Athens. Greek territory. The first major repressive attack against Exarcheia by the far-right wing New Democracy Party began on the morning of August 26, as police arrested 143 people from four different anarchist and refugee squats. The following are English translations of statements by the German-language website The Hydra World and Devrimci Anarşist Faaliyet (Revolutionary Anarchist Action), an anarchist group, based in Turkey.

First statement originally published by The Hydra World. Translated by Anarchists Worldwide. The second statement originally published by Devrimci Anarşist Faaliyet (DAF, Revolutionary Anarchist Action) . Translated by amwenglish.com. Image by @ChristofakisN

The Attack Has Begun – First Evictions of Squats in Exarcheia:

The first wave of attack against autonomous life in Exarcheia is part of a massive plan to transform the area into the Montmartre of Athens… an operation that is scheduled to take five years. At the end of the tunnel is the successful construction of the Exarcheia Metro Station. Intermediate stations along the way to this are the eviction of squats, the expulsion of refugees and the enforcement of full police control over Exarcheia. To support the police actions, an intervention force was formed from various parts of the city administration – from cleanliness to environment to city infrastructure. Graffiti is to be removed, smart lanterns installed and the dismantling of “Anarchy in Exarcheia” organized.

The projects affected by the evictions are Spirou Trikoupi 17, Transito, Rosa de Foc and GARE. Specifically, 143 people from two buildings in Sp. Trikoupi 17 were arrested and taken to the Attica Refugee Department to check whether they have legal residence permits to live in Greece. Of the 143, 57 are men, 51 are women and 35 are children from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Turkey. From the first statement of the evicted squatters: “The fascist State evicted us today at 06:00 and they are taking us to the Petrou Rali police station. They dragged us out of our house. They threw our belongings out of the building and blocked the entrances and the windows. They are trying to bury us, but they don’t realize that we are seeds.”

From another building on Kallidromiou Street (GARE anarchist squat), three people who were present were taken into custody and taken to GADA (Athens Police Headquarters). The fourth building, on Fotila Street, was empty at the time of the eviction.

The operation was carried out by the MAT (Riot Police), OPKE (Special Identification and Evidence Unit) and DIAS (Motorcycle Unit), among others…

This first offensive – which is now complete – affects the northwestern part of Exarcheia, with the sole exception of Notara 26 squat. It is considered a symbol of the refugee squatting movement and is well guarded by the squatters and anarchists. Also the anarchist squat VOX – which according to the media is the headquarters of the revolutionary group Rouvikonas – has been spared for the time being. The offensive was clearly directed against less guarded squats. A simple first task. A first announcement. A taste of blood. And the great successes are still to come. Parallel to the action, Mitsotakis announced in the Greek Parliament the lifting of the controls on capital that have plagued Greece since 2015. The hypocritical government, which resembles a portrait of the past, will tackle several fronts – to celebrate the lifting of controls on capital, they are apparently going to distribute some money to small entrepreneurs and thus supposedly make their lives better, then set in motion the social destruction.

But resistance to the evictions will not be long in coming either. The big demo planned for mid-September will probably have to be brought forward. So far, many people from Exarcheia are calling for participation in this evening’s meeting at 6PM at Notara 26 in order to collectively decide on a course of action for the next few days. It is also recommended that people also get active internationally and for people to make preparations in order to be able to respond appropriately to the next wave of the offensive. Autumn is coming and it will be a long one. Let’s prepare ourselves for it.

Exarcheia -The Neighbourhood of Resistance and Solidarity

The murderer Greek State continues its attacks aganist anarchists and the opressed ones. The government, which previously took the first step in attacking anarchists by releasing Alexis’ police murderer, today, attacked with their armbands the occupation houses in Exarcheia. Exarcehia is the neigborhood of resistance, built by anarchists in Athens. The leader of the New Democracy Party (nea dimokratia) Kiriakos Micotakis who was elected as a result of Greek General Elections, is threatening anarchists and made it clear that they would work to make Exarcheia clean from anarchists and become a state and capitalism friendly neighborhood.

Around 06:00 this morning, 4 of the occupation houses in Exarcheia where thousands of anarchists and immigrants lived were evacuated by the police. Hundreds of anarchists and immigrants were detained and sent to concentration camps after this attack on the areas of solidarity and resistance of anarchists and oppressed people. In Exarcheia, when the state attacks, the culture of rebellion and solidarity continues to increase; while the living spaces of the oppressed people are being destroyed by the state and its law enforcement agencies; As the Revolutionary Anarchist Action, we salute the struggle and resistance of our comrades in the neighborhood where the self-organization and political activities of the oppressed people are concentrated in Greece. It is the solidarity and resistance of the oppressed people which will make the fascists step back and make them lose.

Long Live Anarchism! Long Live Revolution!

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