Popular dissent against the Olympic Corporate
some people - 22.07.2004 19:12
RESISTANCE TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES IS PART OF THE STRUGGLE AGAINST GLOBAL CAPITAL
Dissent! is a network of groups and individuals taking action against the G8 in Britain in 2005. Our struggle against the globalisation of exploitation and capital means that we are in solidarity with the struggles of all the common people around the globe. In the coming month the focus of the global bosses is the Olympic Games in Athens (Greece).
The preparations for what is perhaps the biggest spectacle in the world are well under way. So far national and international corporate media have largely focused on the construction (or not) of the Olympic venues. The social effects and consequences of the Games however, remain largely unreported. Already massive environmental damage has been caused plus nineteen workers have lost their lives in the so-called working "accidents" whilst working at the Olympic venues' construction sites. At the same time, the Olympics have proven to be the perfect excuse for the Greek State to attack all the social groups that are in the margins, in fact, everyone refusing to participate in the corporate spectacle that the Olympics are.
Furthermore, stray animals (mainly dogs, cats and pigeons) in all four Olympic cities are already being killed in order to "clean" and sterilise the cities for the arrival of the delegates.
A new 'Olympic' prison is being built at Aspropirgos, near Athens. This is perhaps the strongest evidence for the repressive wave that will hit Greece in August. It is expected that the prison's inmates will include junkies, roma and refugee populations, political activists; in fact, anyone seen to be causing trouble or simply being in the way.
During and after the Olympics, Athens will have something Orwellian about it; over 1,000 surveillance cameras have been installed within Olympic venues and another 283 in other public spaces. These are extraordinary numbers for a country where such cameras have only been introduced within the last few years. The cameras were supposedly installed temporarily and for traffic co-ordination purposes only. This, however, would not explain why most of them are installed in areas where demonstrations are expected to take place. The Greek Minister of Public Order, Y. Voulgarakis, recently confirmed our fears that the cameras will stay after the Games. He stated that he would never order the removal of the cameras, adding that "any minister who did so would have to face the consequences, as this (surveillance) network has cost a vast amount of money to the country and therefore has to be used in the post-Olympics era". Further adding to the whole surveillance paranoia Voulgarakis announced that during the Games, citizens will be able to dial a four-digit number (1014) free of charge, in order to inform the authorities of any "suspicious" activities that they might become aware of.
It is estimated that the security personnel present in Athens during the Games will be 40,000 - 80,000 strong. The Greek police and army, domestic and international intelligence services and even NATO forces will be there. The first Olympic Games of the post-9/11 era will be the Games of surveillance, commercialism and State terrorism.
Finally, the environmental destruction caused by the construction of venues for the Games is massive. The Olympic Village is being constructed on the slope of the mountain of Parnitha, eliminating part of forest in one of Athens' last green resorts. At the same time, the canoeing venue is built in the area of Marathon, despite the fact that this is an area of global cultural and historical heritage. The list is endless: the destruction of green space to allow for the construction of the ping pong venue in Galatsi; cutting down of 8,500 trees to allow for the expansion of roads; construction of an ultra-high voltage centre (400/150 ÊK.Vat, 1120 M.V.A.) at the mount of Immitos. The centre is being built 125 meters away from the local school.
Naturally, such repressive plans and actions have been fiercely opposed by leftist and anarchist groups and individuals across the country. Amongst others, the campaign "anti2004" ( http://www.anti2004.net) and numerous anarchist groups have taken on a number of actions (such as the anti2004 anti-authoritarian festival) to show their disgust for the Games and all that they stand for: dope, bosses, multinationals, environmental destruction, State repression. Opposition to the Games is strong and growing. As an anarchist slogan states, many wish for the Olympics to die in their birthplace.
We express our strong feelings of opposition to the Olympic corporate games who aim not in promoting the athletic spirit, but promoting repression and consumerism... in other words the Olympic Truce, which the bosses are talking about, is a farce... the only truce which is happening is among the bosses. We stand in solidarity to the people who will make a stand against the Olympic Games of the bosses.
SOLIDARITY! DIGNITY! RESISTANCE!
RESISTANCE TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES IS PART OF THE STRUGGLE AGAINST GLOBAL CAPITAL
The Dissent! assembly Bradford, 4.7.04
 Website: http://www.dissent.org.uk/
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