On Friday 1-11-2024, after an adjournment, the trial of the arrested comrades from the battle of the Squatted Prosfygika* on the 22nd of November 2022, resumed. The proceedings of this second trial began with the last defence witness, psychiatrist and scientific director of the18 ANO Addiction Unit until her retirement, Katerina Matsa. Her contribution was quite important, as she described in a direct and experiential way her relationship with the community of Squatted Prosfygika, from the point of view of the rehabilitation unit and the psychological support committee that undertakes and carries out issues related to the mental empowerment of our fellow human beings in need.

Through her testimony, Katerina Matsa highlighted the moral value that comes from mutual help, a value that is expressed through the neighbourhood relationships. She pointed out the open character of the community, which in fact is embodied in various forms of self-organisation (e.g. by producing conversations and debates around social issues, etc.). In addition, reference was made to the general socio-political framework of agreement between people who come to participate and support the community, without necessarily being residents -without borders-, thus making it clear that solidarity functions in an exemplary manner and in line with the moral content of everyday life in the Prosfygika neighbourhood. Finally, reference was made to the redevelopment plans and how they are related to the raids-interventions of the cops, whose only purpose is the destruction of an entire neighbourhood of equal coexistence and collective struggle.

Then began the statements of the arrested comrades, through their diverse socio-political perspective, in a collective sequence of relevance to the node of defending the Community of Squatted Prosfygikaand what it stands for.

As noted in the statements, on the 22nd of November 2022, the response to the community’s public call for an open meeting was overwhelming regarding the world of solidarity. Its expression echoed the support for the anarchist comrade Kostas Dimalexis -who had been kidnapped by the repression forces earlier that morning from the place where he was staying in the neighbourhood- but also, overall, the support for the Prosfygika community that was once again attacked by the repressive state mechanism. There were many references to the fierce police violence on the part of the different police groups operating together during the invasion at the 6th block – incidents of sexual harassment were noted during the immobilization of comrades by the cops, as well as the use of plastic bullets that injured a comrade.

Extensive references were made to the historicity of the buildings of Alexandra Avenue as a field of coexistence of migrants-refugees from the 1930s until today -almost a century later- (from all parts of the world) but also as a basis for self-organization of the class-oppressed and displaced by the imperialist and social war, over the years. At the same time, the social-political context as an integral part of free coexistence, and in particular through the prism of the contestation of property, as realized through squatting, was put forward. Accordingly, the sense of mutual help and solidarity that prevails within the social structures for meeting primary -and not only- needs (structures of collective kitchen and clothing, food accounting and collective bakery, children steki and self-education, etc.) became visible in the comrades’ statements.

Through the class analysis of the comrades in their testimonies, the political expediency of state and capital has been demonstrated. The application and channeling of terror through military-style repressive operations constitute a political-strategic plan of the state. A plan that finds excuses so that it can acts of violence against what it wants to destroy. So it is with the Prosfygika neighbourhood of Alexandra’s Avenue: in order to politically suppress the community of Squatted Prosfygika, the mechanism uses and implements the “Redevelopment” programme for the area, while at the same time securing large sums of money. The state, capital and those who support them, produce terrorism on the backs of the residents, in order to then force them into a gradual displacement – withdrawal. This is the political state planning. A death project that will always find mounds of resistance through the power of self-organization and solidarity.

In the coming (3rd) trial, the placements of the remaining arrested comrades will continue.

The community of the Squatted Prosfygika in Alexandra’s Avenue is living proof that a better world is possible, with an infrastructure that is at the service of all people, always based on equality and self-organization.

10, 100, 1000 SQUATS, AGAINST A WORLD OF ORGANIZED CRIME

NOONE ALONE IN THE HANDS OF THE STATE

The arrested comrades from the battle of the Squatted Prosfygika

*Prosfygika in Greek is the name given to the neighbourhoods that were built for the migrants coming to Greece in the 1900s.