Tonight’s tragic deaths in Athens leave little space for comments – we are all very shocked and deeply saddened by the events. To those (on the “Occupied London” blog even) who speculate that the deaths might have been caused purposefully by anarchists, we can only reply the following: we do not take to the streets, we do not risk our freedom and our lives confronting the greek police in order to kill other people. Anarchists are not murderers, and no brainwashing attempted by Greek PM Papandreou, the national or the international media should convince anyone otherwise.
That being said, and with developments still running frantically, we want to publish a rough translation of a statement by an employee of Marfin Bank – the bank whose branch was set alight in Athens today, where the three employees found a tragic death.
Read the letter, translate it, spread it around to your networks; grassroots counter-information has a crucial role to play at a moment when the greek state and corporate media are leashing out on the anarchist movement over here in Greece.
The fire brigade had never issued an operating license to the building in question. The agreement for it to operate was under the table, as it practically happens with all businesses and companies in Greece.
The building in question has no fire safety mechanisms in place, neither planned nor installed ones – that is, it has no ceiling sprinklers, fire exits or fire hoses. There are only some portable fire extinguishers which, of course, cannot help in dealing with extensive fire in a building that is built with long-outdated security standards.
No branch of Marfin bank has had any member of staff trained in dealing with fire, not even in the use of the few fire extinguishers. The management also uses the high costs of such training as a pretext and will not take even the most basic measures to protect its staff.
There has never been a single evacuation exercise in any building by staff members, nor have there been any training sessions by the fire-brigade, to give instructions for situations like this. The only training sessions that have taken place at Marfin Bank concern terrorist action scenarios and specifically planning the escape of the banks’ “big heads” from their offices in such a situation.
The building in question had no special accommodation for the case of fire, even though its construction is very sensitive under such circumstances and even though it was filled with materials from floor to ceiling. Materials which are very inflammable, such as paper, plastics, wires, furniture. The building is objectively unsuitable for use as a bank due to its construction.
No member of security has any knowledge of first aid or fire extinguishing, even though they are every time practically charged with securing the building. The bank employees have to turn into firemen or security staff according to the appetite of Mr Vgenopoulos [owner of Marfin Bank].
The management of the bank strictly bared the employees from leaving today, even though they had persistently asked so themselves from very early this morning – while they also forced the employees to lock up the doors and repeatedly confirmed that the building remained locked up throughout the day, over the phone. They even blocked off their internet access so as to prevent the employees from communicating with the outside world.
For many days now there has been some complete terrorisation of the bank’s employees in regard to the mobilisations of these days, with the verbal “offer”: you either work, or you get fired.
The two undercover police who are dispatched at the branch in question for robbery prevention did not show up today, even though the bank’s management had verbally promised to the employees that they would be there.
At last, gentlemen, make your self-criticism and stop wandering around pretending to be shocked. You are responsible for what happened today and in any rightful state (like the ones you like to use from time to time as leading examples on your TV shows) you would have already been arrested for the above actions. My co-workers lost their lives today by malice: the malice of Marfin Bank and Mr. Vgenopoulos personally who explicitly stated that whoever didin’t come to work today [May 5th, a day of a general strike!] should not bother showing up for work tomorrow [as they would get fired].
- An employee of Marfin Bank [greek original]
and as real "antisemit anarcho-stalinists" we got some quotations from parliamentary groups...
KKE/SYRISA:
1. In Parliament the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) has accused the government for the deaths, claiming it was a result of agents provocateur fascist groups. The claims of the Communist Party are based on the fact that 50 fascists tried to enter the PAME demo bearing the flags of the union earlier in the morning. The fascists were spotted, chased and sought refuge behind riot police lines.
2. Accusing the extreme-right as being behind the deaths, the Coalition of Radical Left (SYRISA) has declared in Parliament that the government cannot pretend to be in grief for the loss of life, as it has been attacking human life by all means possible.
bitte?
was soll der scheiss? da kann es noch so viele diverse zusammenhänge geben, welche den brand womöglich tragischer haben ausgehen lassen. die schuld am tod dreier leute durch einen molotov-cocktail denen vorzuwerfen, die für die notfall-vorrichtung im falle eines brandes zuständig waren und diese vernachlässigt haben, ist einfach nur falsch und geschmacklos. wer brandsätze um sich wirft und sich darauf verlässt, dass :
1. eventuell gefährdete personen bestimmt mal darüber aufgeklärt wurden, wie sie sich im brandfall zu verhalten haben
2. betroffene gebäude doch sicherlich eine sprinkleranlage haben
3. die feuerwehr für dieses gebäude einen notfallsplan ausgearbeitet hat
,der sollte das werfen dann doch lieber unterlassen und zu hause bleiben.
das einzige, was dieser brief dokumentiert ist die geistige armut des verfassers und derer, die darum bitten, ihn herumzuschicken. so wird der tod dreier menschen durch einen molotov-cocktail nicht denen angelastet, die ihn eben schmissen, sondern denen, die darauf nicht vorbereitet waren.
auf solch dumme mitteilungen kann man doch gerne verzichten. wie schafft es dieser artikel also hier veröffentlicht zu werden.
lt. ORF 20h waren akten zu steuerhinterziehung da
und auch in dem finanzamt, wo im 4.stock gezündelt wurde, auch sollte das brandgutachten abgewartet werden, ob es molli oder gasgranate war, den leuten wurde mit kündigungsdrohung streikteilnahme verboten und sie wurden eingeschlossen. sie befanden sich im 2. und 3. stock... mehr auf den anderen seiten
übersetzungen: deutsch/espanol
http://www.alasbarricadas.org/noticias/?q=node/13934
http://de.indymedia.org/2010/05/280460.shtml
weitere übersetzungen auf occupied london
10.05.10 18 uhr soli-demo am alexanderplatz in berlin
vielleicht in anderen städten auch
Greek bank staff strike after
GREEK bank staff will hold a nationwide strike today in protest at the deaths of three bank employees in a firebomb attack during general strike demonstrations in Athens yesterday, their union said.
Police said two women and one man died at a branch of the Marfin bank in Athens which caught fire after rioters broke a window and threw Molotov cocktails inside. Around 20 more people had to be ushered to safety.
"This tragic event that took the life of three of our colleagues, two women and a man, is the sad consequence of anti-popular measures that whipped up pop popular anger," the OTOE bank employees' federation said.
"The government has very serious responsibilities, as it seems it failed to take account the scale of the consequences which its decisions would have on Greek society," OTOE said.
The federation also criticised Greek police for failing to protect its members, noting that banks are frequently targeted during demonstrations.
The general strike was the first major test of the Socialist government's resolve to push through unprecedented measures since agreeing an 110 billion euros ($157.05 billion) EU and IMF debt bailout at the weekend.
At least two other buildings, one used by tax officials, caught fire in other firebomb attacks on the margins of the protests.
At least 12 people were injured in the violence and police made eight arrests, a police source said.
Another 37 people were detained in the northern city of Thessaloniki after similar street protests.