On the 31st of October, in an explosion in an apartment in Athens, the anarchist comrade Kyriakos Xymitiris fell in the battle for social and class liberation. The anarchist comrade Marianna suffered severe injuries, after being treated at Evangelismos Hospital under constant police surveillance, she was transferred on Friday 15/11 to Korydallos Prison. In the aftermath of what happened on 31st October, the comrades Dimitra Z, Dimitris, Nikos R. and A.K have been imprisoned as well in the pre-detention prison in Korydallos. The five comrades have been charged under the anti-terrorism law 187A: formation and membership of a terrorist organization, explosion and supply, possession and manufacture of explosives, damage to private property.
The pressure exerted by the Greek anti-terror unit, working hand in hand with the interrogator in charge of the case, led to the early discharge of comrade Marianna from the hospital, with the management of Evaggelismos hospital not holding responsibility for their patient. As with every prison in the world, Korydallos is a place ruled by mistreatment and harsh conditions. The women’s section of the prison is even more neglected than the men’s section, making it a faithful copy of the patriarchal society in which we live. This torture inflicted on the comrade is rooted in the most classic practices of Western patriarchy, which is enslaving and colonial. The stripping of subjectivity and manipulation of bodies as objects, by force, is a historical practice of white patriarchy. This tries, through European states, to create the myth of an external enemy—an enemy of color, with a different alphabet. However, it is clear that patriarchy is a current enemy coming from the Western world, and is seen in the mistreatment to which the comrade and many other imprisoned individuals are being subjected.
As well, the exploitation of the accused comrades’ bodies and personal data started with various methods executed by the state apparatus, all for the profit of the ruling power. Under the guidance of the anti-terrorist unit, the corrupt officials of New Democracy, and once again, the minister of Citizen Protection, M. Chrysochoidis. Their systematic defamation of the comrades in the media, particularly through the well known media-snitches and newspapers headlines, is yet another example of the repulsive role played by these channels in spreading state and capitalist propaganda. The publication of photos and videos from the scene of the incident is an act of desecration, dishonoring the memory of comrade Kyriakos and it captures the brutality that the family and loved ones are subjected to. Moreover, the Greek media shamelessly took advantage of this situation, publishing personal photos of the accused comrades, which they obtained with the help of the anti-terror unit, who provided them with the comrades’ personal data.
In the last years we have seen investigations that were attempts to gather as many information as possible about the international movements too, sharing contacts and behaviors of people that are engaged in more than one country. Many years now we see German cops taking lead roles on Greek territories. Aiming to attempt and spread fear, as well attempt to prevent comrades from getting connected and creating international bonds and networks. They observe comrades, bug cars, execute raids, train Greek cops and of course they share information with their Greek counterparts. It is not surprising but still worth mentioning, that the identity of Kyriakos was revealed after German cops provided the fingerprints out of their database and labeling him as ”left extremist terrorist”. It is almost certain that they provide much more than this, if not every personal detail they had collected in the past years. The compliance between the German and the Greek state is an easy, but by far not the only example. With organizations like Europol that wants to coordinate investigations in Europe, we see the machinery of repression spreading its net around the world, as well outside of the fortress Europe. In the end, no state can ever bring us liberation and especially in cases about so-called terrorist organizations, the links and compliance between different states are revealed once again.
The memory and the history of the comrade, despite all the attempts of the state and its apparatus, will be for all of us a legacy of our struggles, an important chapter of our history. A history engraved by all those who fought for a better life, for another world. And it is this history that we will continue to defend against those who seek to defame it. And it is our active solidarity and determination that will continue the struggles we connected or shared with our comrade Kyriakos. He might have done a step towards history, among all those souls that chose to confront this terrible world but collectively, we find it indispensable to draw the memory and accompany our comrade in his journey to history and write a combative international chapter that he started already long before. Let’s defend revolutionary memory and turn our grief into a catalyst for social and class liberation for all.
Yet again, we see and feel the importance of international solidarity in our struggles. Inspired by the international action call of 16/11, as the Berlin based assembly in the memory of Kyriakos X. and in solidarity with persecuted comrades, we call for International Action Days on 30.12, 31.12 and 01.01. Against the tactics of the anti-terror unit and the exploitation of the media and the defaming of our comrade’s memory. Our active solidarity must stand as a protective barrier for our imprisoned comrades and any further persecutions. We do not let repression intimidate us, and we stand by their side without hesitation. As they attack our international struggles, we must become even more committed to them. International calls like this one can act as a milestone date, concentrating the pressure we all put on a certain time frame and by this building consistent international solidarity for the accused, as well as international remembrance actions for comrade Kyriakos.
We choose the days around 31 December to dedicate to Kyriakos, as on this day, it will be two months since our comrade passed away. Two months of grief and struggle, rage, but also of bond and solidarity. New Years eve is a well known date globally, that every year tries to break the isolation and the misery inside prisons that becomes so obvious on that day. At prisons worldwide, people gather outside to send a message to the imprisoned. We want to connect to this day, remembering that Kyriakos was convinced of destroying the prison system and thinking of the five comrades who are persecuted in the constructed case, now being detained in the Korydallos prison. Searching for opportunities to shake up the existing and attack the monopoly of violence by the state, we can relate to this day. In the city of Berlin, is a well rooted tradition of the past years on that evening to start the new year, with new confrontations at the streets against the cops. The evening of 31.12, is one of the few evenings where the (im)balance between big amounts of individuals and the authorities of being prepared for confrontations, is hard for the state to keep up and therefore it is an evening where often clashes erupt by the working class, migrants, anarchists, marginalized and all those who choose to confront the authorities.
Though we call for the 30.12.-01.01., building consistent solidarity does not mean to limit our actions to specific days. Therefore we want to encourage everyone to join this call, be it in the days around New Year’s eve, before, or after.
We call everyone through these days to draw the memory of comrade Kyriakos and to show solidarity with the five persecuted comrades. This means not only to be active about the situation they are in now, but also to continue the struggles they relate to and the struggles that we can relate to them. Every action against oppression and authority can be dedicated to Kyriakos. Because the heart of Kyriakos Xymitiris and all the fallen comrades beat forever in the streets, in the confrontations, in the revolt moments, in the heart of anyone who struggles against oppression and exploitation. Those who lost their lives in the struggle for freedom live forever in the heart of social and class revolt. The fire will return to warm the hearts of those who are no longer here and those who cannot fight with us.
Let us use the strength that Kyriakos left us and the strength that Marianna, Dimitra, Dimitris, Nikos and A.K send us from inside the cells of democracy.
KYRIAKOS XYMITIRIS ALWAYS PRESENT – REVOLUTIONARY HEARTS BURN FOREVER
HANDS OFF THE IMPRISONED COMRADES – FREE THEM ALL
Assembly in memory of K.X. and in solidarity with the persecuted comrades in the Ampelokipoi case