Words from 8 hunger strikers of the Network of Imprisoned Fighters (Greece)

Below is an excerpt from an open letter released in the small hours of April 11th 2015 by hunger strikers of the Network of Imprisoned Fighters.

[…] When we started the hunger strike, we knew it would be an uphill struggle that would stretch us to our limits. And it’s true that some of us, after 40 days of tough struggle, run the risk of developing serious health problems. Nevertheless, we’re not going to concede any ground to anyone who’s taking advantage of the government’s strategy in their attempt to wear us down and annul the effectiveness of our struggle. Therefore, we reiterate that we continue the hunger strike until the fulfillment of our demands, despite the visible risks to our health. We owe it to all the comrades who’ve felt we are giving a joint struggle against the state of exception, but above all we owe it to our own selves and to the means of fight that we have chosen. We invite all comrades to reflect on the cruciality of the situation (four comrades have been on strike for more than 40 days) and turn Every Day of Hunger Strike into A Day of Action.

Every fight exhausts its potential only when we give up, and this fight has neither exhausted its potential nor completed its cycle.*

PS.1: Yesterday [April 10th], our comrade Tasos Theofilou stopped the strike as well. We walked together this far, and remain united in our common struggle. Tasos, we wish you a good recovery.

PS.2: We send our solidarity to the revolutionaries from Turkey [incarcerated in Greek prisons], who stand beside us in this battle. We wish Giorgos Inglessis [who suspended hunger strike] a good recovery.**

PS.3: Solidarity with the migrants who went on hunger strike at the concentration camp in Paranesti, near Drama.***

Until the End – Until Victory

Not One Step Back

Network of Imprisoned Fighters

_

Translation notes:

* A reference to the opinion expressed by imprisoned comrade Nikos Maziotis.

** According to our information so far, the prisoners who remain on hunger strike are eight anarchists of the Network of Imprisoned Fighters (DAK), Andreas-Dimitris Bourzoukos, Antonis Stamboulos, Argyris Ntalios, Dimitris Politis, Fivos Harisis, Giorgos Karagiannidis, Grigoris Sarafoudis and Yannis Michailidis, as well as communists from Turkey & Kurdistan incarcerated in Greek prisons.

*** On April 10th, the No Lager Assembly in Thessaloniki, having established ties of solidarity and constant communication with the imprisoned migrants, reported that only one migrant is still on hunger strike in Paranesti camp, also noting that comrades from various collectives in Thessaloniki, Drama, Patras, Athens and other places supported and publicised the strike.

see related updates via contra-info

Tags: Andreas-Dimitris Bourzoukos, Antonis Stamboulos, Argyris Ntalios, Banner drop, Dimitris Politis, Fivos Harisis, Giannis Mihailidis, Giorgos Karagiannidis, Greece, Grigoris Sarafoudis, Hunger Strike, Letter, Network of Fighting Prisoners (NFP)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 14th, 2015 at 2:30 pm and is filed under Prison Struggle.