Jump to content

Anarchism in Greece: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
Kanibalos (talk | contribs)
No edit summary
Kanibalos (talk | contribs)
Anarchist Prisoners in Greece: She was released yesterday....
Line 119: Line 119:
*G. Dimitrakis, arrested in AThens on 16-01-07 for armed bank robbery.Sentenced to 35 years in prison.<ref>http://www.enet.gr/online/online_hprint?q=%C4%E7%EC%E7%F4%F1%DC%EA%E7%F2&a=&id=96093236</ref>
*G. Dimitrakis, arrested in AThens on 16-01-07 for armed bank robbery.Sentenced to 35 years in prison.<ref>http://www.enet.gr/online/online_hprint?q=%C4%E7%EC%E7%F4%F1%DC%EA%E7%F2&a=&id=96093236</ref>
*B. Stergiou, arrested in Athens on 8-3-07 , charged with 4 felonies. Remand prisoner since then.<ref>http://www.enet.gr/online/online_hprint?q=%C2%E1%F3%DF%EB%E7%F2+%D3%F4%E5%F1%E3%DF%EF%F5&a=&id=27827196</ref>
*B. Stergiou, arrested in Athens on 8-3-07 , charged with 4 felonies. Remand prisoner since then.<ref>http://www.enet.gr/online/online_hprint?q=%C2%E1%F3%DF%EB%E7%F2+%D3%F4%E5%F1%E3%DF%EF%F5&a=&id=27827196</ref>
*M. Tsourapas, H. Kontorebithakis and a 20 year old woman (no further information is known).
*M. Tsourapas, H. Kontorebithakis .
Arrested in Athens on 5/6/2006 for trying to burn a car of the muncipality police. Remand prisoners since then. <ref>http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=807822</ref>
Arrested in Athens on 5/6/2006 for trying to burn a car of the muncipality police. Remand prisoners since then. <ref>http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=807822</ref>



Revision as of 16:46, 4 August 2007

An anarchist poster on a wall in Thessaloniki has a quote from Mikhail Bakunin.

The evolution of Anarchism in Greece has shown a series of historical paradoxes which have to do with both the insufficient historical coverage of such events, as well as the distortion of historical facts due to ideological bias. It is also very difficult to trace the connections of the various Anarchist leagues and affinity groups, as they remain mostly anonymous. It is also important that anarchists where of different inclinations , inclinations that occasionally merged and covered each other. One must also have in mind that Greece's current borders where stabilized with the Treaty of Lausanne (July 24, 1923).

History

1860-1875

It is from 1860 that we meet in the Greek territories the first libertarian texts and organized anarchist action mainly at Athens. Much was written and publicized from anarchists and libertarians-radicals of that time, deeply influenced by the activities of the corresponding European leagues.

Emanouil Dadaoglou, a merchant from İzmir, had probably met with anarchist ideas from Italian political refugees, first arriving in Patras in 1849 due to the War of the Two Sicilies. With the Italian anarchist Amilcare Cipriani, founder of "Democratic Club", they organized a team and took part of the revolution against King Othon in 1862. We know that they had a "roadblock" in the area of Kapnikarea [1]. From 1864 to 1867 he went to Italy in the area of Napoli and he became part of the International Working Men's Association (IWA) (he followed the ideas of Mikhail Bakunin) . At that time he met Maria Pantazi, who professes prostitution, who became his lifelong companion. In the late sixties he returns to Greece and he dies in 1870. After his death Maria Pantazi left Greece. She died along with thousands of others after the Paris Commune, at the hands of royal guards. The first Greek anarchist publication, can be found on 3 September 1861 in the daily newspaper "Φώς" (Light) issue 334. It is the main article of the paper, titled "Anarchy" part A and the writer remains anonymous. All the papers were confiscated few hours after their release and a police raid was staged, "forcing" the owner of the paper to condemn the article, so part B was never published.

Movements are also done in the Eptanisa Islands, with the names of Mikelis Iamvlixos and Nikos Konemenos saved to us. Iamvlixos studied in Vern , Switzerland were he met M. Bakunin and after he returned to Kefalonia where he was born. He published some articles. Konemenos, living in Corfu , was one of the first to use the term "communism" and one of the first to speak for women's rights. In 1893 he published a book in Italian called (Ladri ed omicidi} (Thieves and murderers).

1875- 1907

The newspaper Greek Democracy: Revolution is the law of progress.

The character of the tradition spored during the last decade will flower giving "revolutionary" organizations in different areas of the Grecian space like Athens, Syros, Messini, Aigio, Filiatra, Kefalonia and Patra. In G. Kordatos' Great Greek History, he writes: "the anarchosocialist ideas found ground to spread in Patras in my opinion, due to the presence of 5,000 proletarians and bourgeois, the Eptanisians with the radicals and the through Europe communication of the City" .

