A-Infos (en) Greece, Against the participation of the Greek state in the imperialist war and the massacre of the Palestinian people (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

GATHERING IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE --- BLOCK TO THE PARTICIPATION OF 
THE GREEK STATE IN THE IMPERIALIST WAR AND THE MASSACRE OF THE 
PALESTINIAN PEOPLE --- Against the participation of the Greek state in 
the war in Ukraine and their assistance in the operation against the 
Houthis in the Red Sea, in the strategy cooperation with the murderous 
state of Israel diplomatically, economically and militarily and in its 
active participation in the EU's one-sided war on migrants, spreading 
death on its land and water borders. --- Freedom in Palestine --- 
Solidarity with the people of Yemen and all peoples who are resisting.
Let the foundations of death be closed now.
To bring the war to the rear of the western metropolises
GATHERING AT THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE
SATURDAY 24 FEBRUARY 14.00
anarchist group Dysinios Ippos (Patra) /

Thefollowing is the joint statement:

AGAINST THE GREEK STATE'S PARTICIPATION IN THE IMPERIALIST WAR, THE 
MASSACRE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND THE ONE-SIDED WAR OF THE EU 
AGAINST IMMIGRANTS

"We are ready to do everything Kugi to serve the national interests"

Lt. General e.a. and Member of Parliament of New Democracy, March 2021

On December 5, the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Kostas 
Hatzidakis, spoke with absolute clarity on a television show: the 
reduction of VAT on basic necessities is not possible for two main 
reasons: first, the general economic environment is undermined by the 
service of the excessive of government debt (i.e. primarily in the 
repayment of loans from the mechanisms of the European Union, such as 
the EFSF and the ESM) and secondly, why priority must be given to the 
war preparations of the Greek state and the strengthening of the 
"defense" of the country, as: "The frigates, the planes, they're in 
line, they have to be found somewhere." In two words: the war is moving 
to the supermarket shelves. The basic social needs must be sacrificed on 
the altar of the plans for geopolitical upgrading of the Greek state, 
which, as a middleman of the bourgeoisie, attempts to extract income 
from the distribution of the spoils of the imperialist war (to the 
extent that it belongs, of course, and not to the extent that may would 
like). The arms race that has been going on for years is absolutely 
indicative. Only for 2022, Greece was first in military spending among 
NATO countries, after spending 3.54% of its GDP, surpassing even the USA 
(which, of course, reflects the relative and not the absolute size of 
military spending). Another indicative element for the attempt to 
strengthen the field of military power of the Greek state is that 
armament expenditures represent 45.3% of Greece's total defense 
expenditures, which is the second highest percentage after Hungary 
(48%). This underestimation of social needs over war preparation 
spending is expected to become even more acute after ecofin's decision 
to exclude defense spending from the Greek state deficit (ie, loosening 
fiscal discipline ONLY for military spending).

After the farce of the alleged "multifactorial foreign policy" sold by 
the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition in the first months of its government, the 
Greek state fully aligned its foreign policy with the aspirations of 
NATO and the EU, turning into a vast military base, in war base and 
outpost of Euro-Atlantic imperialism. Because the state has continuity, 
as they said themselves. The main narrative of the Greek state is that 
it is a bulwark of stability in the region, a reliable pillar for NATO's 
southern flank and a hub of security in an arc of generalized 
geopolitical turmoil. And the formulation of this policy is a constant 
of the Greek state that is not disturbed by the changes of governments. 
As the Greek armed forces wrote in their "White Paper" in 2014: "Greece 
plays an important role in the regional and international security 
system, with an unwavering ambition to become a driver of stability in 
the wider region of Southeast Europe. In order to succeed in this 
difficult task, our country maintains (...) extremely important 
installations and facilities that give a unique advantage for a possible 
deployment of air and naval forces of the allies in the wider region of 
the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. This element is vital to 
the development and support of multinational efforts (...)

As the case of Libya demonstrates, we have created a comprehensive and 
multifaceted support force structure to align with NATO's respective 
operational and training requirements."

