Solidarity Is Praxis Not Just Words

rally outside the Greek Consulate (69 East 79th Street)
Thursday, April 19th, at 6.30pm (NYC time)

Over the course of the past two weeks, eight imprisoned Greek comrades have declared a hunger strike that has spawned a growing wave of resistance throughout Greece. The prisoners’ diverse statements express demands for dignity, improved conditions, an end to political pre-trial detentions and extralegal punishment. Particularly, three of the hunger strikers (Giorgos Karagiannidis, Alexandros Mitroussias and Kostas Sakkas) expressed solidarity to Stella Antoniou who has been in prison for a year and a half, charged without evidences as a member of Conspiracy of Cells of Fire and has been consistently denied release for access to medical care. All of the hunger strikers (Spyros Dravilas, Giorgos Karagiannidis, Alexandros Mitroussias, Kostas Sakkas, Panagiotis Argirou, Gerasimos Tsakalos, Christos Tsakalos and as for April 17th, Haris Hadjimihelakis, Damiano Bolano and Giorgos Polidoros), as well as all those who reject prison food (Vaggelis Kailoglou and others) are not only seeking individual justice but support and reaffirm the demands of their fellow strikers.

A series of solidarity actions have spread around the country, ranging from mass abstentions from prison food, to guerrilla attacks on banks, government buildings and politicians who represent the face of a totalitarian State.

Today, in the United States, we declare solidarity with all of the hunger strikers and we call on everyone to put their solidarity into action and not just into words. We call for open and transparent communication of the hunger strikers’ demands, and we invite any form of participation contributing to the spreading of their struggle. Their struggle is our struggle.

During the past year Greece has become the laboratory of economic elitism and totalitarian laws. Currently the increase of activity on the extreme right, fascism, and neo-Nazism supported by a provisional technocratic government creates the polarization of the public opinion into extremes and transforms the streets into battlefields. Clearly this type of mass manipulation obscures the struggles against Capitalism and the State and manufactures scapegoats as evidenced by the expanding demonization of the immigrant. These tactics are not only present on a local level, but exist everywhere. The system is global, using extensive social fragmentation to perpetuate death of the self for purposeful profit and must be attacked. To be in solidarity means echoing endlessly the struggles of every part of the world. Every form of resistance needs to be put forth.

The call for General Strike on May First is an action that recognizes an alliance with not only the workers’ struggle but with prisoners, immigrants and everyone that is under constant oppression. We are all imprisoned, facing political repression by the State and the monstrosity of a global economic system which consistently and strategically mutates our voices and denies our lives.

We rally outside the Greek Consulate (69 East 79th Street)
on Thursday, April 19th, at 6.30pm

We will continue fighting against the forms of death.

Splinter Constellation of NYC

read also: April 19th – SAY NO TO MASS INCARCERATION