From the City Hall, Aghios Dimitrios

Communiqué from the City Hall of Aghios Dimitrios, Saturday December 14th 2008

(The original, in Greek, can be found at http://katadimadim.blogspot.com/)

INVITATION TO THE OPEN POPULAR ASSEMBLY
OF THE LIBERATED CITY HALL OF AGHIOS DIMITRIOS

On December 6th, 2008, the special guard(i) Epaminondas Korkoneas pulled out his gun and murdered a citizen, a 15-year old kid. The rage that everyone feels is huge, despite all the attempts by the government and the mass media to disorient public opinion. It is now certain that this insurrection is not only homage to the unjust loss of Alexandros Grigoropoulos. There has been a lot of talk since then about violence, thefts and pillages. For those in the media and power, violence is only what destroys the proper order. For us however:

Violence is to work 40 years for crumbs and to wonder if you will ever retire.
Violence is the bonds, the stolen pensions, the securities fraud.
Violence is to be forced to take a housing loan that you will pay back through the nose.
Violence is the managerial right of the employer to fire you at will.
Violence is unemployment, temporary employment, 700 euros a month(ii).
Violence is the “industrial accidents” because the bosses cut costs at the expense of worker safety.
Violence is to take psycho-medications and vitamins to withstand the exhaustive work schedule.
Violence is to be an immigrant, to live with the fear that you can be thrown out of the country at any time and to be in a state of constant insecurity.
Violence is to be simultaneously a wage worker, a housewife, and a mother.
Violence is to be worked to death and then to be told “smile, we are not asking that much of you.”

The insurrection of high-school and university students, of temporary workers and immigrants broke this violence of normality. This insurrection must not stop! Syndicalists, political parties, priests, journalists and businesspeople do whatever they can to maintain the violence we described above.

It is not just them, but we too are responsible for the perpetuation of this situation. The insurrection opened a space where we can finally express ourselves freely. As a continuation of this opening we went forward with the occupation of the City Hall of Ag. Dimitrios and the formation of a popular assembly open to all. An open space for communication, to break our silence, to undertake action for our life.

Saturday December 13 2008, 7:00pm, open popular assembly at the Ag. Dimitrios city hall.

NO PROSECUTION – IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ALL THOSE ARRESTED
OCCUPATION OF AG. DIMITRIOS CITY HALL

i) Ειδικοί Φρουροί , Special Guards, an elite force within the police department.
ii) Average salary in Greece, approx. US$930.00, not nearly enough to survive on.