We stand in solidarity because :
Fotis Tziotzis does not pretend to be innocent. He does not seek excuses, he does not round up his actions. He stands in the dock as what he is: an anarchist who has chosen to confront the world of power, in deed and in word. And he does so without a trace of remorse, without asking for mercy.
He expects no one to save him – he expects the movement to stand up to its words. For he himself did not back down.
And yet, while other anarchist defendants were turned into icons, became posters, banners, hashtags and statements, Fotis was left out. Not because he’s less of a militant, but because he didn’t fit in. He doesn’t sell as much, he doesn’t have “the right style”, he is not easily consumed by a solidarity that often functions as a catwalk of sympathy.
And that, too, is a problem – not his, but ours.
Solidarity is not an emotional gesture. It is a political stance. It doesn’t pick “good” and “bad” anarchists, nor does it work with likes and trending. If we choose who we support based on image rather than substance, then we are already defeated.
Fotis is not asking for forgiveness or sympathy. He declares himself present, consistent, dangerous – and that is what the state charges him with as a crime. To us, it ought to be counted as a virtue. If repression targets those who do not submit, then silence in the face of such cases is complicity.
This text was not written from scratch. It was preceded by questions, corrections, comments, objections. It did not emerge as an “inspiration”, but through the process that produces politics: criticism, assertion, stance. And it is this attitude that we want to deposit here.
Because if on 18 July the state makes a decision about Fotis, what we do is that we judge ourselves. And if we want a movement that is not manageable, that does not get comfortable, then it is time to prove it.
No selective solidarity – all for one, and all together against the state
Consistency should not be paid with silence – but with support
Solidarity is a deed, not raising banners
Anarchists
Source: athens.indymedia
