Athens : report from Legalize Festival

Legalize pro-testival is an annual event that takes place in Greece. A diversity of groups , artists , cultural activists gather every year to protest against the Greek drug policy. Legalize protestival is also a mobilization for all those people who faced the state repression because They like to smoke weed. This year the Festival has been divided in two parts (weekends). The first weekend of May the festival took place at Ermou street in the very (center)heart of Athens and the second at the park of environmental awarreness quite close to the city center. The first weekend , before the concerts , the big party and so on, a street parade inspired by reclaim the streets was extending in the big traffics of the city center. A diversity of music like reggae , drum n bass , trance , other accoustic styles , hip hop , punk etc and a lot of people who were willing to stand openly on the the streets for basic legal rights . Therefore the festival was successful , with a lot promises for its development next year. I was not in the organizational collective but I got impressed with the people who joined it as well as the radical overview of the organizers.

I think that even the most suspicious persons about the political background of that festival got satisfied from the participation as well as the collective’s announcement that I put forward bellow.

“This festival is organized from all of us ,for the benefit of all of us and it can take place only through the conscious participation and help from everybody. It is an open public celebration for Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Choice, Self-Determination, Personal and Social Autonomy. There is not any separation between the “organizers”, the “artists”, the cultural activists and all the participators. There is no ticket, no payments or any financial profit , Self-Organization,Voluntary participatory responsibility, Liberation of the Public Space, Anti-commercial logic, Non-Employment, Non-Profit Economics are the values that you find hidden inside the core of Athens Legalize it Festival , in the fight against all prohibitions and against all addictions, in the same way as in all events and festivals of the underground social and political movement in GreeceThis festival fights openly against any kind of drug culture, against the drug-dealers ,against heroin, against cocaine, against ego-trips, against using of multi substances, against junkie attidute and irrational overdose selfish using of substances (whatever kind of them! ) This festival is against stupefaction, freak-out and self-delusion Freedom, Love,Friendship, Music,Travelling, Celebrations,Existential experience of collective Joy,The Dreaming, Creativity, Opening of Consciousness Could never surrender to jailers, Judges, psychiatrists, policemen Or drug-dealers It is an obligation of all of us. This gathering to be a lesson From all of to all of us, An experience that can make us better people an empowering experience a gathering of awareness. This festival is organized against all prohibitions And against all addictions!”

refer links

:
www.iliosporoi.net
www.myspace.com/iliosporoi
www.voidnetwork.blogspot.com
www.elefsyna.org
www.ecogreens.gr
www.neoiprasinoi.blogspot.com
http://ashinartfriends.blogspot.com
http://naturalhighfamily.blogspot.com/

For all info about the festival:
www.legaliseprotestival.blogspot.com

London: police represion in Rampart

In an obvious attempt to de-escalate the situation after the events of yesterday, police aggressively raided Rampart today.

How they got in

Somebody being led away under arrest

"evidence"

The FIT doing research work

Legal observer at work

People being searched outside

The FIT having a good day...

"We don't forget, we don't forgive" - day of international action against state murders, 20.12.2008

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Today (Friday), the assembly of the occupied Athens Polytechnic decided to make a callout for European and global-wide actions of resistance in the memory of all assassinated youth, migrants and all those who were struggling against the lackeys of the state. Carlo Juliani; the French suburb youths; Alexandros Grigoropoulos and the countless others, all around the world. Our lives do not belong to the states and their assassins! The memory of the assassinated brothers and sisters, friends and comrades stays alive through our struggles!

We do not forget our brothers and sisters, we do not forgive their murderers. Please translate and spread around this message for a common day of coordinated actions of resistance in as many places around the world as possible.

http://balkans.puscii.nl/?q=content/we-dont-forget-we-dont-forgive-day-international-action-against-state-murders-20122008

solidarity poster with the greek anarchists (USA)

15 years old anarchist killed by Cops in the Center of Athens reports the video from the murder and a video from the Athens Riots

Yesterday night at 21.30 in the center of Athens a young boy murdered by the cops in the center of Athens. The murder was the answer of the police after arguing with the small group of anarchists with a crew of patrol police car. The anarchist didnt have with them any petrol bombs nor carrying stones or other weapons nether.

The boy killed due to some eyewitness , the place is very crowded with a lot of busy bars around , especially the Saturday night. One of the policemen get off the car , shot in the heart and killed in cold blood the 15 years old young boy.

The pig (policeman) left the boy dead on the ground. On various greek radical websites a lot of different people who saw what happened try to share this information. The greek authorities didnt give any announce statement still.

the names of the policemen who killed the boy are Epaminodas Korkoneas 37 years old and vasilis Saraliotis 31 years old

After a night of rage , the day of insurrection is coming.

All around Greece riots and demonstrations are taking place at the moment. Demonstrators attacked against police departures and burned patrol cars , banks.

Demonstrations , riots and solidarity actions are taking place (or took place) at the moment in Athens , Thessaloniki , Chania , Sparta , Mitilini , Alexandroupolis , Ksanthi , Volos and many more

riots as an answer to the state repression and a political mobilization in Greece

REPORTS AND UPDATES FROM THE DEMONSTRATIONS AND ACTIONS

* a brief report from Athens

More than 1000 anarchists/autonomous and others started riots the same night around the politechnical university in the center of Athens. That university is a symbol of the greek radical resistance for many years. The police answered by arresting 7 persons . In One of them the police bastards found a carbine.