The anarchists from Patra in early 1876 formed a collective called "Democrative Association", which because of the city's favorable position and its port acquired close and constant relations not only with fellow anarchists from close Italy but with other European organizations. They tried to coordinate all the groups of the Grecian space and to form the first Greek department of the International Workers League. A league called "Democratic League of the People" was formed and in an article of the Italian paper Il Martello published in Bologna, Italy we can read along with the announcement of the league's existence: "...later on we will send you the general policies of the Democratic League of the People and the specific policies of the Company of Patra... Soon enough we will publish our socialist newspaper as an instrument of IWA ..." . The following repression from the Greek state, is in accord with a European state agreement, a fact that can be proved from several diplomatic papers. In the newspaper Bulletin of the Jura federation on 10 June 1877: Greece in its turn joins the agreement of civilized nations, those who are sleepless with energetic meters of pressure in keeping the "social order" . To prove that, we received the following letter : "Prisons of Patra, 15/27 May 1877 in the making of the leaflet: Dionisis Ampelopoulos, Konstantinos Mpompotis, Alexandros Evmorfopoulos, Konstantinos Grimanis. We are in jail because of the publication of the first issue of our paper Greek Democracy, of which you will receive copies. Greetings and solidarity. Konstantinos Grimanis ." . In 1896 two new associations are established: One is in Patras and the other in Pyrgos . The most active people where D. Badounas, D. Arnellos , D. Karabilias and the poet P. Tsekouras. [2]. They translate various anarchist articles and later the same year they publish the anarchist newspaper Epi ta proso with Social anarchism inclinations around which gather Anarchochristians , Anarchocommunists Socialists even Individualists. [3] We also meet Marinos Antypas who acted in all Grecian space .

1910-1945

During this period one can not find teams that are clearly anarchist but many anarchists participate in the Federacion and the Socialist Worker Party of Greece (which will over the years become the Greek Communist Party. The most notable example was Constantinos Speras.

The "boatmen" of Thessaloníki were anarchists, of Bulgaric origin. Their most noted actions their bombings: on 28 April they put bombs in the French steam boat Guadalquivir and the next day 29 April 1903 they blow up the Imperial Ottoman Bank, the "express" train from Istanbul and the main pipe lines of gas and water, the bar Alambra, the Bank of Mitilini, the Post Office, the Grand Hotel, the Theater Eden, the Top Hane military camp and the German Club. The official death toll was 115 people.

1960s to 1995

File:Anthos.jpg
An anarchist demonstration in Athens in 1990, against a court's decision that the policeman who shot and killed M. Kaltezas was innocent.

The Greek anarchist movement really started during the junta (1967-1974). The first Greek anarchists after war (1973) were among the main actors in student movement against junta.[4]

The Greek movement really started here and it carried both the ads and pros of this. Greek anarchists in the light of May of '68 and the Italian autonomist movement opposed Anarcho-syndicalism in favor of direct class war . Their influences were the classics (Bakunin, Kropotkin) but also Situationist International and autonomist Marxism.

The Greek anarchist and autonomist movement got really strong in late '70s, when people from ultra-left parties (who were strong in mid-'70s) left their political parties or groups and found themselves in the side of autonomists and anarchists [5]

The first wave of Greek anarchists where disappointed, and the great majority of them left the movement slowly, when the first socialist government was established in 1980 and with the alliance from the communist party almost ended "the social war" of the '70s. A new wave of young anarchists even more aggressive and violence-oriented than the first generation emerged in the mid-80s. Some reporters even claim that some of this generation of anarchists later became recruits of terrorist groups such as the Revolutionary Organization 17 November.[6]

A poster released in 1982.The main text says "Cops sell Heroin" . It is signed simply "Anarchists."

In the years 1985-1986 almost daily demos and clashes took place[7]. Anarchists Mixalis Kaltezas (1970-1985) and Xristos Tsoutsouvis (?-1985) were killed during this period and their killings caused huge riots in Athens and Thessaloníki. The murder of a policeman in Thessaloníki and the occupation of Chemistry University in Athens made the oppression against anarchists almost unbearable, but an anarchist movement existed, managed to make demonstrations with thousands of participants in Athens. The attack by an anarchist demonstration on the hotel "Caravel" hosting a far-right conference (among them was Jean-Marie Le Pen) was also a peak in anarchist movement of '80s.

File:171106-flag.jpg
The burning of the Greek Flag during anarchist demonstrations has raised much criticism.

