Greece Should Default

David Harvey: Greece should call Europe's bluff


A world-class academic gives his analysis of where Greece is headed, why, and what to do about it. Essentially, his advice is to default on the loans now, and to deal with the problems of reconstruction of the economy as soon as possible.

Please watch this short video interview (less than ten minutes) with Professor David Harvey, in which he explores the current phase of the crisis that Greece is facing, and the option to default on the loans.

Below the links to the video we present a short biographical note about the author, a summary of the positions he embraces in the video and a little his other significant work. There is also a short statement on the situation from the broader view, ie. outside of the parameters of Capitalism. Here is David Harvey:
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=6983

The interview is also available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fWlCJp95CE

In this interview, Professor David Harvey argues that Greece should default on the loans now, and proceeds on the idea that if there is no default at this present juncture, most likely the same dilemma will re-appear again as a necessity, ten or fifteen years from now.

He also touches on the fact the Germany is one of the two countries whose banks are involved in the loans owed by the Greek State (the other one is France). Germany is the European country that has already defaulted more times than any other on its own loans, and was financially and politically rescued by the United States - allowed to default, and then rebuilt (especially after World War II) with infusions of tremendous amounts of financial aid from the US.

Professor Harvey goes on to discuss the fact that the reasons for the "crisis" are artificially generated by a political agenda and NOT by financial or economic realities.

Economists know that when there is a real crisis within capitalism the usual cure is to increase employment and wages which leads to increased activity on the markets. This enables manufacturers to realize profits on the commodities that were previously left unsold. It also increases the Gross National Product and that leads to more solvency and also to more confidence for investments, all of which together in turn re-start the economic cycles (until the next crisis). Whereas economists know all this, the "cure" that is being pushed now by politicians and the banks is to squeeze more assets out of the working people of Greece, an agenda of expropriation by the capitalists aimed at amassing more riches for a section of the ruling class.

Austerity measures and increased loans to pay back other delayed loans is NOT a cure for an economic crisis; these are mass thievery on a large social scale. And so the suggestion to default on the loans instead of stealing money from the people is both scientifically valid, morally sound, and politically appropriate.

The only obstacle is that there is no one in power in Greece who has a conscience and a sense of patriotism or sense of justice strong enough to do the right thing. If the popular mobilizations against the austerity measures succeed, politicians might be forced to do the right thing. Or, if the mobilizations go even further and the movement actually seizes power, the historical moment may open up the possibility for even bolder steps: abolition of Capitalism and a Socialist reconstruction of the country's political economy.

A post-Capitalist economy based on collective public ownership and control of the means of production and natural resources based on people's power, plus direct democracy at the workplace, the neighbourhood, schools and services, will ensure that we can rebuild the country with an economy that will be immune to the kinds of crises that we are facing now.

All power to the people!

Cyprus IndyMedia Collective
http://CyprusIndyMedia.org

Many thanks to Paul Jay, of The Real News Network for conducting this interview.

* * *

David Harvey is a Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York (CUNY). He holds honorary degrees from the universities of Buenos Aires, Roskilde in Denmark, Uppsala in Sweden, and Ohio State University.

He has published highly influential books that include The New Imperialism; Paris, Capital of Modernity; Social Justice and the City; Limits to Capital; The Urbanization of Capital; The Condition of Postmodernity; Justice, Nature, and the Geography of Difference; Spaces of Hope; and Spaces of Capital: Towards a Critical Geography.

Professor Harvey has been teaching for more than 40 years now the infamous book by Karl Marx titled Das Kapital (known in english as Capital), a fact that makes him uniquely qualified to speak with validity about the workings of Capitalism.

He has a graceful and dignified appearance in his presentations that makes for very pleasant discourse. His course on Capital is offered online for free in a series of thirteen video lectures under the title:
Reading Marx’s Capital with David Harvey
http://davidharvey.org/reading-capital

Strongly recommended!

