Statement by anarchist prisoner Thanos Chatziaggelou for the international conference about terror laws, political trials, fair trial and political prisoners, held in Athens on April 9, 2022.
Today I will focus on the deep meaning of Justice. As long as the rightfulness of this world is captive of the international and local elite, the struggling proletariat basis is historically doomed to a perpetual slaughter in the name of fascist interests of capitalism and imperialism. We are continuously facing our doom as long as justice is hidden behind the wars caused by transnational antagonisms, financial dictatorship of banking monopolies or behind the blood-soaked flags of terrorist coalitions such as NATO and EU.
Against the blood-stained law of the bourgeoisie, the revolutionary school of the armed popular movement in Turkey comes to teach that Justice is not asked, it is restored. In the gloomiest period, where fascism and imperialism have been simply changing hands for decades, the fighters of the resistance movement do not forget the continuous war with tyranny.
The “justice” of fascism and imperialism in Turkey persecutes militants, arrests, tortures, and sexually abuses hunger strikers, kidnaps, imprisons, executes. In front of it, rises the proletarian Nemesis in the course of the revolutionary time. People’s justice in Turkey is the execution of Colonel Cihangir Erdeniz by MLSPB guerrillas, the execution of Prime Minister Nihat Erim and the head of the secret service Hiram Abas by DEV SOL commandos. People’s justice is the execution of the anti-terrorism unit’s colonel Fehmi Altinbilek by PHG guerrillas. People’s justice is the hostage-taking, interrogation and death sentence imposed on prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz, inside the courthouse, by DHKC rebels, for covering up and protecting the killers of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan. Having the revolutionary necessity for legal action as a guide, the Turkish revolutionaries proudly raise the ax of war, with the fighters defeating fear and death. Facing death in the eye, the revolutionary Yusuf Aslan shouted at the scaffold: “I will die only once, honestly, for the independence of my people. But you will die every day because of your dishonesty”.
On the other side under nationalist and anti-turkish propaganda of every government, the Greek state uses the life and freedom of the revolutionary fighters of the Popular Front as a bargaining chip and a credential of friendship and cooperation with the fascist regime of Erdogan. It is common for news of “sudden” arrests of Turkish and Kurdish militants accused of fighting under the guise of terrorism taking place before big meetings of Turkish diplomats or representatives of fascists. The operation of the anti-terrorist unit in a house at Sepolia and at the offices of the Popular Front at Exarcheia, which led to the arrest and severe sentence of tens of years of imprisonment of 11 fighters, is another diplomatic gift of the Mitsotakis government to the fascist Erdogan transnational bargaining chip in the interests of the exploiters of two peoples who have nothing more to separate than their chains of their common enemy.
I proudly defend another different perspective of revolutionary violence and conflict, that of anarchist guerilla warfare; I refer to some Tupamaros words: Words separate us, actions unite us. The unity of revolutionary powers inside the construction of an international front of revolutionary struggle is a historical one-way road for the empowerment of proletariat resistance in the metropolitan centers.
I am going to conclude with some words of the organization, which accompanied the arson attack on the diplomatic vehicle of a Turkish official of the Bstbd bank, in retaliation for the murders of hunger strikers Helin Bolek and Mustafa Kocak by the fascist regime of Erdogan.
“Every tear will become a storm and will drown the enemies of freedom. Every sob will become an oath of revenge. Along with the martyrs of our common enemy, you also became a sprout, which made the heart of the world grow. Tomorrow, even, the payback is going to be asked for before sunrise. Wake up, comrades.”
Honor to the martyrs of the popular revolutionary war.
Unconditional solidarity to the 11 fighters of the Popular front that are being held in the greek prisons.
Faith, determination, focus; for the struggle. We are right. We shall win.
Comrades we keep going.
Thanos Chatziaggelou
D’ wing of Korydallos prison
Originally published by Athens Indymedia.
Via Enough Is Enough