The 80s generation faded slowly, and a new wave of anarchists came in the heat of '91 high school student uprising. The '91 student movement was the most radical movement ever to be shown in Greece, carrying about 1500 wild strike school occupations and demonstrations of hundred thousands. The murder of the ultra-left teacher Nikos Temponeras by members of ruling right-wing New Democracy party, caused an almost general insurgency in all main Greek towns, with a 25,000 strong demonstration in Patra where Temponeras was killed, which was followed by the burning of the police station and the town hall. The same day in Athens four people were killed by a fire which occurred during a massive demonstration. The civil unrest stopped only when the Minister of Education resigned.

The anarchist movement of '90s faced the complete disaster in the anarchist occupation of Polytechnic University in 1995. About 3.000 people occupied Polytechnic, when, the police got in and arrested finally 501 anarchists (all occupiers that were left in Polytechnic). The Polytechnic was almost completely destroyed during the anarchist occupation. The role of the media was a catalyst, ordering the police to arrest and hit "these hooligans, the known-unknown thugs"(the common name of anarchists used by the media). But instead of strengthening the anarchist movement, as oppression did before, it really made it apart.

17th of November

17th of November is a annual school and universities holiday in Greece celebrating the Athens Polytechnic Uprising . Almost every year massive demonstrations take place in the large urban centers and almost every years riots occur. Anarchists have been fiercely critiqued for these riots .

1970s

The first elections after the military Junta are programmed for the 17/11/1974 and the celebrations are to be postponed to 24/11 . Many disagree with that (including leftists and the communist party) . In the end two demonstrations happen on the 15th and the other as programmed in the 24th. In the 15th a text is shared hand to hand to the people who arrive for the demonstration, which among other says :"Comrades paid slaves, the completion of a year since the riot of November is sealed by the zenith of anti-revolution, elections... Comrades, the riot of November made the owners and the aspiring owners of authority to shake. COMRADES, all together the lackeys of state and capital ask us to be productive robots, pathetic receptors of our lives.." , and it was signed by the "anarchist team Extremists " . The committee of demonstration said that their positions are different from the text and asked the people who where present to isolate the anarchists.

1976 saw the first organized anarchist bloc takes parts in the demonstrations.

in 1978, the assembly for the demonstration is in the Polytechnics. There police has a very strong presence and before the demonstration starts minor conflicts occur. EFEE (national student union (of) Greece) declares that due to the large police force the demonstration is canceled . Even that declaration the demonstration starts and clashes with the police occur.

1980s

File:Cops-18-85.jpg
Police raid the Polytechnics school on 18 November 1985.
File:Molotov-17-85.jpg
Clashes with the police in 17-11-1985.
File:Cops&fascists.jpg
Police and "angry civilians" (members of ultra-right parties) clash with anarchists on 11 November 1982.
From the clashes in 1989.

In 1980 the situation was very charged due to the killing of the assistant commander of the riot control unit by the organization 17th November. The demonstration is not allowed to take place. Even though a demonstration happens in the 16th and anarchists take part but not from the start of the demonstration [8] . The situation is electrified and the main motto is that "hell will break loose," (tha ginei ths poutanas in Greek ). Banks, shops and public buildings are attacked and some destroyed and roadblocks are made. The police attacks back. The conclusion is several injured and two dead I. Koumis and S. Kanelopoulou, The next day another demonstration which had approximately 2000 people occurs.

In 1982, Anarchists burn Greek flags and the wreaths laid in the memorial of the riot by politicians.Some clashes occur.

On November 16th 1983, the offices of Rizospastis are destroyed , the main motto was :" The Party kills Polish workers" . After the demonstration on the 17th the offices of the Technical Chamber are attacked.

On November 17th 1984, a concert against state repression is programmed but is prohibited at last moment by the polytechnics Rector .Massive riots start outside the Polytechnics. A text that was published after the event reads:"This gave food to the rags and those who think that the university is their kingdom. In us depends if they will taste this food for a life and then burp happily or if they will vomit it and then crawl in their dirty anti-orgasmic party offices."

In 1985 many clashes with the police can be witnessed from its beginning, something which could explain the following events: Few anarchists take part in this year's demo but when it ends they break the offices of South Africa Airlines. The clashes continue in Exarheia Square and M. Kaltezas is killed . The polytechnics school is squatted and the clashes continue until the police breaks in . The same day the school is re-squatted and Stournari street is blocked. Demonstrations and further clashes occur with the police but in the night everything stops. Leftists criticize the clashes and say that if the anarchists didn't make the riots more people would demonstrate for the death of M. Kaltezas.

Probably the most massive anarchist demonstration for the 17th of November occurs in 1986. Some estimate that 5000 take part.

In 1987, clashes started when officials try to place wreaths in the memorial of the riot and escalate to a riot that held for three days. Clashes occur and outside the U.S. embassy.

The anarchist bloc of 1989 was probably the smallest for a decade and after an attack by the police in the middle of the demonstration it disbands after some small clashes.

1990s

In 1990, Anarchist's gathered at the hind of the demonstration and attack banks and public buildings. Minor clashes with the police occur.