* * *

A General Strike and Three Dead Workers in Greece

Censored and Under-reported News items, Critiques and Positions on the recent events

Part 1:
An earth shattering strike while reaction takes advantage of three murders
by Marxistiki Foni Editorial Board, Thursday, 06 May 2010
http://cyprusindymedia.blogspot.com/2010/05/earth-shattering-strike-while-reaction.html

Part 2:
A General Strike and Three Dead Workers in Greece
A Compilation of Censored and Under-reported News items, Critiques and Positions on the recent events
by Cyprus IndyMedia
http://cyprusindymedia.blogspot.com/2010/05/general-strike-and-three-dead-workers.html

* * *

A General Strike and Three Dead Workers in Greece - Part 2

A Compilation of Censored and Under-reported News items, Critiques and Positions on the recent events
by the Cyprus IndyMedia Collective
May 10, 2010

On May 5th - the birthday of Karl Marx! - a General Strike in Greece shook up the ruling class and the Government. It was an organized popular reaction led by the Left and triggered by austerity measures enacted by Govenment in collusion with global financial bodies to prevent a near bankruptcy of the State of Greece and to ensure that the system of profits will keep serving Capitalist interests at the expense of the people.

The General Strike brought out to the streets the largest numbers of people since 1974 when the military junta fell from power. People of all ages marched together in all the major and minor cities (more than 60 cities and towns) in well-organized contingents with the flags and banners of Unions and of various revolutionary parties and groups of the Left.

The vast majority of protesters in Athens - several hundred thousands, by some reports - flooded the major avenues, surrounded the Parliament in peaceful formations and attended various rallies in central locations of the city.

At the same time various named and un-named groups of people who reportedly "looked like anarchists" attacked empty buildings with Molotov bombs (home-made firebombs). Several among those buildings caught fire that burned for hours. Many of these attacks were carried out by people who are, indeed, anarchists, plus by groups of people claiming to be anarchists (there is a vast difference) while serving other interests.

Molotov bombs were also thrown against Police lines in incidents during actual clashes, perhaps justifying their use, but also in incidents without any Police provocation at all, when Police were simply standing peacefully in line formations far away from any action.

One group of firebombers split off from a march in downtown Athens and attacked a bank in which people were working: the immediate result was three workers dead, one of whom was pregnant, and many injured.

Another group of about ten or twenty people, apparently a temporary alliance forged on the street between neonazis and some misguided anarchists, followed by about fifty protesters who just happened to be there, attempted to rush the Parliament steps chanting "burn it down". They were repulsed by chemical sprays and pushed back by Police.

Parliament immediately errupted in accusations and counter-accusations between the Left and the Right.
By nightime, everyone on the Left who in the morning had rejoiced with the tremendous success of the General Strike and the marches, and who had celebrated the tremendous expansion and rejuvenation of a well-organized militant Left, was thrown into near despair.

Three workers had been killed by people who appeared to be acting "in the name the revolution".
News of the murders immediately diminished the sense of a unified working class victory. It caused widespread confusion and loss of morale, and spread suspicion and disunity among strikers, marchers, liberals, radicals, insurrectionists, anarchists, socialists and communists.

The Movement is still recoiling from those terrible events.

An overview of this article:
o- Who carried out the firebombings?
o- No apology
o- The position of Cyprus IndyMedia
o- Making excuses for the murders; Censored condemnations
o- The context of the street violence; Distortions of Fact and Berlosconi's Mousetrap
o- Various Sources, Views and Analyses.

Who carried out the firebombings?

No one has taken responsibility for the action. It is widely assumed that the murderers were:
o- Either fascists (neonazis) or agent provocateurs pretending to be anarchists (members of the private Corporate or State security apparatus), engaged in "Black Bloc" tactics;
o- Or were "real" anarchists who acted without thinking and killed those workers by mistake;
o- Or "real" anarchists who took a reckless "Devil may care attitude" and threw the bombs anyway, because (it is assumed) they might belong to one of the many branches of "anarchist" or "anti-authoritarian" networks who actually believe that mayhem and destruction will hasten the revolution.

There is a widespread assumption among many groups and networks that claim to be anarchist, that if the State can be provoked to show the full ugliness of its power to attack and oppress people by becoming a Police State or by invoking Martial Law, then this will supposedly bring on a revolution. This is often used to justify all sorts of political actions. The debate within the Movement is that if the murderers are not neonazi or Corporate State agents, and if they are not just honest radicals who made a mistake, then they may be followers of this ideology.

So far no one knows who the murderers are except they, themselves.

