THESSALONIKI : Taking responsibility for Attack  by Anarchists

VICTORY IN THE HUNGER STRIKE OF GIANNIS MICHAILIDIS

Once again dystopia is dangerously close to us. The state is constantly inventing new ways to undermine our living conditions more and more. Labour rights are now a thing of the past as partial employment contracts, the daily dismissal of trade unionists, often fatal work accidents, wage cuts, and the repayment or non-payment of bonuses under extortionate conditions are the status quo. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly shamelessly obvious how expendable our lives are to the state apparatus.

The 57 murders in Tempe, the daily deportations and repatriations of migrant women on equally murderous terms, and the more ‘indirect’ method of the state’s death policy by raising the prices of everyday products, electricity and gas, as well as rents. Of course, even if you have to pay for all this, no one can guarantee that the next day you will still have a house to live in, since there is no longer any protection of the first home and the cops and prosecutors may appear one day in your living room and literally throw you out on the street within a few hours with all the things you have managed to collect.

To enable this condition to be established, a lot of money has been spent on hiring cops from every service and buying official vehicles, placing them in ‘key’ places like squares, universities, hills and playgrounds. Apart from their physical presence, the state is more present than ever before through the installation of cameras on every corner, illegally or legally placed, and through the microphones and cameras on our mobile phones. No longer is the ‘big brother’ a fictional character from a novel, but the terrifying everyday life in which we live and grow up, where social control is brutal and universal.

The further “upgrading” of the prison system and prisons could not be missing from the context of modern totalitarianism. The state and those in power, known for their fetishism in punishing and torturing anyone who opposes them, are constantly reinforcing the dungeons of democracy, aiming at the complete extermination of  imprisoned militants. Thus, in the winter of 2022, in a more comprehensive attempt to fortify the state against the social upheaval that prevailed, the new penal code was passed. According to it, type C prisons were reintroduced under the name of ”maximum security prisons”, disciplinary procedures were tightened, the conditions for granting leave and for the temporary dismissal of those prosecuted under 187A or accused of robbery and drug offences were changed, thus discrediting the position of political prisoners. It also introduces a ban on the transfer of certain categories of prisoners to rural prisons.

Moving in the same direction, in early 2022 the judicial authority and its minions reject the request for release of the militant and anarchist Giannis Michailidis, while he has served 3/5 of his sentence, on the pretext that he is dangerous and liable to commit new offences. Thus, the comrade is forced to use the highest means of struggle that every prisoner possesses, the hunger strike, putting his body and his own life first, in order to win what he is entitled to. After 67 days, Giannis decides to suspend the hunger strike for personal reasons, still imprisoned without his temporary release having been approved. One year later, after many false promises and rejection decisions by the state and its pawns, the comrade has again started a hunger strike since 12/5. So for another year the beginning of summer finds us behind the barricades, alongside our comrade, fighting the constant war that we have declared against the state and every one of its representatives, but also against the power complex and everything that makes it up. At the same time, in the same period, two major political trials are unfolding concerning the imprisoned comrades, Th. Chatzianggelou, G. Voulgaris, P Kalaitzis and Fotis D, Jason R,  Lambros B,  Panagiotis B.  respectively. In the first case, those arrested on 8/2 are being prosecuted for the arson attack on the Foundation of National and Religious Reflection. From the first moment G.B. took responsibility for her actions, while Th.Chatzianggelou took political responsibility for the Anarchist Action organization, and finally P.K. pleads innocent from the first moment and it becomes obvious that we have another state frame-up in criminalizing his friendly and associative relations. On the other hand, the 4 comrades are being prosecuted for the arson attack on the Piraeus Traffic Police. An ill-conceived case, putting our comrades in custody with lack of evidence.

For all these reasons, as a minimal sign of solidarity to all our persecuted and imprisoned comrades and every prisoner in the prisons, we take responsibility for the arson of a COSMOTE van on 25th March Street in the area of Triandrias in the morning of 24/5/23

The targeting is not accidental since the COSMOTE company is another cog in the machine of capitalism. Exploiting people’s need to communicate at a distance, whether it concerns their work or other obligations of everyday life, or simply communication with their loved ones, this company and its ilk are profiteering by making the basic necessities of society a luxury. At the same time, synchronized with the rapid development of technology, it contributes to the social control of everyday life by providing the state with the personal data of its users, whether it concerns their personal conversations, their location or any other movement. The culmination of this company is the provision of telephone services in prisons. By selling telecards to prisoners, a telephone communication system that is outdated, it does not hesitate to expand its profits even by exploiting the only way prisoners can communicate with the outside world. The prisoners are forced to pay exorbitant sums of money, since the telecards are obviously not given to them for free, are often unable to afford them and a large number of them, being immigrants, call other countries, with even higher charges. Thus COSMOTE also contributes with its own little stone to the exemption regime to which the detainees are subjected.

P.S. Comrade Giannis Michailidis is already in poor health due to the previous hunger strike. As long as our comrade’s life is tortured and played with, we will increase the intensity of our attacks against you.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ANARCHIST HUNGER STRIKER GIANNIS MICHAILIDIS FROM 12/5

SOLIDARITY AND STRENGTH TO  FOTIS ,JASON, LAMBROS AND PANAGIOTIS

SOLIDARITY AND STRENGTH TO THANOS  PANOS AND GEORGIA

UNTIL THE DEMOLITION OF THE LAST PRISON

Anarchists

via: https://athens.indymedia.org/post/1625500/

Translated by Act for freedom now!