Where Refugee Solidarity & the Alternative Economy Converge_ the Anarchist Refugee Centres of Athens...

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3/7/2016 Where refugee solidarity & the alternative economy converge: the anarchist refugee centres of Athens | UndercoverInfo https://undercoverinfo.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/whererefugeesolidaritythealternativeeconomyconvergetheanarchistrefugeecentresofathens/ 1/6 Where refugee solidarity & the alternative economy converge: the anarchist refugee centres of Athens Posted on 6 March, 2016 Assembly meeting Beyond the bureaucracy of the Eurocrats, or the catastrophic mismanagement by the EU of the refugee ‘crisis’, or the xenophobic rants of the tabloid press, there is another Europe – the real Europe – a continent of Europeans who are compassionate and for whom social justice is not a political slogan but something that is practised every day and every week. We need look no further than the economic beleaguered Athens to find an example of this unassuming goodwill. The Greeks are well practised in the art of the alternative (or ‘parallel’) economy, having been ruled over decades by successive governments that have wrecked their national economy and seen Greece turn a vassal state of the EU. And alongside this selfmanaged economy is another specialism of the Greeks: direct democracy – where people manage their own lives without reference to government. Last year a group of anarchists, who were active in helping newly arrived refugees on the Greek islands opposite Turkey, decided to squat a large, empty building – ‘Notaro26’ – in the centre of Athens to provide accommodation and support to the refugees arriving in large numbers via Piraeus. The centre – which is still flourishing – is run on the principles of participatory democracy and mutual support, where everyone – Greeks, refugees, volunteers from elsewhere, have an equal say, via the centre’s assembly, in daily affairs. (Currently there are at least 30,000 refugees in Greece – many still trying to get to northern Europe. More than 12,000 are stuck at the Ideomeni crossing point at the GreeceFYROM (Macedonia) border, since the closure of that border and other borders northwards to Austria. In just over two week’s time, protesters are planning to UndercoverInfo online investigative research & satire

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3/7/2016 Where refugee solidarity & the alternative economy converge: the anarchist refugee centres of Athens | UndercoverInfo

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Where refugee solidarity & the alternative economy converge: the anarchist refugee centresof AthensPosted on 6 March, 2016

Assembly meeting

Beyond the bureaucracy of the Eurocrats, or the catastrophic mismanagement by the EU of therefugee ‘crisis’, or the xenophobic rants of the tabloid press, there is another Europe – the realEurope – a continent of Europeans who are compassionate and for whom social justice is not apolitical slogan but something that is practised every day and every week. We need look no furtherthan the economic beleaguered Athens to find an example of this unassuming goodwill. TheGreeks are well practised in the art of the alternative (or ‘parallel’) economy, having been ruledover decades by successive governments that have wrecked their national economy and seenGreece turn a vassal state of the EU. And alongside this selfmanaged economy is anotherspecialism of the Greeks: direct democracy – where people manage their own lives withoutreference to government. Last year a group of anarchists, who were active in helping newlyarrived refugees on the Greek islands opposite Turkey, decided to squat a large, empty building –‘Notaro26’ – in the centre of Athens to provide accommodation and support to the refugeesarriving in large numbers via Piraeus. The centre – which is still flourishing – is run on theprinciples of participatory democracy and mutual support, where everyone – Greeks, refugees,volunteers from elsewhere, have an equal say, via the centre’s assembly, in daily affairs.

(Currently there are at least 30,000 refugees in Greece – many still trying to get to northern Europe. More than12,000 are stuck at the Ideomeni crossing point at the GreeceFYROM (Macedonia) border, since the closure ofthat border and other borders northwards to Austria. In just over two week’s time, protesters are planning to

UndercoverInfoonline investigative research & satire

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converge enmass to the border bottlenecks, to provide solidarity to refugees and enable free movement again.)

The centre known as Notara26 is located on 26 Notara Street in Athens and offers solidarity to refugees to covertheir immediate needs (shelter, food, medical assistance). The centre provides temporary accommodation, basicmedical treatment, clothing and information for up to 130 refugees each day. More than 1,700 refugees andmigrants stopped over in Notara between September 25 and December 1 last year alone. The centre continues toact as a focal point for refugees who arrive in Athens and need somewhere to stay for a while.

According to one of those who help organise the centre, “We are antiauthoritarians. We reject the assistance ofthe state, NGOs, charities and businesses. There is a difference between philanthropy and solidarity. Weunderstand that we are on the same level as refugees.”

Statement by Notara26:

Day by day thousands of people struggle to cross the borders , having to confront the rough sea conditions , theEvros fence, the smugglers, Coastguard and Frontex. Chased by the weapons of totalitarian regimes, westernmilitary operations and the horror of religious fundamentalism. Humans trying to escape from extreme poverty.

Those who manage to enter Fortress Europe come face to face with states who profit from the migrantrefugeeflow and the emergence of cheap labour, paying no interest to human life and dignity. They are confronted withxenophobia and racism, institutional or not.

In this suffocating context, we are squatting an empty public building in Athens, 26 Notara Str., in order toterritorialize our solidarity towards refugees/immigrants to cover their immediate needs (shelter, food, medicalhelp). This project doesn’t stand for philanthropy, statal or pivate, but rather for a selforganized solidarityproject, wherein locals and refugeesimmigrants decide together. The decisive body is the squat’s open assemblywhere everyone is welcome to participate with no exclusions.