Based on this strategy, the Greek state has participated in dozens of 
missions abroad, within the framework of its contractual obligations to 
NATO and the EU. Let us not forget that a basic condition for the 
parallel accession of Greece and Turkey to NATO was the participation of 
both of States in the US Expeditionary Force in the Korean War (1950 - 
1953). Joining NATO was the only way forward for the Greek state. Or, as 
Nikolaos Plastiras put it: "It should not be said that Greece can follow 
another policy". And some decades before, a necessary condition for the 
provision of geopolitical income in the aftermath of World War I was the 
participation of the Greek state in the allied invasion of Ukraine in 
1919, with the aim of suppressing the revolution. What business does the 
Greek army have in Ukraine and Korea? "Reflective influence", it is said 
in the cynical language of diplomacy.

Today, according to GEETHA data, the Greek armed forces are 
participating in 13 allied missions abroad: "ENDURING FREEDOM" (Iraq, 
Indian), "SEA GUARDIAN" (Mediterranean), "NATO Activity in the Aegean to 
deal with the Migration Crisis " (Participation SNMG-2), Kosovo Force 
(KFOR)/ (Operation) "JOINT ENTERPRISE", "NMI" (Iraq), "EMASoH /AGENOR" 
(Strait of Hormuz), "Link Belgrade", "ALTHEA" (Bosnia) , "EUTM MALI", 
"EUTM SOMALIA", "ATALANTA" (Horn of Africa), "EUNAVFOR MED" 
(Mediterranean) and "UNIFIL" (Lebanon). To these missions we must add 
the participation of a Greek frigate in the "Prosperity Guardian" 
operation in the Red Sea.

As we see, therefore, the basic rhetoric about the arms race of the 
Greek state, as it is allegedly done for the protection of "defending" 
Greece against "Turkish aggression", is completely refuted in practice. 
After all, the urban competition between Greece and Turkey takes place 
within an alliance framework, as both countries are members of NATO, 
while Turkey seeks to reactivate the EU accession processes, which have 
been frozen in recent years. In this context, the conflict between the 
Greek and Turkish states is primarily defined by the arbitration role of 
the USA, which is also their main supplier of weapons systems. However, 
when the perpetual "negotiations" take a military form through the 
accumulation of military forces on both sides in the Aegean, as happened 
in the summer of 2020, then the possibility of an "accident" and direct 
military involvement (wide or limited scale) cannot be ruled out.

THE DEEPEST INVOLVEMENT IN THE IMPERIALIST WAR AND THE COMPLICATION OF 
THE GREEK STATE IN THE MASSACRE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

It is obvious that the bases and military installations of the NATO war 
machine that are scattered on Greek soil are not just decorative. They 
have been used many times in military expeditions and missile attacks, 
such as in Iraq, Yugoslavia, Syria, etc. At the same time, the scenarios 
for the re-installation of nuclear weapons on the territory of Greece 
are increasingly intensifying, as the Greek state sees this possibility 
as a "window of opportunity". to strengthen the country's role within 
NATO and gain strategic advantages. Greece, in the past, was one of the 
seven NATO countries that hosted US nuclear warheads at the Araxos base 
until the 1990s, as part of NATO's "burden sharing". Araxos already has 
the appropriate infrastructure for nuclear re-installation, while the 
similar use of Souda is already being discussed, where there is the 
possibility of hosting strategic bombers (type B2 Spirit), as well as 
nuclear submarines.

This adventurous policy is becoming more and more dangerous in an 
environment of crisis, constant fluidity, instability, geopolitical 
realignments, sharpening of oppositions and redefinition of alliances 
and rivalries. In an environment where "hot" and "cold" regional 
conflicts are constantly intensifying and the possibility of the 
generalization of the imperialist war is constantly visible. The danger 
of nuclear ignition is also immediately visible. The example of the 
direct and multifaceted conflict (the military side of the war is only 
one aspect) between the EU/NATO and Russia on the territory of Ukraine 
is indicative of the danger of the sharpening of rivalries in the 
imperialist/capitalist system.

