Wednesday, June 2, 2010
On April 10, 2010 I was brought (sic)-kidnapped by the anti-terrorism department of the Greek Police. After an unnecessary show attended and conducted by numerous riot squads, undercover cops, emergency patrol, prosecutors, etc., who broke doors (although I surrendered my keys) and found funny ‘finds’ in my home such as anti-authoritarian printed material, romans, political books and many movies, I was sent to the police headquarters in Athens, where for several hours several masked men passed in front of me without answering my question on what I was prosecuted or arrested for, without allowing any communication with my lawyer, and without asking me anything at all. Late in the evening on April 11th, I was notified by the arrest report that I was accused for participating in the organization of Revolutionary Struggle and I was charged with nothing less than the entire criminal code. For the record, although I was arrested, I was not allowed again to contact my lawyers.
All subsequent days, unfolded a spiral of lies based on a shameful reproduction of the climate being cultivated by the police through alleged journalist working as the ‘press office’ of the anti-terrorism department, uncritically reproducing rumors from anonymous police sources, press releases, the police and what is needed anyway for creating a burdensome and ultimately condemnatory climate against any “alleged” … This time it was me. The so called “key man”, “leading member”, “link”, “who escaped the gunfight in Daphne, “the intellectual”, “rebellious, tough” etc. The only thing I was not called is “the mysterious woman”. Journalists worth their wages. A continuation of Goebbels, but sorry I forgot he was a fascist, while now we have “democracy with an iron fist” in the Declaration of our American prime minister Pre-Po.
THOSE GROUNDS TO OTHERS
From the first moment I denied the charges, including my alleged participation in the organization EA. What I do not deny, and is essentially what led to the plight that I am in today (an underground prison in a state of near isolation and a field more than 20 meters long) is my participation in the so called anarchist-antiauthoritarian sphere, my participation in a whole range of ongoing activities, and I think my constant involvement in social struggles of the political sphere to which I belong as a historical integral part. This is not to deny the comradely civil and social relationship I had with the dead militant Lambros Foundas as well as with some of my co-defendants. After being active in the anarchist-antiauthoritarian sphere and social struggles for many years, it is not strange that I am familiar with hundreds of comrades if not thousands of people, some of whom I am socially connected. Unfortunately I feel on my skin the new “luminary” doctrine of repression, the criminalization of political, social and social relations.
We live in a country where the tradition of struggle has deep roots that are soaked in blood of fighters on the mountains, in cities, on the “new Parthenon Makronissos” and other islets, in prisons. The country has also a long tradition of state terrorism. Times are changing however the substance remains the same: two worlds in conflict, the world of murderous capitalist interests and the world of social resistance. In this conflict, I have chosen sides, defending the “roadblock” in which I stand. I have no intention of signing a certificate of social conscience nor any statement of repentance and renunciation of my engagement and activist background, which I am proud of. In times when the attack of the state and capital to society is getting sharper and clearer than ever with the presence of the IMF in Greece, I remember that 10 years ago in Prague, along with thousands of activists from around the world, the meeting paused after violent conflicts against this criminal scheme, I remember the year after in Genoa where the capitalist criminals responded with the only language they know (violence) by murdering CARLO JULIANI. I remember when we declared war to criminal Tony Blair who entitled us as a “traveling circus of anarchists “, I remember other times when we were the “troublemakers who creep and denigrate”, the “apolitical hooligans”, sometimes in other “fringe of Exarchia” Mr. t.l.
The truth is different of course. The truth is that we are a political space in which the cause and the effect exists and interacts with society, as seen in the outbreak of December 2008! the truth is that we are a political space that resists the accidents of permanent human sacrifice on the altar of the capitalists, resist the permanent crime of prison with almost 400 deaths in the last 10 years, stand in solidarity with immigrants who are murdered daily in land and maritime borders of the country, tortured and humiliated in police stations but in modern concentration camps (eg, Pagani and others) We are a political space that stands in solidarity with political prisoners, resists to the destruction of the environment and participates in different kinds of social events. We are a space that questions state monopoly to violence and attempts to measure the forces to join social mound constant attack on the state and capital, showing forth solidarity, self-organization, and selflessness.
We are therefore targeted by repression that does not hesitate to kill a 15 year old children, to demonize entire regions (which the residents of Exarchia in Athens know well), to criminalize political, personal and social relationships and even build indictments for temporary political expediency, as in the case of anarchist meeting place Resalto in Keratsini, Pireaus ‘baptizing it into a “terrorist” organization in December 2009, in the case of a student with green shoes in Thessaloniki some years ago, as in the case of Aristotle square again in December 2009 when the “praetors protection of citizens” loaded Molotovs on to a passersby man, as in the case of protester Simon Chapman in Thessaloniki again in 2003, as in the flower boxes in which the popular saying “and pelts and cuckold”, as in the case of demonstrator Marios G. who carried shampoo and a bathrobe in his backpack but the police baptized them weapons, as in the case … and how much we do not know?
In a country that injustice dominates and politicians in charge are more interested in the abolition of university asylum law while themselves, protected by parliamentary immunity, behave like modern mafia and plead innocent for all major scandals (such as SIEMENS, Vatopedi, BONDS, wiretapping, C4I )… In a country where the state has declared war on society, as evidenced by the motorcycle police gangs occupying the streets, dedicated to preventing and breaking social events. In a country that is now officially under the dictatorship of the IMF, in a country where the words lose their meaning and nine bullets in the body of young Albanian Nicola Toddy are translated into “sense of security”. In a country where to bend your head and accept austerity measures that annul rights and privileges that have been gained with the blood and sacrifices to the benefit of capitalists is called “patriotic duty”… in a country where the arrogance, the audacity and double standards of authoritarians does not allow them to admit that it was their policies that led Greece to this tragic economic situation and not some “vague” and “faceless” speculators.
In this country, therefore resistance to the plans of capitalists is an one-way task. Resistance through self-organized and non-hierarchical projects, based on freedom, dignity and social justice. As for me, I will continue to struggle. I will continue to deny the accusations attributed to me, but in no way my political identity, belonging and action.
The state is the only terrorist! Lambros lives in the heart of every fighter
The “accused”, for I do not know what, Sarantos Nikitopoulos
F Wing
Korydallos prison,
Athens
PS. 1 The special law on hoods is not applicable for those who “kidnapped” me and drove me from the police headquarters in Athens to the Cadet and vice versa showing me as a trophy in front of cameras?
PS. 2 A big ‘thanks’ to those who in any way express/ed their solidarity.