Libertarian/Antiauthoritarian Camp, 26-28 August 2011, Platania, Cyprus

CRITICAL MASS Bicycle Ride - Ποδηλατοπορεία (19/2)

Solidarity March

Solidarity to the rising egyptian and arab world.

We support tomorrows demonstration of the egyptian people towards the embassy of Egypt.

We will gather tomorrow, FRIDAY (04/02) 1:45pm at ''OXI'' roundabout.

NO MORE DICTATOR REGIMES

SOLIDARITY TO THE UPRISED

For the death of Khalid Mahmood

On Sunday 31st January 54 year old Khalid Mahmood was killed when the Immigration police invaded the house where he lived with three others. Khalid, an immigrant without papers from Pakistan, fell from the first floor when he tried to get away from the police trying to arrest him. He was seriously hurt and the next day in the hospital he died. Things like this happen many times in Cyprus, even if it's rare that they end with someone's death.

Because he was an immigrant without papers, and because in the 'democracy' we live he is considered 'illegal', he preferred to risk his life rather than lose his freedom. Today immigrants without papers live terrorized by the threat of arrest and deportation. They live like they are not human like the rest, like they do not have the same rights. At the same time they are exploited by Cypriot bosses who pay very low salaries for jobs with inhuman working conditions. But everyone knows that the police does not invade the houses of the bosses. They terrorize only the weakest and the most unfairly treated, especially the immigrants with no papers. This situation is to the bosses' advantage, who become richer from unofficial work and the separation of immigrants into 'illegal' and 'legal'.

The worldwide system which is to blame for the poverty and oppression in countries like Pakistan is the same worldwide system which protects the bosses and terrorizes the workers here in Cyprus. We stand in solidarity and unity with all oppressed people because it is the only way we can self-organize and resist this system.

NO HUMAN BEING IS ILLEGAL

Anarchist Union (enosi_anarxikon@riseup.net)
And Others in Solidarity

Letter to IMC network

To the International Indymedia network.

We’re sending this letter as groups from the anti-authoritarian, anarchist, libertarian and anti-racist community in Cyprus.

We want to confirm the fact that “indymedia” CYPRUS is controlled by a few people who have nothing to do with the grassroots community of the island.

Unlike, the cyprus “indymedia” is used to attack events of the community either they are anti-fascist, anti-racist, anti-nationalist, either defending the right for public space or creating alternative structures, such as a library etc. The lying and conspiracy theories that the administrators are creating are easily perceived by anyone.

Only one example of the paranoia we are experiencing: On December 2009 the cyprus “indymedia” administrators claimed that anti-authoritarians where planning to burn the town of Nicosia at an event organized for the anniversary of the murder of Alexis Grigoropoulos by the police and the uprising that followed. They’re reason for claiming that was a picture of Molotov bombs in Athens on the poster of the event. (Ofcourse nothing happened, but they went on claiming that they were the ones who stopped the riots from happening..!)

On the other hand their attitude towards nationalist groups is friendly. They advertise nationalist events through the webpage under the pretext of their “anti-occupation struggle” and contrast towards a federal solution in Cyprus. (Even a few days ago they where advertising an event organized by a far right students group of the university of Cyprus ( http://epalxi.net/), which is friendly with ΔΡΑΣΙΣ-ΚΕΣ, another far-right group which supports Cyprus to be controlled by Greece.

We believe that Indymedia is a conquest of the libertarian anti-authoritarian movement and that the specific case of Cyprus Indymedia is a glaring dissonance. We expect that the dialogue which began in this context will soon have results and that the blog which is presented as Cyprus indymedia on your lists will be deleted.

For any other information you need to make a decision we are at your disposal.

Comrades from Cyprus.

Anarchist Union - http://enosianarxikon.blogspot.com/

Falies Libertarian Network - http://falies.com/

Planodio Steki Dromou - http://steki-dromou.blogspot.com/

Limassol Anti-racist Initiative - http://antiratsistiki.wordpress.com/

7 January 2011

LET’S END NATIONALISM

Every year at the anti-occupational marches, the assemblies of Cypriot university students, at school and national holidays, at conferences of political parties, and on television and radio shows, we experience a peak of national absurdness: nationalist slogans, countless flags, a sudden wake-up of patriotism and religious pride, with the high point of all this national madness – the grand finale – the Greek national anthem! Of course, these events reflect the dominant concept cultivated systematically and which has existed for many years on the island, that of complete nationalism.