In the midday of November 16th 1992 the ministry of labor is attacked with Molotov cocktails and in the evening a demonstration for solidarity to the imprisoned N. Maziotis , N. Skiftoulis , K. Mazokopos and B. Tsouris who was in hunger strike. It ends in the polytechnics where clashes with the police start. In the 17th the office of New Democracy and two bus booking offices are burned. 26 people where arrested.

In 1993, during 15,16 and 17 of November anarchist handed leaflets , made banners for the occasion and wrote with spray on the walls around Polytechnics school. On the 16th about 30 people attack with Molotov bombs a police bus on Kanigos Square and two Mercedes cars parked outside the General Accountant Building. In the 17th at the same time officials have their speeches for the holiday , a group attacks the riot police stationed outside the polytechnics with molotovs, rocks and flares. Later that evening a van of the T.V. station Skai is destroyed.


Anarchist Prisoners in Greece

  • G. Dimitrakis, arrested in AThens on 16-01-07 for armed bank robbery.Sentenced to 35 years in prison.[9]
  • B. Stergiou, arrested in Athens on 8-3-07 , charged with 4 felonies. Remand prisoner since then.[10]
  • M. Tsourapas, H. Kontorebithakis .

Arrested in Athens on 5/6/2006 for trying to burn a car of the muncipality police. Remand prisoners since then. [11]

See also

Notable Greek anarchists

Greek Anarchist organisations

Notes

  1. ^ Page 412, "History of late and modern Greece- Volume A'" Tasos Bournas. Kastaniotis ,1997 Athens ISBN 960-600-524-0
  2. ^ The History of the Greek Workers Movement , G. Kordatos
  3. ^ The History of the Greek Workers Movement , G. Kordatos.
  4. ^ One can find many references in S. Katsaros's book "I the provocateur,the terrorist": "The slogans of the anarchists like "Destroy the State" were not adopted by no-one . They sounded a bit strange as the anarchist movement had no tradition in Greece" (p.219) or "The only people who took initiative where "leftists" or anarchists ,who had only to offer in tactics was demonstrations to the region that the people would clash with the police." (p. 238) and "The speakers stopped but from the radio station the spokesmen started chanting the national anthem(...). A group of anarchists started singing the Internationale and heading towards the Polytechnic School but an Avra (armored police vehicle) stopped this quickly.... " (p.243)
  5. ^ An article from the Communist Review , issue 4, 2004.
  6. ^ Το ΒΗΜΑ, 25/08/2002 , pg.: A04 Article code: B13646A041
  7. ^ Riksi magazine 19-20
  8. ^ Chris Bratakos,MAT. The Helmet-wearers (Athens 1984, pub. Capricorn(Αιγόκερως)
  9. ^ http://www.enet.gr/online/online_hprint?q=%C4%E7%EC%E7%F4%F1%DC%EA%E7%F2&a=&id=96093236
  10. ^ http://www.enet.gr/online/online_hprint?q=%C2%E1%F3%DF%EB%E7%F2+%D3%F4%E5%F1%E3%DF%EF%F5&a=&id=27827196
  11. ^ http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=807822

Further reading - Bibliography

Books

  • A brief history of anarchism in Greece.Anarchist Gallery (1986).
  • Early Days of Greek Anarchism: The Democratic Club of Patras & Social Radicalism in Greece Edited and translated by Paul Pomonis. ISBN 1-873605-68-4
  • Stergios Katsaros-I the provocateur, the terrorist. The charm of violence , S. Katsaros . Mayri Lista (1999). ISBN 960-8044-02-2
  • The Boatmen of Thesalloniki. The Bulgarian anarchist goup and the bomb attacks of 1903, G. Megas .Troxalia, 1994 ISBN 960-7022-47-5
  • Great History of Greece,Kordatos G. Athens,20th Century Publishing
  • The History of the Greek Workers Movement , G. Kordatos.Athens, Mpoukomanis Publications(1972)
  • The Greek Speaking Anarchist and Revolutionary Movement (1830-1940) Writings for a History, James Sotros. No God-No Masters, December 2004
  • The Strike of Serifos ,K. Speras .Bibliopelagos (2001) ISBN 960-7280-14-8.

Magazines-Newspapers

  • Solidarity - monthly anarchist newspaper - issues n.1 (15/11/1983)
  • The Arena - monthly anarchist newspaper issue n. 1 (?/11/1984)
  • Test -anti-authoritarian newspaper issue n. 8 (14/11/1986)
  • Against-monthly anarchist newsletter issues n. 1,2,6 (1988-1990)
  • Riot - anarchist newspaper - issues n. 3,9,13,14,18,21,24,28
  • Anarchist bulletin - Special edition November 2005

In Greek: