2 letter of marios from korydallos’ prison

From Sector A of Korydallos’ prison
13.04.2010

They’ve taken us prisoner,
they’ve locked us up:
me inside the walls,
you outside.
But that’s nothing.
The worst
is when people – knowingly or not –
carry prison inside themselves…
Most people have been forced to do this,
honest, hard-working, good people

Nazim Hikmet

(translation by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk)

It’s been almost a month I’m in jail and I’m coping, because amid the disgraceful things that those who work for the state and put society to sleep do, it has done us good to be here, because we become stronger by using our sole power, as a friend tells me every day: our heart, our mind and solidarity (so as to shout for our right and to resist).
Although I’m not the right person to talk about jail, since my time here so far has been short, albeit intense, I have come to realize that the term “correctional institution” is inappropriate – to state it mildly –, if not a joke. By using this term we underestimate ourselves and the prisoners, while we smarten up this monument of repressive cowardice and hypocrisy. How could this artificial environment – in which every person is isolated and the urge to be creative is shuttered, where one is distanced from the people he loves and gradually becomes alienated from society– make better people and help them integrate into society? What a disgrace. Jails are an important part of state repression. This dead space of humanity seems like a “purification chamber” in the eyes of rulers and their subjects; a place where the aim is correctional. However, the main goal can be no other but to terrorize society (so that it cannot act against the state, without this necessarily meaning to act in a punishable way). There are many cases of people who ended up in jail, although they had done nothing wrong. I am one of these people myself. The state’s most directly repressive unit arrested me in the name of their laws, although I protest in the name of rights and freedom.

The emotions and the human rights of those who live free in society fade away just like time goes by and leaves its marks on the prison walls. This is a society that constantly experiences predatory bank attacks; a society which is bombarded with uncertainty by one government after the other, with no guarantees about the present and the future; a society which is monitored and controlled; a society in which people are slaves of artificial needs. To what extent can we pride about our freedom? Reacting, disagreeing and reflecting are now considered offences; every form of reaction – violent or not – is punished as if it showed some kind of “disrespect” to the state. I hope my pupils respect themselves. So who are these perfect citizens that the state eventually wants? What is the value of what citizens say or believe in the face of the state’s institutions? What does the state think about those who react? Does it want the mind of a tramp or that of a dead man?

Through their tactics and the way they punish some in order to make an example of them, they aim to spread fear. They make up stories about bogeys, lies and revengeful tales, while there is also an arsenal of laws to help out in this act of revenge. They lie to themselves and they also lie to the people. They’d probably prefer we were never born or once we are born, to remain silent. This attempt to put society to sleep and to go back to the Middle Ages has proved to be fruitless. The best answer is given via all the social struggles that cannot be overseen, although government spokesmen have tried to disdain them, and the big wave of support and solidarity. Social reaction is alive. And it shall not stop as long as we have the power to think, to feel, to protest and to put up a struggle, for as long as our ideas, our lives and our rights are affected. It is the state that should see reason rather than the opposite.

I don’t belong to any political party and I remain faithful to my ideas; I observe political party synergies, and I do not protest for my innocence –which is a fact–, but rather for the injustice that even according to their standards is done.

Continue to search and ask, and do not trust them.

Freedom of speech, expression and action.
Freedom to all those who are inside and outside prison cells.

A WORLDWIDE SOLIDARITY MESSAGE

A WORLDWIDE SOLIDARITY MESSAGE
call for PROTEST MARCH
for MARIOS ZERVAS

thursay, 15/ABRIL/2010, at 19:00 p.m.

ATHENS: meeting point Academy og Athens (Propilea), Panepistimiou street

THESSALONIKI: meeting point KAMARA, Egnatia street

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=105784169455496#!/event.php?eid=105784169455496&ref=mf

from libcom.org

Letter from imprisoned general strike demonstrator in Greece, Marios Z.

Submitted by taxikipali on Mar 19 2010 17:57
tags: Greece

A letter from Koridalos prisons in Athens by 28 year old protester arrested and remanded for his participation in the general strike march of March 11.

Marios Z. is a 28 year-old man working as a swimming instructor to children. H was arrested and beaten by cops during the MArch 11 general strike protest march in Athens. In his backpack he carried a bathing robe, swimming suits, hair shampoo etc, because after the demo he was heading to his work. Pigs testifying in court have claimed these were in fact molotov cocktail material with which he attacked them right before his arrest. A statement opposed by eye-witnesses testimonies and plenty of photo material, let alone common sense. Marios is currently remanded and will remain imprisoned for up to 18 months pending his trial according to the greek legislation. His case has caused quite a clamor even in bourgeois media and popular TV news shows. For more info on the case see http://freemariosz.wordpress.com/

From Sector A of Korydallos’ prison
19.03.2010

On Thursday 11 of March, I was arrested by the police forces of repression. Any sense of freedom and the right to demonstrate was cancelled in a stroke with rage and violence by a fully-armed riot policeman (MAT), since he was the freedom to do so. The occasion of my arrest was participating in a demonstration to defend the rights of the working -or not- citizens, having a weird haircut and a backpack. The real reason was to set an example.

