Yesterday morning, March 6th, a crew of Corfu Municipality stormed Elaia squat on the pretext of ‘cleansing and exploiting’ the greenhouse in the occupied rural space on behalf of the Green Municipal Administration. This morning, March 7th, the participants in the squat blocked this raid, but then the deputy mayor Yannis Riggas, who paid us a ‘visit’, defiantly gave us a deadline of five days ‘to pick up our stuff and get out.’ Further bullying, Mr. Riggas declared that he doesn’t owe anybody any explanations, neither us, nor the rest of the community – for which, as he stated, he only cares every four years, during elections — and that he won’t be held accountable to the Town Council, which has made no related decision on the matter…
In our view, this attack by the municipal authority on Elaia squat is not incidental, at a time when the restriction of political and social rights is intensified, and the Power is attempting to gag spaces and voices that resist the brutal capitalist onslaught.
During the two and a half years of its existence, Elaia squat has called for numerous strikes and demonstrations, organized political discussions and social manifestations, created a rural collective space for the co-cultivation of land, held free bazaars and free courses (of Greek to migrants, theatre, photography, dance lessons), while even the theatrical performances, the concerts, the festivities and parties which took place in the squat have always moved away from the dominant logic of commercialization and profit.
Also, in the greenhouse where the municipal authority decide to interfere we already operate a seedbed nursery for fruit and vegetables, aiming at the free distribution of plants and seeds of local varieties to people on Corfu who are faced with unemployment and poverty. In this seedbed project, apart from the squat’s agricultural collectivity, there are also individuals from other local collectivities involved. It is this space that the municipal authority of Corfu have chosen to establish an ornamental plant nursery for the jardinières of the town centre, which is filled up day by day with more and more homeless people.
As Elaia squat, we send a clear message to Corfu Municipality: there is no chance that we’ll leave this space, whatever may happen, and we will stand against the State of poverty and repression in each of its plans.
Hands off Elaia squat
Your flowers cannot hide the social misery
10… 100… 1,000 squats against a world filled with jardinières
March 7th: Gathering–Demo at 18.00 in Georgaki Square / Open assembly at 21.00 in Elaia squat
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Bravo where is it your at ??