"The truth is that, even if the left wing press like Eleftherotypia are right in pointing out that the tragedy might have been a result of parastate or fascist groups that were seen to have penetrated the mass rally, the possibility of it happening today or tomorrow as a result of the rising militarism and nihilism of anarchists in greece has always been very high":
http://libcom.org/news/war-zone-athens-three-people-dead-many-buildings-burning-general-strike-march-turns-battle-#comment-374283

No apology

Eye-witnesses who spoke on television described three "anarchists" knowing each other and working together in unison to burn down the bank. The action involved tossing the Molotov bombs into the locked building (a difficult task in itself) and then returning to throw gasoline onto the fires, since the bombs were not enough to do the job.

Obviously they knew how to co-operate, how to appear as "anarchists" and how to follow a plan. Meaning that the murderers were not just "outraged protesters" who started fires in the rage of the moment, but members of an actual political affinity group, cell, or whatever one may call it.

But what if they were "real" anarchists (not nazis or security members impersonating anarchists) who made an honest mistake? Obviously they know how to operate together, they have a high dedication and motivation that drives them to take risks for the Movement (in however way they perceive that), so why did they not issue a statement of apology? It is very easy to issue an anonymous or pseudonymous statement to the establishment Press or to alternative media, without any risk to their safety or security.

There is a large and honourable history of statements, communiques, announcements from the revolutionary underground of almost every country and every age in which apologies are made for loss of innocent life or for injuries resulting from radical actions that went wrong.

If the May 5th arsonists were just "real anarchists" who only made an honest mistake, why are they still silent?

The only explanation is that either they are impersonators (nazis or Corporate State agents), or they are "real" anarchists who just don't really care that they made a lethal mistake. Who actually believe that this kind of mindless arsonism is the right thing to do.


The position of Cyprus IndyMedia

We applaud the General Strike and its attendant marches, and we truly appreciate all the co-ordinated efforts to organize these vast operations. We look forward to a new longer and deeper General Strike and a popular mobilization that will bring down the ruling class and replace Capitalism with a new Feminist Green Socialist reality.

We strongly condemn the murderous bombing action and all ideological efforts to justify it or "explain it away".

We believe that revolutionaries must hold themselves up to the highest and strictest levels of morality and justice, and to be judged by principles and criteria much higher than those that are embraced by our ruling class opponents and their servants who do not care about civilians or non-combatants who are killed or injured by their operations. To them this is just "collateral damage". To us, the victims of this unjustified political violence are our co-workers, our neighbours, our loved ones.

For us, morality and justice are the bread and butter that feeds and nurtures the people's forces - if we accept the idea that innocent, unarmed, uninvolved working people are to be killed to promote someone's political agenda then we become one with the Beast. The peoples' own sense of justice will eventually rain down a wrath and rage against all oppressors and so-called "revolutionaries" who consider people to be fair targets for a killing spree. On this event we stand with the people and AGAINST any political faction who tries to justify the killings or to reduce their significance.

If we allow our Movement to drink this poison, what we will get is more meaningless deaths.
If we allow "revolutionaries" to act among us and kill innocent people, then we are preparing the ground for a much worse dictatorship than the present one. Who can accept the idea that these murderers might be walking among us, attending demonstrations, coming to our political meetings, or even someday through political strife and struggle might actually ascend to hold State power? Can we imagine State power in the hands of these "revolutionaries"?

A strong condemnation by one of our Collective's founding members:
Deaths, during rebellion in Greece
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kalimerhaba_HellenoTurkish_Community/message/2189

A Death Threat against one of our members specific to the events
The fake-anarchist ideology that justifies the senseless and murderous violence that took place in Athens is alive and well among us. This attitude is very widespread among sections of the Left not only in Greece, but almost everywhere within the Euro-American subversive Left:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-cyprus/2010-May/0509-e4.html

Making excuses for the murders; Censored condemnations

The Athens IndyMedia Editorial group issued a statement on the events. In it, the entire blame for the deaths is laid at the feet of the Marfin bank management, and of its owner, a Big Capital player named Vgenopoulos. The firebombing is not condemned. The deaths are called "tragic" and the action is described as "επιπόλαια", a hellenic (greek) word that means "flaky, shallow, naive".

