically born in Greece, in modern terms. Ok. With a little thought, everbody can see democracy is a by-product of capitalism at a given level. Beyond, capitalism turns autocratic and totalitarian. I see this iniciative of Greek Anarchists as a possible way to awake new forms of global counsciousness.
great action!
Hipatia wrote:
Democracy is born with State. State is always a form of violence as well as the alienation of people from the power to rule their own lives! It said Democracy is historically born in Greece, in modern terms. Ok. With a little thought, everybody can see democracy is a by-product of capitalism at a given level. Beyond, capitalism turns autocratic and totalitarian. I see this initiative of Greek Anarchists as a possible way to awake new forms of global consciousness.
Friday, June 18, 2010 at 3:48 pm | Permalink
Hipatia wrote:
Democracy is born with State. State is always a form of violence as well as the alienation of people from the power to rule their own lives! It’s said Democracy is historically born in Greece, in modern terms. Ok. With a little thought, everybody can see democracy is a by-product of capitalism at a given level. Beyond, capitalism turns autocratic and totalitarian. I see this initiative of Greek Anarchists as a possible way to awake new forms of global consciousness.
Friday, June 18, 2010 at 3:48 pm | Permalink
A Germon translation can be found here: https://linksunten.indymedia.org/de/node/21787
The theme here is that you know what is good for others and that they cannot decide for themselves. It takes a “unique” mind to actually conceive the hubris required to come to that conclusion.
Captolism may be sick, but you are diseased.
Haven’t you had a bellyful of living most of your life as a function of money, and of being reduced to obediance to the dictates of economics, of merely existing and not having the leisure to live life to the full?
The end of the commodity system will usher in the era of GIFT in every form. Gold reserves can be disposed of through the use of acqua regia (a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid).
I think it is fairly safe to say that the majority of the commentators here would happily take a collective shit on the face your precious God, your priests, money, and what is laughably called education, civilisation,and the ‘Nation’. If we are “diseased”, it is because we live in a sick hierachical capitalist society that needs to be destroyed.
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