From the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Greek state chose the 
path of deep involvement. Not, of course, for "moral reasons", as the 
government claims. The deep involvement in the war is the natural 
continuation of the strategic choice of hitching to the chariot of 
Euro-Atlantic imperialism and it is perfectly adapted and aligned with 
the US-NATO-EU "Security Architecture" for dual deterrence of Russian 
and Chinese influence. And this does not only concern the current 
government, but all governments, "left" and right, neoliberal and social 
democratic. After all, even during SYRIZA there was an active 
participation of Greece in exercises of geostrategic encirclement of 
Russia, while it deepened the alliance with Israel even more, in the 
context of the so-called 3 + 1 scheme (Greece - Cyprus - Israel, under 
the auspices of the USA). It was SYRIZA that rabidly supported 
Euro-Atlantic energy plans, choosing the apartheid state of Israel as a 
strategic partner (like the East Med plan). Greece's current involvement 
in the slaughter of the Palestinian people is, therefore, nothing more 
than a natural continuation of this pro-war and adventurous strategic 
choice.

Within this context, the current Greek government has given land and 
water to pave the ground for the massacre. The frigate "Nikiphoros 
Fokas" (which replaced the frigate "Psaras)" accompanies an aircraft 
carrier that supports the attack on the Palestinians (under the umbrella 
of the operation Standing NATO Maritime Group Two-SNMG 2), while other 
warships are in a state of readiness for any possibility of 
entanglement. Souda is used for logistics services for US Navy ships 
operating in the area, while US spy planes are constantly taking off to 
provide intelligence to the Israeli and US armed forces. The military 
airport of Elefsina has been granted for the purposes of the American 
Army, while on December 21 the Minister of "Defence", Nikos Dendias, 
announced the final decision of the government for the participation of 
a frigate of the Greek Navy in the operation Prosperity Guardian, under 
the auspices of the USA . The operation is directed against the Shia 
Houthi rebels in Yemen and its essential purpose is to protect the 
navigation of Israeli ships in the Red Sea, which are being attacked by 
the Houthis in "retaliation" for the massacre in Gaza. This decision 
marks the most direct and active participation of the Greek state in the 
bloodshed of the Palestinian people.

Let's not forget that Greece and Israel also have intense military 
cooperation, while the Israeli army conducts exercises with live fire on 
Greek territory, as happened in June 2012 when the Greek state granted 
for this purpose the Karavia islands to Israeli aircraft to conduct such 
exercises kind of military exercise. On March 15, 2023, the Defense 
Cooperation Program between Greece and Israel was signed in Tel Aviv. 
According to GEETHA, the agreement includes 58 activities for 2023, of 
which 25 military exercises, 15 trainings and 18 other actions that will 
take place in both countries, and concern among others: -

Participation in interdisciplinary exercises, as well as in 
corresponding to the individual Branches of the Armed Forces.

- Joint training of Special Forces - Special Operations Forces.

- Participation of trainees in national - interdisciplinary schools and 
multinational schools, as well as in seminars.

- Staff meetings and conversations on matters of mutual interest.

- Co-training courses in Crisis Management, Electronic Warfare, as well 
as Search and Rescue.

On the same day, the Joint Action Plan of the armed forces of Greece - 
Cyprus - Israel for the year 2023 was also signed, which includes: 
participation of media and personnel in joint and national exercises, 
cooperation in the field of cyber defense, cooperation in the field of 
Military Police - MP), joint training of Special Forces - Special 
Operations Forces and staff meetings and talks on matters of mutual 
interest.

On August 9, 2023, two months before the slaughter in Gaza began, the 
"Defense" ministers of Greece and Israel, Nikos Dendias and Yoav Gallad, 
were meeting in Tel Aviv for an in-principle cooperation agreement in 
the field of Research and Development (R&D ) of the war industries of 
the two countries. Dendias then declared that Israel is Greece's 
preferred partner for defense and strategic reasons.

