Translated by Actforfreedomnow/boubourAs
A month after my arrest I still remain sunken in thoughts trying to find moments of calm and clarity, so I can finally put the pen down to write a couple of words. My mood changes at the speed of light, it goes up and down non-stop and is finding it hard to find a steady point to hold on to. The account of what happened in Nea Filadelfia sickens me, the renewed conclusions that come out hurt me, the realization of what exactly happened kills me. Continue reading Athens Letter from detained anarchist comarde Giannis Naxakis (2013)→
Although I am not well known to you, you know that I am an anarchist. I am writing this letter to you to protest against the insanities that must have leaked out about me in particular and about the anarchists in general in all different kinds of newspapers which joined together to say, when I was arrested, that I was an ex-convict and had already been convicted of theft. As if you could call someone a thief who was a worker who had nothing but misery whereas for me theft does not exist except in the exploitation of man by man, in short, in the existence of everyone who lives at the expense of the producing class.
Either as a political issue or personal experience prison repression isn’t something the radical left in Britain is particularly familiar with or much inclined to mobilise against. Prison remains largely a working class experience targeted against the poorest and most marginalised of that class. However in a society increasingly polarised and divided between rich and poor in a political climate of growing repression and authoritarianism prisons are being refashioned more and more into instruments of political as well as social control. This will eventually find reflection in the nature and composition of the prisoner population as political activists increasingly supplement the imprisoned poor. Continue reading Prison As Political Battleground→
Buenos Aires, 3 December 1928. To comrade E. Armand.
Dear Comrade,
The purpose of this letter is, first of all, to ask your advice. We have to act, in all moments of our lives, in accord with our own manner of seeing and thinking, in such a way that the reproaches and criticisms of other people find our individuality protected by the healthiest concepts of responsibility and liberty, which form a solid wall weakening their attacks. For this reason we should act consistently with our ideas. Continue reading Letter of América Scarfó to Emile Armand→
On April 10, 2010 I was brought (sic)-kidnapped by the anti-terrorism department of the Greek Police. After an unnecessary show attended and conducted by numerous riot squads, undercover cops, emergency patrol, prosecutors, etc., who broke doors (although I surrendered my keys) and found funny ‘finds’ in my home such as anti-authoritarian printed material, romans, political books and many movies, I was sent to the police headquarters in Athens, where for several hours several masked men passed in front of me without answering my question on what I was prosecuted or arrested for, without allowing any communication with my lawyer, and without asking me anything at all. Late in the evening on April 11th, I was notified by the arrest report that I was accused for participating in the organization of Revolutionary Struggle and I was charged with nothing less than the entire criminal code. For the record, although I was arrested, I was not allowed again to contact my lawyers.
On monday 25th of October 10 the special interrogator D.Mokkas sent me“CALL OF ACCUSED” to testify on monday 1st of November “for the punishable act of entering as a member in the terrorist organization named “REVOLUTIONARY STRUGGLE” the same call was also received by Nikos Malapanis, who happens to be our best man…
The letter that follows was written in the prison of Corinth by Christoforos Kortesis (one of the 6 arrested anarchists on the “Revolutionary Struggle” case):
On 10th April, 6 people were arrested and taken to the Police Headquaters (GADA). I was one of them. We didn’t know why we were detained, and when we insisted to contact lawyers the cops told us that we couldn’t, because this was a case of adduction. After 56 hours – during which we were not even allowed to contact each other – we were taken to the courts on Evelpidon St.facing the charge of participation in the “Revolutionary Struggle”. The timing of my arrest coincided with the prime minister’s announcement (Papandreou) that Greecewill possibly take a loan from the IMF. There is obviously no room left for coincidences here, as is also the case with the police raid in the alleged “Halandri safehouse” and the arrests, by the former ruling party Nea Dimokratia, of comrades only a few days before the elections of 2009. Continue reading A letter from Christoforos Kortesis, (2010)→