In its Feature article on the events titled "General Strike Updates, Wednesday 5th of May", the Editorial team promotes an article titled "Updates about the 3 deaths" consisting of entries by readers who at first say that the news of the deaths are "lies" and "propaganda by the regime", complete with "eyewitness reports". Further on in the article, when the denial of the deaths becomes no longer possible, entries that are posted imply that the workers' deaths were justified because they were supposedly "strikebreakers". Calls by other members of the radical community for statements of remorse or reflection are ridiculed [hellenic (greek) language]:
https://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1163838

The Editorial team refused, or neglected, to give any front-page prominence to a very thoughtful and carefully articulated condemnation of the events that was issued by a compendium of Anarchist and Anti-authoritarian organizations, titled "Anarchy is a Struggle for Life, not for Death" - [hellenic (greek) language]:
"Η ΑΝΑΡΧΙΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΑΓΩΝΑΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΗ ΖΩΗ, ΟΧΙ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ ΘΑΝΑΤΟ"
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1165849

Here is an english language translation of a slightly different version of the collective statement:
"Anarchy is a Struggle for Life, not for Death"
http://anarchistnews.org/?q=node/11267

The Statement is signed by the Panoptikon Publications group; the Strangers' Publications group; the Insurgents Defeated Publications group [Εκδόσεις Στάσει Εκπίπτοντες]; Exarcheia Publications; ; Black Pepper of the Evoikos group; NightInsurgency Magazine. And it lies neglected in the "back pages" of Athens IndyMedia under the sub-category of "Announcements" where a reader might find it only accidentally after scrolling down six or more times the length of a full screen.

This under-reported Statement by a significant section of Anarchist counter-institutions posits the questions:
"What kind of dangerous hypocricy makes some people now speak out about the absence of fire-fighting equipment at the bank and not about the lives that were lost? What kind of orwellian inversion of reality makes some people speak out about the tragic event as if it were some simple shortcircuit?
Don't we understand that this hypocricy is the equivalent of NATO's killers who used to speak of 'collateral damage'? "


The context of the street violence; Distortions of Fact and Berlosconi's Mousetrap

The lethal firebomb attacks took place in the context of a larger series of actions which had a specific content and a specific strategy behind it. These were orchestrated by an unknown counter-insurgency strategy team that sought to generate "false flag" events to discredit the General Strike and mass mobilizations. They included an effort by neonazis to infiltrate a column of Communist Union marchers. After stealing banners and flags from the group they attempted to misdirect the marchers up the stairs leading to Parliament by chanting "Burn it down", while at the same moment inside the Parliament the right-wing neonazi Member of Parliament representing LAOS (a neonazi parliamentary party) accused the Communist Party of leading the masses into "street violence" and atrocities.

The only people who followed the neonazis up the Parliament stairs were either "real" or "fake" anarchists and some confused demonstrators; the Police repulsed the tiny crowd on the stairs while the Union marchers distanced themselves and the security volunteers for the march wrestled back the Union banners from the thugs and restored them back to the workers' columns.

At the same time, either "real" or "fake" anarchists attacked the Marfin bank with Molotovs and killed the three workers.

Athens indymedia erroneously reported (or distorted the facts?) by claiming that supposedly "200.000 people of all ages on the street (employed and unemployed, public and private workers, locals and immigrants) attempted for hours in successive waves to surround and invade the Parliament" [hellenic (greek) language]:
http://athens.indymedia.org/features.php3?id=694

That lie was repeated here, and in various other sources of alternative news media, helping to "disconnect" the lethal fire-bombings from the conspiracy that unfolded on the steps of the Parliament whereas the timing of the bombings and the total lack of apology from the killers suggests a very strong connection to the conspiracy [english language]:
http://libcom.org/news/management-bank-strictly-barred-employees-leaving-today-while-they-also-forced-employees-lo

Here is an undistorted summary of the events:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/www-features/2010-May/0508-kp.html

And the Communist Party newspaper sources that convey the "game plan" blow by blow,
here:
http://www2.rizospastis.gr/story.do?id=5634204
and here
http://www2.rizospastis.gr/story.do?id=5634209

The unidentified counter-insurgency office that planned this operation may or may not have been aware the bombings and deaths would take place at the same time as the staged false flag "storming of the Parliament" that was being carried out by neonazis pretending to be Communist Union members and followed by misguided "real" anarchists. Whether the bombers and murderers were knowingly part of the plan or not is irrelevant; the fact is that either by mistake, or by ideology, or to further someone's political agenda, the murderers became the "gods ex machina" for the conspiracy that was set on the Hellenic national stage, right inside Parliament and on national television, where the Communist Party was to be falsely accused of instigating "mayhem, chaos and anarchy" by the very same people who were involved in those actions of mayhem.