The Greek state, therefore, is not a "source of stability" and an "oasis 
of peace" as it advertises itself. He has taken a fighting position and 
is complicit with the murderers, his hands are dipped in the blood of 
the Palestinian people. The meeting with Mitsotakis Netanyahu in 
Jerusalem on October 23 and the explicit commitment on the part of the 
Greek side to essentially unconditional support - beyond some 
easy-to-digest wording - for "Israel's right to self-defense against 
terrorism" confirms exactly this.

We, from our position, must erect ramparts of resistance against the 
ever-deepening involvement of the Greek state in the ongoing ethnic 
cleansing and send a strong message of solidarity to the struggling 
Palestinian people who continue to stand up against the occupation 
regime and deliver to all of us dignity lessons.

THE GREEK STATE'S PARTICIPATION IN EUROPE'S WAR - A FORTRESS AGAINST 
IMMIGRANTS

"Don't force Europe to become black"

Anna Diamantopoulou, November 2023

Beyond the conventional war that we all know, there is another war going 
on: the one unilaterally declared by Europe - Fortress against 
immigrants. The crime of Pylos is not the only one, nor the last. 
Escalating anti-immigrant militarization and violent deterrence 
operations are spreading death across Europe's land and water borders. 
The thousands of migrant drownings are not simply "accidents" caused by 
the unseaworthiness of boats, but the legal result of the policy of 
preventing the entry of "migrant flows" through the process of 
militarization and close surveillance of the European borders. This 
process of creating a high tech panoptic system on the borders of Europe 
is of course accompanied by a highly profitable economy of surveillance 
for a business/political/military complex, which does business on the 
dead bodies of the infernal. And this gigantic investment by the EU is 
proving to be particularly productive: from 2014 until today, more than 
28,000 dead and missing migrants have been recorded in the 
Mediterranean, on the border with "civilized" Europe. 2500 are dead this 
year alone, in 2023. But in reality, the death toll is even higher and 
we will never know, since we are only talking about the recorded cases...

Naturally, the Greek state is the protagonist in this undeclared and 
one-sided war. Immigrants and refugees, i.e. people uprooted due to the 
interventionist policy of the West, are now considered "invaders". We 
also saw it in the anti-immigrant pogroms in Evros, where officially the 
Greek state was talking about a "hybrid war", targeting the immigrants 
as "Erdogan's agents". Thus, the anti-immigration policy was identified 
with guarding the borders from "invaders". In other words, the 
immigrants are officially defined as an enemy and a military target of 
the Greek state! In July 2022, during the passage of a law systematizing 
the application of barbaric legislation against refugees and immigrants, 
the then Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, was very 
clear about this identification: "We guard our borders and by extension 
the borders of the EU". The application of this inhumane policy was 
expressed more clearly by the current parliamentary representative of 
the New Democracy, Thanos Pleuris: "guarding the borders cannot exist if 
there are no losses and, to be understood, if there are no dead! 
Guarding the border has dead people! (...) And those who now live here 
will have the logic of counter-incentives. When you're here, you won't 
have social benefits, you won't be able to eat, you won't be able to 
drink, you won't be able to go to the hospital. And you will tell the 
others in Pakistan that we have a worse time here than in Pakistan. If 
they don't have a worse time, they will come. They must be having a 
worse time! Hell must seem like heaven to what they will live here."

But if killing immigrants at the border and imprisoning them in modern 
hells and concentration camps is half of the war, the other half is 
"integrating" them where capital needs them. Immigrants are turned into 
cheap fuel in the capitalist meat grinder. Through the process of their 
illegalization, an extremely undervalued working class is created, which 
is used as a lever for the general depreciation of the labor force. And 
with the new "Kairidis regulation" passed last December, now officially 
the number of refugees and immigrants entering the country will be 
directly dependent on the needs for labor in the territory, that is, on 
the profitability needs of capital. Institutional "anti-racism" is 
what's left of the bombs. It is part of the war that capital and 
imperialism have waged against the poor.

GATHERING AT THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24 AT 
2:00 PM

https://www.ainfos.ca/ainfos336/ainfos164080.html
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Subscribe/Unsubscribe https://ainfos.ca/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
Archive: http://ainfos.ca/en