We, Crisis Mirror, want to clear out the misunderstandings and misinterpretations that might have been created by the interview of 15th of June in Modkraft and Autonom Infoservice (http://modkraft.dk/artikel/dansk-indsamling-til-militante-grækere, http://www.autonominfoservice.net/2012/06/14/modstand-og-repression-i-gr%C3%A6kenland/#permalink). It was a written interview with a general purpose, asking about our political affinities, the events and actions organized by our group and the current situation in Greece, as many of Crisis Mirror’s members are Greeks. Autonom Infoservice translated the group’s original description “Crisis Mirror is a multidisciplinary and diverse political group, based in Copenhagen” as “Crisis Mirror er en blandet venstreradikal gruppe med basis i København.” On top of that, one of the interview’s questions was about a fund-raising party to support political prisoners in Greece, that we organized on 16th of June. We will give the money collected (5000kr) to the Solidarity and Financial Support Fund for Imprisoned Social Activists (http://tameio.espivblogs.net/). The heading in Modkraft seems to imply that we are supporting armed groups which is not the case. We rather won’t focus here on the meaning of words such as radical or militant. We believe that these terms are part of a dynamic social conflict, which makes their meaning change over time. Their evolving subjectivity can lead to false assessment of sensitive issues. Here is how the Fund we collaborate with could be better described:
The Fund provides to political prisoners (mainly anti-authoritarians and anarchists) a 300euro monthly income, used for their basic needs. Open assemblies every month prioritize the cases and decide how the money will be shared.
The Fund is highly focused on protesters who were arrested during demonstrations. As part of the massive resistance against the ongoing capitalist crisis in Greece, more and more citizens protest against the austerity measures and the injustice. People often suffer random arrests. Often, repressive police actions are part of strategies to criminalize social movements, as well as to feed the mass media with their share of “police efficiency” against “terrorists”. The so-called anti-terrorist/hoodie-law allows for example to keep people in prison 18 months before trial. Even worse, there are cases when the police decides to throw unfounded accusations by the end of the 18-month period, so some of those arrested face one 18-month period in prison after another without a trial.
This is just one example of the great power that Greek police has. Greek police has one of the highest budgets and number of members in their ranks in Europe. The police collaborates with fascist groups such as Golden Dawn (50% of policemen voted for Golden Dawn in the last elections) and with corrupt links to the media and the courts. Police prosecutes and imprisons our political comrades who stand up against injustice and who struggle for freedom and equality among people. On the streets and in demonstrations, our comrades experience daily assaults from the police, illegal arrests, surveillance, corrupt trials, violence and torture-like interrogation methods. Over the past four years, the number of political prisoners in the Greek State prisons has increased explosively. These are not just militant anarchists, like media would love for us to believe. Potentially all who participate in demonstrations or actions directed against the system, legal and illegal, militant and non-militant could be arrested.
Our solidarity goes out to all victims of this corrupt system of oppression.
Within the walls, in overcrowded cells, inmates suffer a massive, systematic, moral, psychological and even physical destruction. Recurrent shifts of location, unprovoked violence, unexplained isolation extensions, malnutrition, post censorship, harsh restrictions on communications and general humiliation, make life in the overcrowded prisons a living nightmare. But our comrades are not alone, though they are trapped behind lock and key. Our comrades are not forgotten, although they are not with us on the street. Their struggles live on and their resistance is not futile.