During the military junta, they used to tear with whips the faces of the young students in and out of the Law School. In our days, with the same barbarity, the “socialist” government, using all means at its disposal tears and stigmatizes the lives of toiling people, those that suffer and those that resist and are not afraid to merely exist, with the violence of economic and terroristic policies.

The political responsibility of my irrational arrest must be claimed by the State. The massive political reaction expressed through this wave of protests, proves that society resists. And this is even more important for me, since I have consciously selected to remain unintegrated [i.e. not belonging to a party etc]. The State demands our inexistance and has a dread of our existance.

It isn’t just my remand case, but all the well-known cases of police perjury and frame-ups, that bring out and prove the State’s attempt to terrorize and intimidate whoever stands by his/her rights, to discourage any others that dare to support them, setting up docile societies that won’t protest nor assert their rights.

I am thankfull to all those fighting for my release either from the very beginning, or joining in during the fight, from a sincere concern, away from any political and party interests, either by means I agree with or not, since I don’t think what is sensible to do now is to discuss the various ways to manifest our solidarity, but to sit the State itself in judgement for its practices.

Freedom to all prisoners, to all fighters for the liberation of all prisoners and of the spirit. A slogan from the GADA (Athenian Police Headquarters) prisons, written on the yellow walls, next to prisoners forgotten for days and nights in awful conditions:
“Golden cage or humid cage, makes little difference to the bird”.

Marios Z.

PS. “Of all the things which wisdom provides for the all-round happiness of life, by far the greatest is the possession of friends” – Epicurus

link: http://libcom.org/news/letter-imprisoned-general-strike-demonstrator-greece-marios-z-19032010

1 letter of marios from korydallos’ prison

From Sector A of Korydallos’ prison
19.03.2010

On Thursday 11 of March, I was arrested by the police forces of repression. Any sense of freedom and the right to demonstrate was cancelled in a stroke with rage and violence by a fully-armed riot policeman (MAT), since he was the freedom to do so. The occasion of my arrest was participating in a demonstration to defend the rights of the working -or not- citizens, having a weird haircut and a backpack. The real reason was to set an example.

During the military junta, they used to tear with whips the faces of the young students in and out of the Law School. In our days, with the same barbarity, the “socialist” government, using all means at its disposal tears and stigmatizes the lives of toiling people, those that suffer and those that resist and are not afraid to merely exist, with the violence of economic and terroristic policies.

The political responsibility of my irrational arrest must be claimed by the State. The massive political reaction expressed through this wave of protests, proves that society resists. And this is even more important for me, since I have consciously selected to remain unintegrated [i.e. not belonging to a party etc]. The State demands our inexistance and has a dread of our existance.

It isn’t just my remand case, but all the well-known cases of police perjury and frame-ups, that bring out and prove the State’s attempt to terrorize and intimidate whoever stands by his/her rights, to discourage any others that dare to support them, setting up docile societies that won’t protest nor assert their rights.

I am thankfull to all those fighting for my release either from the very beginning, or joining in during the fight, from a sincere concern, away from any political and party interests, either by means I agree with or not, since I don’t think what is sensible to do now is to discuss the various ways to manifest our solidarity, but to sit the State itself in judgement for its practices.

Freedom to all prisoners, to all fighters for the liberation of all prisoners and of the spirit. A slogan from the GADA (Athenian Police Headquarters) prisons, written on the yellow walls, next to prisoners forgotten for days and nights in awful conditions:
“Golden cage or humid cage, makes little difference to the bird”.

Marios Z.

translation from: http://libcom.org/news/letter-imprisoned-general-strike-demonstrator-greece-marios-z-19032010

Press Report 19.03.10

SO, WHAT HAPPENED ON THE 11th??

Tens of thousands of working people, unemployed, young people, who participated in the strikes and the massive protest of last Thursday 11th of March, sent a strong message of disapproval of the governmental policy for the stability program and the coming αντεργατικα* measures. It is obvious that the wave of people’s rage is yet to be escalated, and so the government tries to intensify the fear and insecurity among us.

It is in this frame that one can explain the brutal oppression during the demonstration of Thursday. Unprovoked breaking of the mass body of the demo in two with the use of baton-beatings and tear-gases; unexplained arrests during the whole of the demonstration. One of which led to the imprisonment of Marios Z., who is accused of throwing molotov cocktails, disturbance of public peace and attempt of intentional cause of severe injury. Accusations which are totally unfounded.