The terms nationalism – patriotism can easily be misunderstood. What are these ideas of nations, nationalism and patriotism? Is patriotism just a well-covered-up nationalism? Sometimes even the most democratic of spirits stoop to defending national identity. Schools, media, bodies of the state and political parties constantly propagandize national consciousness. As a nation we can consider a group of the population which has common representations in a certain historical framework. The social processes which create them are not static, but exist amongst a grid of conflicts and variations, where the common references are constantly changing, creating new data and conditions. During feudalism, as in older social forms of organization, even though ethnological views existed, they were basically made a part of the system via the dominance of the capitalist way of production, and they were then spilled out as a dominant ideology. Thus, national consciousness is created, quite recently in history: in Europe during the 18^th century, along with the development of capitalism.

In the beginning of capitalism’s existence, it required as strong, large and concentrative states as possible, and nationalism was the secret ingredient to fulfill this requirement: thus nation-states were created, as a result of large conflicts between the upcoming bourgeoisie and feudalists, the then-dominant class. It is a fact that before the Greek uprising (1821) in the Balkans there were various nationalities spread around (Turks, Albanians, Greeks, Slavish), however the needs of the dominant bourgeoisie caused the creation of ‘pure’ nation-states. The national delirium of today is a descendant of the imposition of the so-called ‘Greek - Christian ideal.’

Let’s clarify a few things: this term (Greek – Christian ideal) was invented with the founding of the Greek state, and does not correspond to historical reality. There was no smooth continuity of ancient Greece into byzantine orthodoxy, but a full-on clash of the two different cultures, leading to the prevalence of one. So Greek flags depicting Cyprus and the Parthenon, alongside flags of Byzantium can only be described as an awful collage of nationalist propaganda. The invention of the ‘Great Idea,’ – result of the last process – served the local bourgeoisie in the extension of its political dominance to the total of lands where Greek-speaking cultures lived (1912-1922). All of this proves that nationalism, as an ideology, exists to serve certain interests of the ruling class, in subjugating those under them.

The nation is the coherent bond between higher and lower social classes, oppressors and oppressed. It serves and elongates this distinction since it depicts the enemy as being a different nation – which, coincidentally experiences the same contradiction. One of the main causes of the lower social classes being continually subjugated, is the acceptance of national consensus and the common national interests, which do not exist, they are simply a fraud. Using this, governments justify their authoritarian politics. Cyprus’ history in particular cannot leave us with any illusions. Nationalism among locals was used by colonialists which locals were fighting against for freedom, as a weapon against the people so that the people would continue serving the colonialists’ interests.

The separation of the people into Greeks and Turks, the overlooking of our common cultural roots caused devastating damage to the relationships between us. The entrenching behind national interests basically hides the problem and refuses to see reality. It follows the paths of the past like a faithful dog, and leads to the same deadlocks and the same destructive historical reality. The recognition of Greece as “the motherland,” as the country, to which we must without a doubt be attached to, cannot understand that Greece is not an idea, an imaginary meaning which exists somewhere far, far away. The Greek social formation exists in its historical development, dependant and shaped by its social and class conflicts.

We recognize, honor and learn from the great moments of the Greek worker’s movement, not because it is Greek, but because it is historically one of the most important class movements in Europe. The ‘greek-worshipping’ nationalists, fans of the Junta regime have been on the opposite side, alongside the enemies that the people fought. In the best case, nationalism (fascism in disguise) will simply destroy social and class resistance potential. However, in reality, this kind of ideas and actions lead gang-like hits, ‘cryers’ in Ledras regarding the fall of the wall, and dark memories of Grivas, whose resurrection will soon have to be answered.

NATIONAL CONSENSUS IS A TRAP – THE OPPRESSED HAVE NO HOMELAND

http://enosianarxikon.blogspot.com/ - http://www.anarchistunion-cyprus.blogspot.com/

enosi_anarxikon@riseup.net

Anarchist Union

Special Notice

This Thursday night 14/10, homes of residents, shops, workshops and our office,located on Sapfous street within the walls of Nicosia, once again were the target for another fascist attack from nationalists.This time, the neonazis of the of the organization in greece called Golden Dawn and its cypriot branch E.LA.M, starting from the coffee shop "Kala Kathumena" sprayed-painted the walls with slogans, such as Nazi symbols, "if we want we can burn you»(!),long live the nation, Greece - Cyprus - union, etc.

We know that our presence as anti-authoritarians in the region and our clear and honest anti-fascism causes this violent reaction of the neo-fascists, but at the same time, our presence in the region has brought social debates, concerns and prospects of resistance. We will not sit idle in front of the fascist challenges, we will respond to the nationalists / racists with solidarity, direct action and the self-organization of society.

IF WE DO NOT ORGANISE IN ALL NEIGHBORHOODS

OUR CITIES WILL END UP BEING FASCIST BREEDING GROUNDS

Friday 15/10,

(Analytical approach coming up)