The Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, has achieved something no one could have imagined: passing a resolution on the squats refugee shelters on Alexandras Avenue, which is being celebrated as a historic “victory” by the very community of squatters.
And how could people not celebrate, when the Municipality —with the votes of its own faction and those of “Open City”— officially recognized them as an “autonomous entity,” a “collective social entity,” and an “equal partner in dialogue” with a decisive role in the future of the area.
The issue of the hunger strike in Prosfigika managed to bring together a very specific… group. In their letter, Akis Dimakopoulos, Vasilis Gonis, as well as the well-known Nikos Maziotis and Dimitris Koufontinas, joined forces to demand that the situation not take a fatal turn. One can truly only wonder at the reflexes of Haris Doukas and his allies on the City Council, who, in order to flatter the ears of the well-known… “collectives”, are rushing to put a lid on the organized redevelopment plan for the Attica Region and Nikos Hardalias.
The resolution of the Municipality of Athens is not merely a step backward; it is an unprecedented institutional… capitulation. Mr. Doukas called on the Region to suspend implementation of the redevelopment decision, accepted that all squatters will remain in their homes (that is, in public buildings currently under occupation), and essentially pledged that the Municipality would block any permit or action the State might attempt to restore order in the area.
In simple terms, the mayor of the capital has decided to use his powers not to return the historic buildings to the citizens, but to ensure the status quo of the illegal squats.
At the same time that Mr. Doukas discovers “equal partners in dialogue” in those who consider public property to be their private fiefdom, the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Attica Region remain steadfastly committed to the rule of law, order and genuine social policy.
The government’s position is clear:public spaces belong to all Athenians, and renovations are carried out in accordance with the law and the public interest, not based on the dictates of the squatters and their supporters.
The attempt by the Prosfigika community to portray the government as “standing alone against the whole of society” is the ultimate joke. Greek society demands safety, respect for the law, and clean public spaces, not “convenient” alliances between the municipal government and anarchist groups.