The counter-insurgency strategy used in Athens on that day is the exact same strategy that was used in Genoa, Italy, during the tremendous anti-globalization mobilizations of 2001 that resulted in a Police riot that killed Carlo Guiliani and heavily injured large numbers of activists, including the international IndyMedia Center where our people were attacked brutally while they slept.

IndyMedia produced a most excellent feature length documentary movie about those events, precisely detailing that lethal counter-insurgency strategy. The movie is titled Berlusconi's Mousetrap. It was a brilliant production by Ireland IndyMedia in collaboration with Italian IndyMedia activists and others. In it, the particular strategy is detailed and its various stages, twists and turns are explained very ingeniously. The most striking part of the conspiracy (a "mere detail" some might say) is that at some point during the peaceful demonstrations, an unexpected entry of truckloads of fascists and neonazis from the countryside is facilited into the core of the protest area by the Police itself, while at the same time, Police and other security units block off hundreds of thousands of people into narrow areas of the city forming perfect traps. Then the fascists initiate violent attacks on the Police; the Police retaliate indiscriminately against all the entrapped protestors who have nowhere to run to and all hell breaks loose, leading to the now infamous scene of Police shooting Carlo in the head and then driving a jeep over his body several times to ensure he is dead, desecrating and mangling his body beyond description.

The key to the events is a clever use of fascist militia and manipulation of "real" or "fake" anarchists who helped to trigger the deadly trap. By the end of the day, not only Carlo Guiliani had died, but all hopes of a Europe-wide peaceful anti-globalization insurgency.

We know that our people have the knowledge and are conversant with the history, both of our own Movement and that of counter-insurgency techniques. But as organizers and activists we keep ignoring this knowledge, behaving as if not wanting to know, giving ourselves over to blind, instinctual, brainless participation in the Movement.

It is time that we rescue our own Movement from those who have hijacked it in the name of unspecified and nihilist death-cult ideologies, and restore it back to serving the People.

Cyprus IndyMedia Collective
May 10, 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Various Sources, Views and Analyses

o- An earth shattering strike while reaction takes advantage of three murders
http://cyprusindymedia.blogspot.com/2010/05/earth-shattering-strike-while-reaction.html

o- Berlusconi's Mousetrap
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/75401

o- Berlusconi's Mousetrap - a review
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/wsm/ws/2002/73/moustrap.html

o- Is firebombing a bank an acceptable tactic?
http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/is-firebombing-a-bank-an-acceptable-tactic/

o- "...Verging on the dangerous limits of what one could call "an unprincipled struggle" where violence has acquired an almost totemic dimension...
"The truth is that, even if the left wing press like Eleftherotypia are right in pointing out that the tragedy might have been a result of parastate or fascist groups that were seen to have penetrated the mass rally, the possibility of it happening today or tomorrow as a result of the rising militarism and nihilism of anarchists in greece has always been very high.

I do not want to exploit my position as a contributor to articles here, but the situation is very serious and no one can keep silent any longer: since December the anarchist scene has been characterised by a mass quantitative increase and a critical qualitative leveling. As a result it is verging on the dangerous limits of what one could call "an unprincipled struggle" where violence has acquired an almost totemic dimension. That is not to say that there are no groups which have engaged critically with the issue of violence in the last year or so, but these efforts have been brushed aside as either too academic or too pacifist or whatever, and marginalised.

The only thing that can save the anarchist scene in the eyes of the much wider social and labour movement in greece is at last some trace of self-criticism. Anarchists should develop a sense of public responsibility and realise the consequences of "playing war" on the backs of others. If the anarchist believe they are the vanguard of society that need give word to no one because they embody some historical necessity, they are no better than the Stalinists in the KKE." :
http://libcom.org/news/war-zone-athens-three-people-dead-many-buildings-burning-general-strike-march-turns-battle-#comment-374283

o- Political Economy, Karl Marx and the Rage in Athens
A long but worthwhile reading into subjects that most people might say is "too much theory".
Many thanks to Carol (The Artist), member of the Action Greens group, for sending this.

