Sahshad Lukman: Killed by fascists on the 17th of January at Petralona
Babacar Ndiaye: Killed by municipal police on the 1st of February at Thissio

Police and fascists attacks do not terrify us

Unity, Solidarity, Liberty

Common struggle of migrants and locals

We stand here against police and racist brutality

Microfoniki : Tuesday 12th of February, 17.00, Koliatsou Square
Demonstration : Thursday 14th of February, 17.00, Thissio train station

When cops and fascists murder…

On 1/2/2013 at around 9pm we are notified about a dead immigrant found on the railway tracks at Thiseio. The media call it a suicide. From the speakers of the stations is announced: “the train will end it’s course at Omonoia station due to an obstacle on the tracks”. Immigrants and people in solidarity begin to concentrate at the station. Little time after, the Mat arrive, attack the concentrated using tear gas and disperse them. They follow up with  chasing and detaining people in the  wider area, some of which were turned into arrests, whose names or number we still haven’t found out. According to an eyewitness who was with Babakar Ndiaye, they were selling their merchandise in Thiseio when they saw the municipal police approaching them. One of them was chased towards Monastiraki and Babakar chased by 2 policemen towards the station. While trying to escape he was cornered on a bridge above the rail tracks and during a conflict where the cops where trying to steal his merchandise he fell from 6-7 metres high, on the rails. The immigrant who was with him, was caught a bit later and was robbed of his merchandise. Then, when he returned to Thisio, looking for Babakar, he found him dead on the rails, the cops nowhere to be seen and his merchandise missing. After that, he went to the police station to testify, claiming that he remembers the 2 cops chasing Babakar and that he can identify them. Not surprisingly though, at the Police Headquarters, where all the cops of this shift were supposed to report, the two involved never did.

In the capitalistic brutality that we’re living, this death is not an accident nor a one-time incident. Bodies of immigrants are found on the Greek (among others) shores or seabeds, mass graves are discovered around the borders of the capitalistic developed states, workers are torn into pieces in factories- foundations of our economies, military expeditions with thousands of dead people, people of the struggle being shot, prisoners found “suicided” in their cells, suicides because of debts, murders of immigrants by fascists (like the stabbing to death of Shehzad Luqman at Petralona on 17/1).

A system that applies racial cleansings and dares to call them “The  welcoming Zeus”, that covers and promotes the everyday staying and attacks of cops and fascists in our homes and neighborhoods, seems way far from being human-centered… But, in any case, that’s something they admit themselves , they ‘re aiming in purging the cities, without people to resist, without immigrants, with the poverty and misery well hidden, physically and metaphorically.

With crisis as their pretense (in other words, the reasurance of the big-bosses’ profits), the capital and it’s states, re-set our terms of expoloitation. To disorient us, they promote our dividing and social canibalism, trying to persuade us that our enemies are the immigrants, the strikers, the self-organised structures, the squats, all the social parts that deny to submit to what is imposed, all who fight for equality, freedom and solidarity.

 …the threat is those who deny to see it.

The only solution for us is to find ways to co-exist and act in common against to what’s is coming. Together, natives and immigrants, with no hierarchies or discriminations due to race, sex or color, we unite against every kind of fascist racism and police brutality, for the world we want to create. This is why we choose to participate in the immigrants and solidarians assembly of ASOEE (every Thursday at 18:00), trying through common struggles of natives and immigrants to face down the attacks we are facing and those about to come.

We call to open conversation natives and immigrants on Monday at 17:00 at ASOEE (Patision 76) to communicate and organise actions.

 Initiative from the Assembly of immigrants and solidarians of ASOEE

In 28 of December the police attacked ASOEE for one more time. This time the excuse was the petty trade taking place outside of the university, so the state chose to get in the school, to search it, confiscate different things as well as 98 fm radio station. During the operation 16 people, mostly of us, and some pedestrians, were arrested just because of their color. During the transportation at the police station of Kypseli, we were hit by the policemen and on two of us you can see the bruises. It is not the first time that there are police outside the university or that they attack asoee, there are many incidents. At constant dues, policemen with civil clothes come and take the stuff that we sell. Also very often there are two units of riot police in the two corners of the school. They throw teargas and stangranates many times, also arrest us and take our stuff.

For us selling stuff in the streets is the only decent way to make a living, its the way for us to have some money to eat and pay our bills. Its our choice to work that makes us to come everyday outside of the university.

By this text we want to speak to the people, to thank those that support us and to inform more people about our everyday problems. We came to Europe from countries that are in a war or an economical destruction . We try to get papers, and for that we wait even for days outside of Petrou Rally (station alodapon) and it is almost impossible to get the papers we need to move free.

We live under a constrant state of hostage. But even in cases we manage to have some temporary papers there is always the danger that in some police control, they will be taken away or be destroyed. That can happen from policemen or people that pretend being policemen, mostly fascists. When they arrest us without papers we stay in prison from 3 months to a year.

We personally recognize our position. We know who wants us to be illegal, to be poor, and give the police orders to attack us, or allow the police brutality.

We also know that it is not a coincidence that they let the fascists hit us, bully us and murder people. We also know that the state takes money from the EU for our benefit and instead of helping us, it constructs walls in the greek borders (Evros) and prisons.

Some people see as a proper solution putting us in a bottle, with no oxygen and throw us away. But we make it clear that we are here, we exist.

At this point, we find it important to say that we are not the only ones who are being attacked in the area. During the last month the state attacked ASOEE, Villa Amalias squat, Patission 61 & Skaramaga squat and Lelas Karagianni squat (it was resquatted the same day), all of them places of resistance and solidarity to us immigrants. At the same time we continuously face the police operation known as Xenios Dias, and the racist attacks by fascists.( the last attack cost a 26 years old immigrant’s life at Petralona area). All these make it obvious that the government wants to “clear” the center of Athens.

At this time we are in the last wagon of the train, those who resist are next and then who follows?

The only solution is to find ways to live together and act united against what is happening and what will come. This is why we choose to participate in the immigrants and solidarians assembly of ASOEE. We try through common struggles of natives and immigrants with solidarity and equality to try to face the attacks we are facing and those about to come.

Natives and immigrants united, with no hierarchies, no discriminations due to race, sex or color make common efforts for a better world where we are all equal.

We oppose to every kind of fascist racism and police brutality.

TOGETHER WE CAN!

Immigrants and Solidarians Assembly of ASOEE

Every Thursday at 17.00 at ASOEE