On Thursday, December 20th, 2012 Nikos Stavrakakis, president of the POSDEP (the so-called Pan-Hellenic Federation of University Professors–Researchers’ Associations), made sobbing statements about the occurrence of violence inside Greece’s faculties, asking the State to wipe away any occupied space in universities but also to get rid of Indymedia Athens. These statements were made under the pretext of two incidents at the National Technical University of Athens (Metsovio) and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Aristotelio), incidents which are not connected with each other and have obviously no relation whatsoever with the administration crew of Athens IMC.
These statements have been vulgarly reproduced by the television media of society’s mass deception, which used spectacular titles like ‘terrorism in faculties’ and distorted the real facts. Every evening, the same mainstream media are selling fear to society, licking the State’s boots and supporting the bosses, thus assisting their plans dearly.
The president of the POSDEP represents a bunch of conservative university professors who use nice-sounding words like ‘democracy’ and then ridicule themselves as they condemn violence wherever its comes from, while at the same time they are demanding the violent eviction of self-managed spaces, the violent silencing of any voice like Indymedia Athens that criticizes the establishment they loyally serve, the violent suppression of any kind of protest mobilization, either of workers or students, and the violent elimination of the probability of any struggle. They want to make their dream for universities-industries of obedient citizens come true with the new education bill. But the POSDEP failed to comment on the labour rights of the contract workers in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and their recent struggle.
In addition the POSDEP statements, which were directed against Indymedia Athens exclusively, reveal a striking similarity to the respective queries of the Golden Dawn party’s neo-Nazis in the Greek parliament. [Update in Greek:] It’s also no coincidence that these statements were spread at the same time when neo-Nazis started celebrating due to the state repression against Villa Amalias squat. The POSDEP delegates can camouflage themselves wearing the mask of a peace-loving democraticness but their words are identical in their essence: the essence of totalitarianism and squelching of any free expression.
We are not stunned by the umpteenth targeting of Indymedia Athens and self-managed occupied spaces. This is precisely a period in which attacks of Power unfold against each and every fighting and resisting part. And the courtiers of Power now float to the top and make froth.
Indymedia Athens is part of those who fight and resist the frontal attack of State/Capital. Therefore, Indymedia Athens gives a voice to those who have no voice and combat the ugliness of capitalism.
Solidarity with self-managed occupied spaces inside and outside the academic faculties. Solidarity with the just struggle of workers in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and elsewhere.
Indymedia Athens will only be shut down when the end of the world is nigh.