- At the demontration : more than 12.000 people from different political groups or just simple citizens joined.

**a report from the demo in Athens by a participant

Hello, just got back from the center of athens. There's a lot going on, I'm not sure if I can describe it correctly. Today a march was decided for yesterdays murder of 15 year old Alex. Many people came, ecologists, leftists, anarchists, it was the largest march of this kind I've attended to. About 7-10 thousand occupied literaly the center of athens. From the beggining the atmosphere was electrified, we knew that this was not to be a peacfull marching but none was to leave because of this. Along the way the scenary was full of anger, fires, chasing and gas bombs, we were beaten and splitted up in pieces but some of us managed to get to the central police station of athens, the ending of this march. People were trying to reform groups, some of them decided to go to the parliament instead and finally after 3 hours we started gathering back to the occupied polytechnical school. As far as I know there are a few arrests and only a few injuries.

Since yesterday many bank atm and banks are burnt to the ground, attackes to police stations around Greece have happened and still happening, there are occupied universities and still people is out fighting the state forces.
I'm sorry I can't say more right now, I tried to give you an idea of the feeling that is all around us.

it's payback time you bastards


- High school Student with an sms chain call tommorow for a demonstration in Athens.

- Riots started from members and funs of AEK / Athens football club around OAKA field

- New demonstration on Monday 8/12 at 18.00 in the central offices building of the university of Athens (propilea)

photos from the riots in Athens














* a brief report from Chania

Anarchists burned state cars in the morning , more information soon (we will start updating this page as many times as possible)


* a brief report from Sparta (southern Greece)

Members of the anarchists/autonomous assembly of the city started to write slogans on the walls of state buildings. The police wasnt there just an undercover bastards car who when they saw the people writing on the wall left away

* a brief report from thessaloniki

All the anarchist groups as well as extra parliamentary ultra left groups call for a demonstration.

- Around 200 people attacked with petrol bombs and riots in the center of the city near the white tower. Afterwards the anarchists moved into the university and the special forces of the police sou rounded the space

- Anarchists occupied the school of theater in the city , the cops answered with tear gass. At the moment the people are trapped inside because the university is surrounded by the police

* a brief report from Alexandroupolis

people gathered in front of the police station

* a brief report from Patra

more than 300 people gathered for a demonstration in memory of Alexandros Andreas Grigoropoulos. The demo It hasn't ended yet, because protests are not extinguished by tear gases as they've just done here at the center of the city. People are still around in the streets.
It's gonna be a long night tonight.

- since now 5 people arrested by the police in Patra

* Volos (central greece)

A demonstration will take place today at 18.00 (more info soon)

* Giannena

street fighting is taking place now in the city . more than 500 people on the streets

* Corfu

more than 100 anarchists joined a demonstration in Corfu. The block of the anarchists burned an atm bank machine. An other block of members of extra parliamentary groups joined the demo as well

* Karditsa (north Greece)

Organizations and groups call for a demonstration on Monday 8/12

solidarity actions already took place in other countries

* In Zagreb anarchists organized a solidarity action in the greek embassy

* In Berlin a solidarity action organized by autonomous groups


all of the info are translated into English from greek

I invite all the greek radicals to send news , corrections , udpdates to the editiorial team of the balkans.puscii.nl at balkans-infoshop@lists.riseup.net ,

the solidarity is our weapons

insurrection against the State violence

no Justice , no peace , fuck the police

ps: sorry for grammar errors and mistakes but I try to translate as fast as possible

video from the murder



video from the Demonstration in Athens



http://balkans.puscii.nl/?q=content/15-years-old-anarchist-killed-cops-center-athens-reports-video-murder-anda-video-theathens-r

represion at the romanian border for anti-nato activists

Law breaking as a European standard, Romania shows its democratic side with more repression.

Since the Romanian N.AT.O. Summit was confirmed; people who do not agree started their own camping against N.A.T.O. While the summit preparations were in progress the corporate main-stream media started its own campaign of misinformation and public opinion manipulation against the critical point of the anti-militaristic movement. Using only the violent imagines from protest and presenting wrong facts, they turned the opposition to war, militarism and alliances like N.A.T.O. into a monster that is going to attack Bucharest. All this misinformation created a reason for the authority’s repression. The future repression was shown as a measure of security, typical N.A.T.O. strategy (creating an enemy to have an excuse for a war).
Yesterday 6 persons felled the repression of the border police 19 hours long, when they tried to enter in Romania. All of then were germane citizens, they were coming to express their opinion and disagreement about the N.A.T.O. politics. They brought few anti- N.A.T.O. materials (that contained only public information like a visitors guide, a legal guide…), c.d.-s with documentary movies, buttons, patches, t-shirts, posters all on the subject of human rights.
After being heeled 19 hours without a reason they were illegally and violently deported against their own will. During these 19 hours at the Calafat border-control they were resistant in a creative way, making and showing banners against border and state repression.
Romania calls itself a democratic country but can not accept other opinions, then those dictated by the ruling power.
“forţele de ordine sunt pregătite să riposteze ferm împotriva oricăror mişcări de protest/ the maintaining order forces are ready to counterstrike any kind of protest movements”
Quote from the National Headquarters for N.A.T.O. Summit Security.
Today Romania showed again its fascist face.