12/07/2011 – The following text is what was in today’s meeting. Printed in 1,000 copies and distributed in the streets of downtown Nicosia and at the protest that took place in Eleutherias Square.
The morning of Monday 11 July a strong explosion in the naval base “Evangelos Florakis” resulted in death including 6 firefighters, 2 soldiers (sailors) and injuring several others. The explosion is the result of criminal negligence of “competent” authorities that were aware of the problem. They chose to do nothing, it seems to avoid some costs of security measures. Of course, having unleashed an incredible witch hunt against the rebellious, they were too busy to deal with the minor issue of an imminent deadly accident.
This contempt for human life is nothing new in this world. We meet it every day at school, in the army [There is still 2 years obligatory military service in Cyprus for all young men], at work – everywhere. The explosion in the naval base was a condensation of these concepts in a murderous time.
The degradation of human life and dignity is deeply intertwined with a sense of militarism and the military machine. The army is an institution built to kill, whether in war or at borders or as “peacekeeping missions” (see Iraq, Bosnia etc). Not only does it kill people but through the imposition of nationalism, hierarchy and strict discipline, it manipulates and kills consciences. As students we can only see it as a continuation of the brainwashing done in schools. An attempt to shape us according to their standards in order to become obedient slaves of the system and all power.
Reference to the criminal past of the Cypriot army deserves to be made, (after which it is at least hypocritical and contradictory to think that only now it is negative) and in Cyprus there is a long list of suicide of soldiers (apart from the psychological problems caused to soldiers) and “accidents”, the interweaving and cooperation with the military junta (Greece ’67 – ’73) and participation in the coup of ’74 with tragic consequences.
DOWN WITH ALL ARMIES
PS We send our solidarity with the recruits and those who are forced to suffer the brutality and authoritarian imposition of the army. No hostage in the hands of the armed State!
Student group SKAPOULA (Escaped)
22 de Mayo
July 13, 2011
Translated to spanish and posted on http://22demayo.wordpress.com comrades!
22-05 Contra!nfo