Invitation to the 1st
“Beyond Europe” International Camp inHalkidiki, 18-25
August
In north-eastern
Halkidiki, a long struggle, which has taken the form of an uprising of the
local residents against the forces of repression but also against the local authorities,
has brought to the foreground the issue of capitalist development, as well as
the power of resistance when it is exercised by the citizens themselves.
Canadian
mining company Eldorado Gold, operating with the scandalous complicity of the
Greek state and the largest Greek construction company, Aktor, decided to erase
from the map an area of old-growth forest, which sustains local activities such
as livestock breeding, beekeeping and agriculture, of beautiful beaches with
low-intensity tourism, and of inexhaustible water resources.
As
anticipated, their plans are not limited to Halkidiki, but extend throughout Macedonia
and Thrace, where significant gold deposits have been detected.
The method
of cyanide processing, used by the company in mining projects all over the
world, leaves no doubt about what is already happening in the region or what
will happen in the future.
This pharaonic
project, expected to cause a wide-scale ecological disaster in Greece, could
not proceed without harsh repression, thus bringing into existence another
heavy industry, the industry of judicial prosecution. Currently, more than 300 local
residents and solidarity supporters are being prosecuted, many of whom are
charged with criminal law offenses.
And while
all this developed during the years of the PASOK and New Democracy governments,
which have exhibited an implacable attitude in the region, a year ago there
were indications that something could change at the institutional level.
First with
the municipal elections, in May 2014, where the new mayor was supported by the anti-mining
movement, and later in the parliamentary elections, in January 2015, where a
party that promised to stop the mining project, Syriza, was the most voted.
However,
developments are disappointing for those who pinned all their hopes on the institutions.
Two months ago,
the mayor of the region resigned, unable to offer a significant response to the
problem. The new left-wing government is limited to trying to gain “political
time”, since it has no intention of openly confronting the two companies,
Eldorado and Aktor.
As a
result, the development works at the mining area are going on with increasing
intensity, transforming the old-growth forest of Skouries into a lunar
landscape.
On the
other hand, the anti-mining movement, the largest movement in crisis-stricken
Greece, is now at a crossroads, overburdened by the weight of the trials and
prosecutions that are already underway, as well as the upcoming ones.
It is thus
proven beyond doubt that the promises of a definitive solution of the problem
through political delegation will not be fulfilled. The time lost waiting for an
institutional solution testifies to the fact that only the unmediated
grassroots struggle can lead to a victory for the anti-mining movement. The
autonomy of the movements in front of any government should be an inviolable
principle.
This is the
new cycle of struggle that is now opening among the residents and the struggle committees.
At this specific moment, the international anticapitalist/antiauthoritarian
network “Beyond Europe” takes the initiative to organise a solidarity and
struggle camp on August 18 - 25, at the beach of Ierissos, in an area that
suffered the greatest state repression.
This is an
invitation to everyone who wants to be active in the struggle for Land and
Freedom, against the destructive plans of the capital. We invite individuals
and collectives to participate in the political and cultural events planned, as
well as in a demonstration in the restricted area, which is being prepared in
collaboration with the local residents. We invite you to contribute a breath of
freedom to a significant struggle, the development of which, at the present
stage, will be the beacon of many other struggles in Greece. For us, the meaning
of life lies in the international common ground of struggle for the liberation
of the people from the tyranny of rapacious capitalism and from the hegemony of
the state and the ruling class.
International
Antiauthoritarian Network Against Capitalism
Beyond Europe