Reading The Grundrisse; Thinking About Athens’ Rage
http://rustbeltradical.wordpress.com/2010/05/07/reading-the-grundrisse-thinking-about-athens-rage/

~~~~~~~~~~~~

An earth shattering strike while reaction takes advantage of three murders

A very good summary of the essential and primary events of May 5th in Greece, embedded with very good analysis of the social forces involved at the current phase of the struggle. Written by the Marxistiki Foni Editorial Board and originally published by the comrades at the "In defence of Marxism" website:
http://www.marxist.com/greece-earth-shattering-strike-reaction-murders.htm
Many thanks to Cort Gr. member of the Action Greens group, for sending it.

We publish this as Part 1 of our special coverage of these events under the title
"A General Strike and Three Dead Workers in Greece
Censored and Under-reported News items, Critiques and Positions on the recent events"

In Part 2 of this article,
http://cyprusindymedia.blogspot.com/2010/05/general-strike-and-three-dead-workers.html
Cyprus IndyMedia presents more suppressed news and views of the events, and positions on them.

* * *

An earth shattering strike while reaction takes advantage of three murders
by Marxistiki Foni Editorial Board,
Thursday, 06 May 2010

o- The constant attacks on the Greek working class over recent months have finally brought the situation to boiling point. The workers have had enough! They are not prepared to pay for a crisis which is not of their making.
o- Yesterday Greece was totally paralysed as the workers and youth came out massively in protest. The tragic killing of three bank workers, however, is being used to distract attention away from this impressive show of strength by the Greek working class.

Yesterday, Greece officially entered a new era of class struggle. The incessant attacks against the living standards of the working class on the part of the capitalists have provoked a massive and militant movement.

Yesterday’s general strike was the first act of this movement. Greece was paralyzed, but not only in the public sector as in the previous general strikes of February and March, but also in the private sector. Over 150,000 workers participated in the strike in Athens, which was characterized by a great feeling of radicalisation and anger. Many of those taking part in the Athens strike said that this mobilisation was equalled only by the great general strike against the “Yiannitsi measures” (in 2001, the PASOK government proposed a law against social security, which was ultimately withdrawn due to a massive general strike). Huge and militant demonstrations took place in 68 cities in total, of which the demonstrations in Thessaloniki, Patras, Herakleion and Ioannina were especially massive.

The immense anger towards the latest offensive against the living standards of the working class was expressed in the mobilisations organised by GSEE-ADEDY (the main trade union confederations) and by PAME (the Communist Party’s faction in the trade unions) in slogans such as “No sacrifices for the plutocracy” and “PASOK-New Democracy: austerity – unemployment – terrorism”. The growing anger against the trade union bureaucracy was reflected in the constant and intense booing during the speech given by the GSEE president, Υannis Panagopoulos, during the GSEE-ADEDY rally in central Athens. It is also to be noted that during the protests, we witnessed a spontaneous, aggressive mood against the oppressive police forces, the banks and public buildings among many protesters, which clearly shows that “boiling point” has been reached in the mass consciousness.

However, unfortunately, this decisive fact of massive and militant demonstrations in Athens and all over the country was overshadowed by the tragic killing of three employees, a man and two women, in a branch of the “MARFIN” bank due to arson caused by “Molotov cocktails”. This was a criminal act against young white-collar workers, working in a branch where the bosses’ terror is huge and where the workers are forced to work under the fear of losing their jobs. These unfortunate workers could not get out of the building, due to the criminal indifference of the bank manager, who did not guarantee either fire safety measures or an emergency exit. Moreover, questions have been asked as to the reason for the passive stance of the police which, despite its large presence in the demonstration, did not take measures to stop the burning of a bank, which was working normally in the centre of Athens and was situated near the route of a demonstration mainly directed against the predatory role of the banks.

No one can say with absolute certainty whether this act of arson was an expression of blind, criminal and desperate violence on the part of the anarchists or a well organised provocation by the forces of state oppression, in order to slander the workers’ movement. If we take account of the general make up of the demonstrations, together with the tragic deaths in “MARFIN”, the many attacks on stores in Thessaloniki and the accusations made by the General Secretary of the KKE (the Communist Party) about provocation by members of the fascist “Chrysi Avgi”, organisation who were holding PAME banners, it is possible that an extensive plan of provocations was orchestrated by the State.

However, even if these events were not an organised act of provocation, they objectively acted as one. They catastrophically undermine a grand movement at its birth, because they serve to overshadow the event of the mass general strike, they terrorise workers, preventing them from participating in the movement, while at the same time sanctifying the forthcoming escalation of police violence.

