On the 29th of September, a small group of people in the northern Greek city of Veria decided to take action and to reconnect the electricity supply in a number of houses that had been disconnected from the network. The electricity bills, it should be noted, are the government’s chosen medium of payment for the newest property tax; in a country with more than 80% home-ownership, thousands are expected to be unable to pay the tax (on top of their actual bill, of course) and to therefore face disconnection.
The group from Veria published the following text, explaining their action:
“At the present time, when citizens enjoy peace, order and security, where prudent laws and the welfare state are the rule, some citizens of Veria decided to commit a criminal act. They started reconnecting disconnected electricity supplies.
Responding to the charge-ahead of barbarity, they reconnect the electricity to families that could not afford to pay it. And electricity is a common good. This behaviour toward the citizens of our country is a criminal one; even if they led them to unemployment and impoverishment, they now convict them to a third-world-like everyday condition.
The ordinary citizens shall not bear the cost of the widespread looting by a handful of high-flying individuals, the sell-out of everything by political puppets. In this country, apart from the obligation to pay – over and over again – for thieves and crooks, we also have rights. And the most important of all is dignity.
The group reportedly opens up the electricity supply box, without the prior knowledge of its owner, re-connects the electricity and closes the box again, covering it with a sticker reading: “CITIZENS OF VERIA – Social Solidarity – We Reconnect the Electricity”.
11 Comments
Great move! Great translation
This sounds like so;ethikng that used to – maybe still does – go on in South Africa:
”
In line with their programme to clear old debts, in 2001 the manager of Eskom (the state-run electricity company) announced, “The aim is to disconnect at least 75 percent of Soweto residents”. 20,000 households a month were cut off during 2001 – many times more than were connected by the ANC’s great programme to connect millions of black households to the national grid. In Soweto, the cost of one kilowatt unit of electricity is 28 cents, in Sandton (the ultra-rich area of Johannesburg) it is 16 cents, big business pay 7 cents and the worst- off rural areas pay 48 cents.
As they went to disconnect, Eskom security forces assaulted and bullied members of the community and opened fire on protestors. The community marched to the Mayor’s house and pledged to “embark on a campaign of mass non-payment”. After Emergency Electricians in Soweto reconnected 3,000 houses in six months, Eskom announced that it would not be cutting off those who could not pay – not a bad result! The SECC also went to the home of the Johannesburg Mayor Amos Masondo and disconnected his water supply and electricity. Councillor Rocky Naidoo also had his electricity and water disconnected at his house in May 2001. As part of this movement the offices of banks in Cape Town have been occupied, and the debt-collection building of the Thekwini Council in Durban was layed siege to. Apparently, the struggle to re-connect disconnected electricity supplies was initiated by anarchists in the ZACF collective and in the Shesha Action Group (SAG) in Soweto who started Operation Khanyisa, meaning “light”, the operation that illegally re-connected some 25 000 homes in Soweto.”
From: http://libcom.org/library/south-africa-now-then
This is the way to go. These kind of actions are much more effective instead of just protesting.The governement made it clear they wont listen what the people demand, so it’s time to really declare independence, to not recognize their authority. In the words of one of my favorite bands-Stiff Little Fingers:”Ignore their bores and their laws”
Fucking excellent, autonomous social action!
(@JACK- South Africa, yes, but also Brazil in the Favelas and other Cntrl and Sth American countries- Also in former Soviet Republics-many inspirational examples!).
BBC reporting that govt meeting with the EU austerity Inspectors has been rescheduled due to action of protesters- Any news on this?
That happens when you are lazy and don’t pay your taxes. Greeks are paranoid. They want communism and live at the expenses of the EU and USA. We will not allow it. Some troops need to be send there in order to stop these protests and allow EU to implement its schedules on Greek economy. Or Greece should live the Euro and die as every socialist hell. If Greeks want to improve their country, they need more individualism, hard work and responsibility. Laziness can never justified. This is how capitalism works. You work hard to get rewarded. You are lazy, you suffer. And Greeks become extremely lazy. So I say let them suffer
@ TO ATT – Sorry, TO ATT, you’ve got things all arse-about-face there… To improve our lives worldwide we all need to take steps to eliminate the market mechanisms which prevent us all meeting our needs… The reconnection of disconnected electricity is a small but inspiring step in this necessary process – now that’s not lazy. You know where you can stick your “individualism, hard work and responsibility”, TO ATT!
Close the borders. Kick all capitalist bastards out. Destroy all banks and burn all money. Fuck import/export-bullshit-rules and make it like capitalists:
Get the oil from Thessalia and the Agaen but first bomb the lybian and all other oil-fields to make your oil real expensive.
Don´t try to discuss with “TO ALL”. He is a stupid Troll. The only lazy people r in germany and other european countrys where they aren´t protesting against there fucking governments. they r brainwashed slaves…
The Greek church never paid any single tax. These crooks reserve so much wealth and they are still a subject of tax exclusion…
^^ Posted it on a wrong article…
SOLIDARITY WITH THE STUDENTS, PUPILS AND TEACHERS OF GREECE!-
“According to Kathimerini, the Deputy Education Minister Evi Christofilopoulou (henceforth known simply as Lud-E-Chris) has “suggested” that the police be mobilized to break up “hundreds of sit-ins at schools on Monday a few hours after hundreds of pupils protesting cutbacks clashed with riot officers in central Athens.”
“Universities and schools are public places and as such police can enter them of their own accord,” Christofilopoulou told Kathimerini.
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_03/10/2011_409230
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