27 years old Marios, graduate of TEFAA (Science Department of Physical Education and Athletic Sports) works as a swimming teacher of children and toddlers. During the demonstration he was wearing a t-shirt, as seen in photographs taken on the instance of his arrest. In his bag he had stuff needed for his work, such as a bathrobe, shower-gel, swimming goggles etc, but nothing that had anything to do to with molotovs. The police officers who arrested him, instead of apologizing for his beating, they lie; obviously following orders by their superiors.

Marios along with thousands of other young people participated in the demonstrations without being part of any association or organization. He was in the street as a means of expressing his indignation. But as it seems the state doesn’t forgive his ‘naiveness’ to defend other young people being beaten by the police. He was unlucky enough to become an example of compliance.

This is why it is a responsibility of every labor collective and association, of every student group and organization, of every neighborhood collective to practically show their solidarity, demanding his immediate release. Solidarity to Marios is a message of struggle to everyone, working people or not, who are not covered by any union, but do look for ways to collectively demand their rights.

*[this is a draft translation. please contribute to a better one; comment or contact: freemariosz@gmail.com]

link to greek text: http://freemariosz.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/…

Online Petition for the Immediate Release of Marios Z.

The interrogator and district attorney decided to put in jail Marios Z., because he dared to participate in the massive protest on 11th March, 2010, and was unlucky enough to face a promiscuous, fanatic and liar police officer. The police officer, who arrested Marios, after having led him to the General Police Division of Athens, he testified against Marios that his face was covered, that he threw molotovs to him and that he was threatened by fire.

In questioning, audiovisual material, which conclusive demonstrates that Marios’ face was NOT covered, NO molotov and NO fire was around, and that in the specified area there was NO tension, which could match with the police officer’s testimony. Moreover, the inquiry relied on dozens of citizens who were present at the event and offered voluntarily to testify the truth.

But, after the interrogator and district attorney heard, off the record, the testimonies of the police witnesses, they ignored the dozens of defense witnesses and audiovisual material, and proceeded to the unprecedented decision to bring Marios to custody.

We don’t lose our faith in what is clear and obvious. We declare our FULL SUPPORT to Marios Z., and ask for the immediate release and dismissal of proceedings against him and all other arrested on 11 March 2010.

The petition will be delivered to the responsible ministries.

You can find the online petition here:
link: http://petitiononline.com/mariosz/petition.html

Press Report for Marios Z. 16.03.10

The interrogator and district attorney decided to put in jail Marios Z., because he dared to participate in the massive protest on 11th March, 2010, and was unlucky enough to face a promiscuous, fanatic and liar police officer.

Marios was arrested in Panepistimiou Street, in front of Agrotiki Bank and near the EEK block  (Revolutionary Labor Party) and several labor clubs’ blocks that followed by a full armed riot policeman, who attacked him from the back, obviously irritated by his tufted rastas and his casual looks in front of tens of other demonstrating civilians who openly disapproved the arrest.

The police officer, who arrested Marios, with a professional zeal, after having led him to the General Police Division of Athens, he testified against Marios that his face was covered, that he threw molotovs to him and that he was threatened by fire.

In questioning, audiovisual material was brought to the investigator, which conclusive demonstrates that Marios’ face was NOT covered, NO molotov and NO fire was around, and that in the specified area there was NO tension, which could match with the police officer’s testimony. Moreover, the inquiry relied on dozens of citizens who were present at the event and offered voluntarily to testify the truth.

But, after the interrogator and district attorney heard, off the record, the testimonies of the police witnesses, they ignored the dozens of defense witnesses and audiovisual material, and proceeded to the unprecedented decision to bring Marios to custody.

A decision taken

-under a law already degraded and un-legitimized in the eyes of society, since the government’s announcements about abolishing it six months ago.

-unlawfully; according to the custody-related laws, and also disregarding, ignoring and violating openly the changes recently made to the relevant article of the law, under which: in order to hold someone under custody he need be either a suspect of fugitive, or he need have a history of irreversible convictions; conditions of which none applies to Marios.

Marios who teaches swimming to toddlers at OAKA (Olympic Athletic Center of Athens) and works 7 days a week, is now held in prison; and his children, who learn to love water by him will lose their teacher.

And us, we will lose faith in what is clear and obvious.

But we will not loose faith in Marios and we will fight for the truth, his immediate release and dismissal of proceedings against him

link: http://freemariosz.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/…

[parts of this are still drafts. contribute to a better translation: comment or contact at freemariosz@gmail.com