Totally aware of the difficulty of our effort, we call every collective and individual not only to participate andsupport, but also to expand and create new projects for the same cause. We want to coordinate and interact withthe numerous individual and collective initiatives throughout Greece and abroad to strengthen our solidarity torefugees and immigrants; we want to build our common future together.

Let’s make the refugee’s Odyssey of survival, a journey of humanity towards freedom!

No Borders Freedom of movement Against Fortress Europe

Legalise immigrants – Grant asylum to refugees Against racism and xenophobia Against all detention centers

Against the war No deaths for their profits

To the refugees who arrive at Notara26:

As comrades in solidarity (Greeks and nonGreeks), we understand the immigration and refugee crisis,empathize with the difficulties and hardships that you have gone through until you arrived here and we

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seriously value your needs. We criticize and resist against the inhumane and unjust antiimmigration policies –practices of both Greece and the EU. For that matter, we have taken the initiative to occupy this public buildingon Notara 26 and create an open, self organized and supportive housing facility with no interest neither toreplace state responsibilities nor emerge as “goodwill” philanthropists. Instead, our aim is to show theindifference and hypocrisy of both the Greek and European authorities by standing by your side and activelyexpressing our solidarity through the operation of this housing squat, even if places are still limited.

This squat serves as a temporary housing space hosting refugees and migrants regardless of race, origin,religion, gender and sexuality. As it is a selforganized housing space, its right operation is based on theparticipation of its guests: in other words ‘you’. Everyone of you depending on your abilities, could and shouldparticipate in the management and maintenance of this space.

We welcome you in this space that belongs both to you as refugees and to us as your comrades in solidarity. Thisplace has neither ties with NGOs nor funding by the Greek state and the EU. Instead, it is built upon thecontribution and participation of all of us. Even with our very few resources, we aim to to cover as much as wecan all your immediate needs. In solidarity with each other and all together by collectively deciding and acting,we will try to turn this space into a different housing experience from all others you have lived in so far in yourjourney as refugees: we will make this space more welcoming, more open and safer for you all.

58 Themistokleous Follow

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Another squatted centre: 58 Themistokleous

Below is a letter from anarchists sent earlier this year to a Greek independent news website about what ishappening at another squatted centre for refugees and migrants in Athens….

On the evening of Sunday, January 10th 2016, we occupied the empty building on Themistokleous St. 58, inExarchia, Athens. The intention is to open up a place where migrants, who are blocked here in Greece because ofthe European migration policies, can live and selforganize free from state control. We are a group ofindividuals from different places and of different contexts, connected through the fight against States, nations,borders, lager, prisons, capitalism; eventually against every part of this rotten system of domination thatoppresses us. We are open to anyone who agrees with our basic principles and wants to participate in theproject without a hidden political agenda.

This squat isn’t meant to be a public service. We aren’t “volunteers” and we don’t see migrants as victims. One ofthe challenges of this project will be to overcome in practice the separation imposed on us by borders andcitizenship. This house seeks to become a place where people organize themselves and learn from one anothermutually, regardless of their origins.

This is an act against the system and the migration policies. It is not our intention to assist the humanitarian aidprovided by the State. The integrated and/or assimilated, noncritical humanitarian aid is in fact helping theState to focus on repressive measures in order to persecute and control migration. We strongly refuse tocooperate not only with the State and political parties, but also with NGOs and other organizations or

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formations that do so (officially or unofficially). All of these scumbags take advantage of the situation ofmigrants either to profit, protect their interests, gain political power, or to build a social profile.

The control of migration is a tool in the hands of those in power. Right now the Greek State uses the situation ofmigrants stranded here to put pressure during negotiations for better conditions enabling the implementationof the third memorandum. At the same time, European States regulate migrant flows according their need forcheap labor force, and the rest of migrants are murdered (in land and maritime borders and the streets ofEuropean cities), incarcerated or deported. The European Union upgrades its repressive border policies andnegotiates deals with States at the inner and outer European borders to continue and intensify the war againstmigration by more effective means. Those in power hope to secure their property and privileges from those whoare being exploited by the capitalist system and suffer their wars. Private and public corporations try to makeas much profit of this situation as possible. NGOs represent the interests of their employers, mainly the State,and are well paid for their job.

Because of property rights, people are sleeping in the streets while thousands of houses remain empty. There areenough goods for everyone. We just have to take what we need ourselves.

We declare our solidarity and support to all forms of action that attack borders, nations, prisons, the criticalinfrastructure that reproduce the existent, and all those who directly or indirectly defend the status quo!

No racism No sexism No homophobia No discrimination No exploitation No oppression No hierarchy No authority No patriotism

NOT welcome are: Journalists/media Politicians Cops All organizations that cooperate with the State

We welcome people willing to selforganize, regardless if they have papers or not, and regardless if they have arefugee status or not. Priority in housing is given to those who have no chance to stay somewhere else.

Compártelo:

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4 Responses to Where refugee solidarity & the alternative economy converge: the anarchistrefugee centres of Athens

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stuartbramhall says:6 March, 2016 at 8:45 pm

Reblogged this on The Most Revolutionary Act and commented: * * A new world is dawning – one where activists reclaim the commons and govern themselves. Especially in Greece and Spain,existing government by corporation is in such a shambles local authorities are incapable of stopping them.

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Undercover1 says:6 March, 2016 at 10:42 pm

Happening all over Europe, in pockets and also more visibly. Outside too, especially on a large scale in Chiapas(Zapatistas)

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joekano76 says:6 March, 2016 at 10:28 pm

Reblogged this on TheFlippinTruth.

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