A letter from Christoforos Kortesis, an imprisoned comrade
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
30/4
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.
Following our arrest, we were hardly surprised to see that instantly the leading role in misinformation was taken on by the usual tele-nosy parkers – among all the scum. They presented evidence that was not even written in the legal brief, and started to piece together a puzzle which went as far as… attacking the Twin Towers!!!
Soon afterwards, our guilt was taken for granted in the media that started competing who will be the one to give out more information on our personal lives; who will be the first to take photos of the apartment-safehouse and tell what motorcycles we prefer, what time we go to bed, what time and how many times we make love and things of this sort: nothing more than offerings on the altar of spectacle. However, none of this comes as a surprise to me. I am well aware that mass media in our ‘democratic’ society play exactly the same role as the ministries of propaganda used to play under totalitarianism.
People in Greece will inevitably realize that nothing has changed in their everyday life, even after those blood thirsty terrorists got arrested. If before capitalists were offering the remains of their affluent buffets to the people, at this point they will stop doing even that. But in those times of acute economic crisis and social despair, people can end up doing things that before we could not even imagine. The massive rebellion that spread all over Greece after the murder of Alexis Grigoropoulos, two years ago, was just a hint – offering hope for some and despair to others… Repression now will be harsher than ever aiming primarily at breaking the most radical part of society, its greatest internal enemy, the anarchist anti-authoritarian movement. That is why, at the same time as unemployment in general exceeds 15%, Chrisochoidis intends to employ even more people to join the security forces so as to ‘combat’ the growing menace of terrorism, while the only goal is to enforce the defensive lines of the state establishment.
But it is exactly at this time of crisis that we are presented with unique possibilities and diverse social groups can be radicalized. It is exactly at this time of crisis that tones of explosives are accumulated at the foundations of the capitalist establishment and the only thing missing, comrades, is to put fire on them!
On the other hand, I am not going to talk at all about the accusations laid upon us, since innocence and guilt give and go depending on the side that we have chosen to take in life. If the cops, the journalists, the politicians, the bankers, or the judges consider someone as guilty in the name of bourgeois democracy, then, all of them are guilty in the name of public justice.
In the same sense, I am not going to talk at all about the conditions of detention throughout those first days at GADA. As an anarchist, I consider myself and my comrades prisoners of war. This war, which Chrisochoidis became able to see only some months ago, has been actually conducted with rage during centuries between any kind of masters and the masses of revolted.
Everyone has already chosen sides and when some realize that they are at the wrong side of the camp, then, it will be too late…
Patience and determination for all those who chose to march through the troubled path of history towards social revolution…
Honour forever to the anarchist Lambros Fountas
Farewell, comrade
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LETTER FROM CHRISTOFOROS KORTESIS FOR THE CREATION OF A SOLIDARITY ECONOMIC FUND FOR FIGHTING PRISONERS
Let me begin saying the almost self-evident, that the formation of a solidarity fund for the economic support of comrades but also fighting people that are hostages of the state is very important. First of all because it aims to cover a granted need, that of everyday survival within the walls with dignified conditions.
At the same time though, because the creation of such an attempt declares, in my opinion, that we realize the imprisoned comrades as fighters that are in the hands of the state because of their subversive actions and ideals, as an inseparable piece of the political movement which they belong to, which takes the political initiative to support them and does not consider it a specific matter between friends and family, strengthening this way, in practice, the meaning of comradeship and solidarity. Obviously at this point I am not referring to an ethical obligation or a sentimental “blackmail”, but a move of political consistency and consciousness.
In a period that the attack from the side of the dominance against the anarchist-anti-authoritarian movement but also against every fighting part intensifies for obvious reasons, the creation of a fund of economic support is another mean of defence but at the same time of counter-attack, it is another answer with collective conditions and conditions of self-organization in the circumstances of isolation and individualism that the governing say is trying to order and impose on every aspect of our life.
Although the procedure concerns the creation of an account and does not claim an exclusivity for itself as for the expression of solidarity, as I was informed through the written information that all the imprisoned comrades received, I hope this move contributes to the coil of the a/a movement, which is showing some obvious cracks lately. Excepting the diversity of political references and positions within the a/a movement, I continue to believe that the elements that connect us are much more than the ones that divide us (without of course disdaining the intense reflections that from time to time are expressed by comrades about a variety of issues). Besides, I consider it completely welcomed, the long term target is not the inclusion of every group, every collective, every person in this procedure, on the contrary more attempts can be made at the same time for economic support (maybe with different characteristics, that will cover those involved), which will be coordinated amongst them for the best possible result.
In my opinion, in any case, when a political space with subversive and radical arguments doesn’t attempt to process in its interior matters that come up, base on the values of solidarity, co formation and selforganization, accepting and promoting the polymorphy of choices as for the means of the struggle, then how can it can seek and affix such a thing to the outside?
Because of my own participation in the past in similar attempts, I know the difficulties faced in such undertakings to survive in time, however in the end this is the issue, which I will also fight for with all my strength from here where I am, as I would do if I were there amongst the comrades. At this point I would like to make a proposal, which I also in the past had discussed with comrades usually facing reflections and disagreements. I believe, however, that even only the creation of a field of discussions on such questions is positive. I appreciate, therefore, that in events of economic support such as concerts and parties, that maybe could result also through the operation of a fund, could exist a symbolic entry of e.g. 2 or 3 Euros, a sum that corresponds to 1 or 2 beers. And this because each such event has a clear political frame and aim, that is to say the economic support of fighting people. And because the most important component of the struggle is the conscience of each one that participates in it, for one to go to such an event only for amusement independently from the reasons of it happening, constitutes lack of political conscience. Maybe Im saying it a bit bluntly, but I have lived closely to the mentality that prevails in such events. It is an opinion that I’ve expressed for years and of course not only now that I am imprisoned.
As for the economic support of other detainees that adopt a decent and fighting attitude inside the prisons I believe they should be included in the fund, provided that it accomplishes to achieve its initial economic targets. Concerning this but also in order for me to share with my comrades outside of prison the “inside” everyday routine of survival, for six months “I live” with another three people in the same cell, that our until now living together has shown me that they move and face with dignity the difficult conditions of prison. The money that each one us receives weekly is useful in order to cover our needs collectively (groceries, phonecards, etc.) And this because I consider that even in these conditions, even in the minuscule level of living together in a cell, the values of solidarity, refusal of segregation and dominating relations that this produces based on the possession of material goods (and not only) [even the minimal, such as a phonecard that in specific conditions is turned into an object with enormous power and of course with trading value] and the objective of equality, should be and kept alive and be the objective. As for the unrepentant fighters of the 17th November revolutionary group, for me supporting them is obvious, this is why I do not make a special reference.
Finishing and concerning the need of comrades, as this was expressed in the assembly of July, for all of us “inside the walls” to take a position on the undertaking, I want to say that this is also a way for us to continue participating in processes of the movement exceeding the obstacle of natural absence and creating one more channel of communication, that I hope is continued through time.
Until the absolute demolition of prisons, a big thank you and comradely greetings to all the comrades that from the little they have make sure we have decent living in the greek hell holes.
STRUGGLE WITH ALL MEANS FOR THE SUBVERSION OF THE REGIME
STRUGGLE UNTIL THE END FOR FREEDOM, REVOLUTION, ANARCHY
HONOUR FOR EVER TO ANARCHIST FIGHTER LABROS FOUNDAS
Christophoros Kortesis,
24/9/2010
Corinth prisons