In the night of 4 september 2019, we squatted four houses in different city districts of Magdeburg. We want to express our anger on the brutal attacks in Exarchia where more than 140 people have been jailed in refugee camps or directly imprisoned. At the same time, we want to show our solidarity with the free and rebellious spirits of the district here and of all other resisting places.
Today, several people in Magdeburg came together to appropriate different houses temporarily – with that we are saying: We can take the rooms if we want. Exarchia lives on!
It has been pronounced long time ago, but now Kyriakos Mitsotakis, newly elected prime minister and his riot police MAT striked with full violence. His aim was and is the autonomous district Exarchia in downtown of Athens. In this district which is shaped by self-organisation and the spirit of resistance, Mitsotakis wants to “tidy up”, as it depicts a stain for the gentrification project in Athens. They want to impose a metro station in Exarchia so it subjects itself to mass tourism and real estate speculation. So far they tried to harass the inhabitants of that district through repression, controls and expulsion, now the methods have been intensified.
Immediately after taking over the government, there has been attacks on two squats of migrants, Notara 26 and Hotel Oneiro. They tried to cut the water and electricity supply which lead to that fact that hundreds of people had fear of their lives and freedom. On 26th August 2019, a police eviction started at 6 o’clock in the morning in Exarchia.
The police invaded two squats in Spirou-Trikoupi street and the anarchists squats Gare and Rosa de Foc. They detained 134 migrants which have been distributed to different refugee camps. The deportation of some of the people are being executed now. The images of crying children was spread worldwide. Amnesty International complained about 35 minor refugees who have been detained. Moreover, they jailed three anarchists who have been released of detention on the following day. On 27th August, the police broke the door of the squat Omokentro in Tsamadhou street 32 in Exarchia and searched everything. On 28th August, the homeless people on the districts’ mountain of Exarchia have been expelled. On 30th August, the MAT forces attacked festival visitors on Exarchia place from three sides with tear gas. After that, they tried to trespass K*Vox, battered the glass door and threw inside tear gas grenades while the room was full of people. The people from K*Vox could hinder the police forces to enter the building. One person was hospitalised with serious head injuries…
1985 and 2008, two young Athenian activists were murdered by police. And also now, the all-day repression and attacks against self-organised rooms, migrants and local activists raises suspicion that police will not abstain from acting as brutal as possible. In the last days, a weapon has been drawn two times. In North-West of the police occupied district, the situation got more difficult, especially for the squat Notara 26 which is in the middle of the concerned area and is almost fully surrounded by police. “In this area, a gay couple has been attacked by police. In this area, fascists have been spotted doing small talk with cops, they were wearing t-shirts of the neo-Nazi ultras of “Lazio Rom” and the Identitarian Movement of “Defend Europe.” (from: Exarchia – mon amour, by Yannis Youlountas) Fascists and counter-insurgency units are besieging the district together. On Monday, 2nd September, shots have been fired and shortly after, military police has been seen. The situation in Exarchia is escalating dramatically. A television channel was announcing that a direct and simultaneous attack on 11 squats is approaching to break resistance in the district as soon as possible.
The peoples’ resistance in Exarchia will get bigger and more intense – at the same time, international solidarity is in demand. Because: “The defence of Exarchia is defending our possibility to show that other ways are possible out of the current deadlock in which the world is situated.” (Yannis Youlountas)
Solidarity with those people who have been brutally evicted from the houses in Exarchia – Solidarity with the people who have been jailed in refugee camps and prisons by the Greek state – Solidarity with the squats in Exarchia and all other places of resistance!
Some groups from Magdeburg in Solidarity.
Some squats in Germany: https://radar.squat.net/en/groups/country/DE/squated/squat
Groups (social center, collective, squat) in Germany: https://radar.squat.net/en/groups/country/DE
Events in Germany: https://radar.squat.net/en/events/country/DE
Indymedia Germany https://de.indymedia.org/node/37098