The government and the bourgeois media were eager to exploit this “manna from heaven”. They brought up again the issue of “a general condemnation of violence and chaos”, incriminating, indirectly but clearly, the movement itself and the Left. The government, as a means of isolating the movement, re-proposed the immediate calling of a conference of the leaders of the political parties due to this “critical moment of the motherland”, as it had done a few days ago, but which was cancelled due to public wrath.

The leaderships of the Left should not fall for this bourgeois trap and should not attend any conference with the government and the right-wing parties, which support the government’s measures. The participation of the KKE or the SYRIZA leadership in such a conference would be an act of subversion against this mighty workers’ and youth movement. On the contrary, they must concentrate their power in order to escalate the struggle. The message that yesterday’s protesters sent was that the workers want to fight and this message must be heard by every left party leadership. Yesterday’s general strike must become the first step towards a plan of struggle, which will be discussed in every workplace and should escalate to a 48-hour general strike during the following days, followed by the perspective of an all out strike until the government backs off.

At the same time, these events tragically underline the imperative need to disassociate the workers’ movement and the Left from the anarchists, who with their irresponsible and desperate actions become the breeding ground for provocations of every type whose aim is the undermining of the real mass movement. Every anarchist group which practices blind and desperate violence, must be kept away from the mass workers’ and youth movement through decisive and organised measures.

Letter by a Greek bank worker
Translation by:
http://www.occupiedlondon.org/

I feel an obligation toward my co-workers who have so unjustly died today to speak out and to say some objective truths. I am sending this message to all media outlets. Anyone who still bares some consciousness should publish it. The rest can continue to play the government’s game.

The fire brigade had never issued an operating license to the building in question. The agreement for it to operate was under the table, as it practically happens with all businesses and companies in Greece.

The building in question has no fire safety mechanisms in place, neither planned nor installed ones – that is, it has no ceiling sprinklers, fire exits or fire hoses. There are only some portable fire extinguishers which, of course, cannot help in dealing with extensive fire in a building that is built with long-outdated security standards.

No branch of Marfin bank has had any member of staff trained in dealing with fire, not even in the use of the few fire extinguishers. The management also uses the high costs of such training as a pretext and will not take even the most basic measures to protect its staff.

There has never been a single evacuation exercise in any building by staff members, nor have there been any training sessions by the fire-brigade, to give instructions for situations like this. The only training sessions that have taken place at Marfin Bank concern terrorist action scenarios and specifically planning the escape of the banks’ “big heads” from their offices in such a situation.

The building in question had no special accommodation for the case of fire, even though its construction is very sensitive under such circumstances and even though it was filled with materials from floor to ceiling. Materials which are very inflammable, such as paper, plastics, wires, furniture. The building is objectively unsuitable for use as a bank due to its construction.

No member of security has any knowledge of first aid or fire extinguishing, even though they are every time practically charged with securing the building. The bank employees have to turn into firemen or security staff according to the appetite of Mr Vgenopoulos [owner of Marfin Bank].

The management of the bank strictly bared the employees from leaving today, even though they had persistently asked so themselves from very early this morning – while they also forced the employees to lock up the doors and repeatedly confirmed that the building remained locked up throughout the day, over the phone. They even blocked off their internet access so as to prevent the employees from communicating with the outside world.

For many days now there has been some complete terrorisation of the bank’s employees in regard to the mobilisations of these days, with the verbal “offer”: you either work, or you get fired.

The two undercover police who are dispatched at the branch in question for robbery prevention did not show up today, even though the bank’s management had verbally promised to the employees that they would be there.

At last, gentlemen, make your self-criticism and stop wandering around pretending to be shocked. You are responsible for what happened today and in any rightful state (like the ones you like to use from time to time as leading examples on your TV shows) you would have already been arrested for the above actions. My co-workers lost their lives today by malice: the malice of Marfin Bank and Mr. Vgenopoulos personally who explicitly stated that whoever didin’t come to work today [May 5th, a day of a general strike!] should not bother showing up for work tomorrow [as they would get fired].

- An employee of Marfin Bank [greek original]:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1163959

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Part 2:
A General Strike and Three Dead Workers in Greece
A Compilation of Censored and Under-reported News items, Critiques and Positions on the recent events
by the Cyprus IndyMedia Collective