“…for I obeyed only my heart, which was torn by the suffering of all proletarians, the unfortunate, the hunted and the enslaved outcasts ” Germaine Berton*
These are the moments when big words seem inappropriate and presumptuous, when life in all its intensity makes us realize how short our path can be. When we speak up at such a moment, we hope to offer empathy, solidarity, perhaps a little solace to those who want it.
It is these moments that make us painfully aware that the life we have chosen is not only intense, exhausting, dangerous and at the same time beautiful, but also very fleeting. When a person with revolutionary ideas dies fighting for them, it is important to take a moment. We do not believe in necessities, collateral damage or martyrdom. As anarchists, we fight for life, even if we realize that in this world it is reserved for a few to be allowed to live a dignified life. That is also why we fight.
The confrontation with power often seems so abstract to us in everyday life, even if it has an impact in the smallest actions and moments. Losing a person on the path we have chosen is probably one of the most terrible scenarios imaginable. Our hearts are shaken at the thought of the situation our fellow comrades find themselves in, their pain is unimaginable.
When we look around in the world today, it is not easy to find hope. And yet we want to remember how much beauty there is in the experiences we have had, the struggles we have shared, the new and different relationships we are creating on the path of revolution, of anarchy. It is all these small and big moments that allow us to move forward.
For Kyriakos, who died in an explosion in an apartment in Athens on 31.10.24. You will not be forgotten.
For Marianna, who was injured in the explosion and imprisoned, Stay strong, you are not alone.
For Dimitra and other imprisoned and persecuted comrades, Freedom and luck for you!
Solidarity and complicity!
Anarchists from the north
DN Note
* Germaine Berton, French anarchist who on 22 January 1923, assassinated secretary of Action Française (far right, monarchist and nationalist) and leader of The Camelots du roi (far-right youth organization of Action Française), Marius Plateau, with five revolver shots at the organization’s headquarters. When police arrived, Berton declared she was avenging the assassination of Jean Jaurès (socialist and anti-miltarist assassinated by a nationalist), Miguel Almereyda’s mysterious death (socialist and antimiltarist journalist who died in a prison cell), and France’s occupation of the Ruhr.