March 24, 2016

The voices of the refugees from the Greek-Macedonia Borders

Neither water nor food! Open the borders!

by Leandro Hofstadter, journalist of the Rudolph Klement Publishing House
and Abu Muad, co-author of the book “Syria under Fire”

For the last month the refugees, who have reached Europe running away from the massacres, counter-revolutionary wars and misery caused by the imperialist plunder, have been trapped in Greece, unable to move on to their final destination -Germany in most cases- before the closure of the border to leave Greece and reach Macedonia. 14,000 refugees camped in Idomeni under the worst subhuman conditions. They do not have toilets, no running water, buffeted by rainy nights and intense cold in winter. Idomeni is one of the border crossings through which also passes the railway route linking different European countries. Another 6,000 refugees are in camps and in the open field with their tents around the borders, under similar conditions to that of Idomeni (in fact it is a common denominator in the field-prisons refugee misery and subhuman living conditions where the press is totally forbidden to enter) in places like Kavala, Platania, Tsoliades, Lantomio and Polikastro. 20,000 refugees are on the border, while another 20,000 are in the rest of Greece, in detention centers as in Korinth, refugee camps as 3 in Athens and surrounding areas, other centers are in the islands, and many are in the Athens port and in their streets, as well as in the second Greek city, Thessaloniki. They are left alone to their own fate.

Last week there were 3 demonstrations in Athens. One is prepared in Thessaloniki for the next few days. And, although they know the border is closed, refugees go towards the border crossing, marching as a fighting measure to concentrate there until the borders are opened. Whether refugees are in Athens, Thessaloniki or at the border, the war cry is only one: "Open the borders!".
Reaching the place, they were tending tents in Idomeni and surroundings. Over the days, the refugees began to organize and are in a real fighting plan. They have cut the railway lines connecting Greece with the rest of Europe. They also began a hunger strike, shouting "Neither water nor food, open the borders". They have organized cutting the roads linking all border areas, crossing to Macedonia and Thessaloniki preventing firstly the trucks and trade to cross over. They declare that they will not open the train paths, they will not eat and will not stop cutting routes until the borders are opened.
In Idomeni, refugees have spent more than a month under the rain, suffering low temperatures, , isolated of all the Greeks and European workers, they were left alone by the bureaucracy of the unions, the CP and social-imperialist parties. They know that unity with the Greek workers is essential to open the borders. They know that along with European workers can defeat the EU. For that reason they use the media to make a call to all the exploited: "We are a single fist, we need your help to face the same enemy, the EU which destroys our countries, leaves us nothing and attack you with its austerity measures."

The government of Syriza, the left of the imperialist Troika, appears as a friend of the refugees, blaming Macedonia to repress and close the border. But Syriza government is the one that keeps closed the border with Turkey forcing refugees to a dangerous journey by sea. Syriza’s government has opened up all the concentration camps at Nazi-style (detention centers, refugee camps, hot spots) where they have even marked the refugees number behind barbed wire, ready for deportation. It is the government of Syriza which has not only begun deportations, also arrests, or they are left alone with no housing and under the attacks of fascist gangs.
Yesterday, Syriza police attempt to evict unsuccessfully one of the roadblocks that made refugees, that was a real picket, where it was decided to pass only ambulances, media and private cars as a way of tell the Greek workers and exploited who are on their side and we need to fight together against the EU. This attempted of eviction adds to the threats and rumors of eviction of entire border with Macedonia, which Syriza still cannot do, but it tries to create the conditions to do so.
The refugees remain firm and all eyes on Greece are on them. A great solidarity has spread with food donations, meals, tents, sleeping bags, medical aid and others. But it has come from the population on their own, not of labor organizations, or left organization, but for some "self-organized collective". There is no generalized process of solidarity as a unified struggle. And now Syriza does not want to risk itself by repressing and evacuating the refugee camps and deport massivly because they do not want to overpass the force relation and cause a generalized response that finished transforming the entire solidarity in a unified struggle. Syriza and the entire EU push for the ranks division and to water down the struggle, carrying out deportations and small evacuations, to conquer the conditions to impose its plan.

For that reason and for what is happening with the refugees suffering terrible conditions, their situation is already desperate and their war cry is an emergency call. We need to move forward into a unified struggle and coordinate it now! We are all refugees! Everyone to Idomeni!
ALL THE WORKERS ORGANIZATIONS AND SAY TO SUPPORT THE SYRIAN REVOLUTION AND THE REFUGEES MUST COME HERE!!! Let’s win the streets against Syriza, Troika, EU! Open the borders, against the slaughter in Syria and the Middle East, against the austerity plans that we suffer on either side of the Mediterranean, for a decent job and lively wages to have a decent life!
Two refugees set on fire in a desperate attempt to achieve this unity, so that the Greeks exploited stand up, to open the borders so that their families and their class brothers have a decent life. They are now in the hospital in critical condition because they were willing to give their lives for it.
The conditions, in which the refugees were left, make them to have no choice but to resort to these methods. Refugees are fighting in Europe, leading the revolution in Maghreb and Middle East to Europe. They are the heart of the European working class and their struggle must be taken as their own and as one by all workers and exploited in Greece, Germany, France and the entire continent.

Open the borders! Equal legal rights and union for all!
Everyone to Idomeni, to coordinate a unified plan of struggle against Syriza, the leftist government of Troika!
European general strike now!
Down with the fourth memorandum in Greece, the labour law in France and all "austerity measures"!
Down with the imperialist Maastricht!