Fascist anti-immigration stunt thwarted by anarchist counter-demo in Athens

The racist demo against immigration had been called by the Secret Services controlled pro-junta weekly paper Stohos, various ultra-Orthodox christian groups as well as a melange of other fascist groups and parties. A week after another fascist march, that time in commemoration of some greek soldiers killed during a short-lived melee between greek and turkish naval forces in 1996, this time the fascist scum had decided to desecrate the most central academic asylum grounds of Athens: Propylea, the place where all protest marches start, a high symbol of left-wing and anarchist struggles. The provocation was too much to be left unanswered and as early as Friday afternoon anarchist and other antifascist comrades moved to occupy the Rectorial Headquarters of Athens University which preside behind the Propylea. In its announcement the assembly formed in the building declared:

"Today, 5th of February, anarchists, anti-authoritarians and anti-fascists chose to keep the university administration building at Propylea open, as a space of mutual coordination and struggle. Our aim is the molding of ideas and counter-information ahead of tomorrow’s anti-fascist gathering, which has been called for at 11 am at Propylea. A gathering standing against the nationalist and racist rabble of fascist groups, which call for a gathering tomorrow at 3pm, at Propylea. A gathering juxtaposing the solidarity of the oppressed to the statist and para-statist pogroms against migrants. We stand hostile against institutionalised racism, as expressed via the citizenship bill, as well as those who with their misanthropic calls aim for the physical extermination of the migrants.

As the state targets spaces of resistance overall, the fascists attempt to invade a space which has come, through tough struggles, to belong to the world of freedom and resistance. We do not intend to surrender not a single square meter to the state and its para-statists.

We call every person in struggle to the open assembly at the Rectorial Hq Building tonight at 8pm under the topic of tomorrow’s anti-fascist gathering at Propylea.

NO AUTHORITY IS OUR FRIEND, NO OPPRESSED IS OUR ENEMY

THE ASYLUM DOES NOT BELONG TO THE FASCISTS, NOR THE POLICE – IT BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE IN STRUGGLE AND THE WORLD OF FREEDOM

WAR AGAINST THE STATE AND BOSSES

SOLIDARITY TO THE MIGRANTS

Open Assembly of the Rectorial Hq of the University of Athens

From 200 people originally gathered in Propylea on Friday afternoon, by Saturday noon the anti-fascist counter-demo was numbering almost 2,000. With such an overwhelming presence at such short notice, the fascists did not dare appear in Propylea but rather opted to move their bigotry stunt in their usual gathering place, besides the Old Parliament, in Kolokotronis Square. Despite the support of the parliamentary extreme-right party LAOS and the physical presence of its deputy leader and major alien conspiracy theorist Adonis Georgiadis, the fascists did not manage to gather more than 300 scum, mostly over-aged junta relics and monarchy nostalgics but also dozens of parastate Golden Dawn members. Some less fortunate ones trying to pass near Propylea gained wounds and bruises. Riot police forces that tried to help their co-thinkers at risk were received with equal ferocity [see picture]. Efforts by antifascists to attack the pathetic fascist gathering were averted by riot-police forces that had flooded the centre of Athens since early morning blocking the streets with their armored vans.

In a clear response to the fascist main anti-immigration slogan "You do not become a greek - you are born a greek", the main banner of today's counter-demo was "You are not born a wanker [malakas], you become a wanker".