Greece, 4-7 May: An anarchist forum (Photos)
zxc - 16.05.2006 03:23
Greece, Athens 4-7 May: An anarchist forum, a demo & a riot (photos) & the co-operation of the European Social Forum with the police in arresting dozens of innocent passers-by and bystanders and charging seventeen of them.
For the first time in Greece, between the 4th and 7th of May the Libertarian Anarchist Antiauthoritarian Forum took place (  http://www.libertariananarchistforum.com/ ). This forum (with open discussions, video projections, theatrical presentations, photography exhibitions, anarchist books & periodicals stalls and a radio station broadcasting the discussions live on fm and on the internet) was organized by anarchists in contrast to the European Social forum that was also taking place in Athens during the same dates. The basic principles for its formation can be found here: http://www.libertariananarchistforum.com/en/main.htm
Photographs from the Anarchist’s forum can be found here: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=504274
On Saturday May the 6th several hours before the anti-war demo organized by the ESF, an anarchist demo took place in downtown Athens from Monastiraki Sq. to Propylaia with more than 1.500 people that were heavily (and I really mean heavily) guarded by riot police. Its main slogan was “No other world is possible as long as capitalism and the State exists”, thus paraphrasing ESF’s slogan “Another world is possible”. Photographs from the demo can be found here: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=502400 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=500918
Several hours later as soon as the ESF’s demo begun hundreds of anarchists in small groups emerged out of the crowd. Despite the massive amount of policemen (the State talks about more than 8.000 cops) the managed to attack many targets firebombing Banks, ATM’s, police cars and vans, cctv cameras, several embassies, the headquarters of the greek police, a state’s ministry, the greek parliament, Mac Donalds, Starbucks and many more. Photographs from the riots can be found here:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=503204
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=500980#500990
During all that time the ESF people did what it was unconceivable even for leftists. They managed the rally as if it was their own, and eagerly played the part of the police or used the Police for their purposes. These are the same people that are allegedly against neo-liberalism, war and the State’s repression. Although all of the targets symbolized Capitalism and the State in many occasions they attempted to arrest people (sometimes just on the grounds of being hooded or wearing black clothes) and hand them over to the police, while in other occasions they attacked passers-by based on the same aforementioned criteria which resulted to dozens of arrests and 17 prosecutions including minors and immigrants.
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