We are still following and trying to support the self-organized factory of VioMe in Thessaloniki. The power got cut by authorities, but they continue to produce soap, also for #Moria.

A great thanks to our friend Dimi for the following free and spontaneaous translation from the original article published 3rd if April at www.documentonews.gr.

***VIOME is not going to shut down because of two electrical cables.****

More than six thousand people have already signed on the online petition platform Avaaz, requesting that the electrical supply gets immediately reconnected in the self-managed factory of VIOME, after it was cut down at the dawn of Monday the 30th of March.

As it is pointed out in the aforementioned online petition, the curfew “applies less to some people than others. If the workers of VIOME gather to protest they will be considered illegal, while the swat-teams and the few willing employees of DEH (the Greek electricity company) are allowed to gather in order to cut-off the electrical supply”.

The excuse the officials gave to the workers of VIOME regarding this unprecedented decision was that “we are illegal”. And they were considered illegal, because as it is also mentioned on the online petition, in the last weeks and amidst the pandemic crisis they committed the grave crime of “producing soap to send it to Moria (refugee camp in Lesvos), to people who don’t have any. We produced cleaning products to send them to the prisons, which the state has left completely unprotected within the pandemic. And of course we continued producing cleaning products in order to send them to working families, which do not have the right to protect themselves from the virus, since they must get stacked up in their working places to continue producing for the profit of the big-heads”.

Besides, us citizens are at the time supposed to “stay home”, of course unless “we don’t have a home because we are staying in a concentration camp. For the state there is no profit in looking after the worker, the refugee, the prisoner. So they are left completely unprotected during the pandemic, but when it comes to collective struggles the curfew is inviolable”.

The petition speaks of a decision that has been already made by the government, since “the state wants to shut down the VIOME factory, to halt a unit which is producing cleaning articles in the midst of the corona-crisis. It is ordering the shut-down of a factory that is taking all the protective measures for the safety of its workers, while it lets the big employers completely uncontrolled”.

It is of course not the first time that “they are trying to cut-off the electrical supply. The previous administrations attempted the same thing. And this happens as we have time after time proposed for the electrical bill to be registered in our names, so that we can pay for the consumption ourselves. We understand why they went to shut down the electrical supply before the break of dawn. Because the moment the sun rose, a wave of solidarity arrived at our door. People from all over the world are determined to support our effort. Allies are translating and sharing our letters and petitions. They are asking to buy our products”.

Nevertheless, the tenacity of the workers of VIOME is not being bent down, on the contrary it becomes even bigger. They are demanding the immediate reconnection of the electrical supply under the name of the collective VIOME (CO.VIO.ME) and the full legalization of the factory and the unhindered operation of the production: “VIOME is not going to shut down because of two electrical cables. The solidarity has already brought us an electrical generator and we are continuing to function, we are starting to produce again and we our working on the full reinstatement of our function with any means necessary”.

And because VIOME, despite the efforts of those who organized this operational plan, “will remain in working hands”, the petition is calling the citizens to continue to support the self-managed factory, by buying the products manufactured by the workers of VIOME on the website: https://www.viomecoop.com/

Underneath you find the complete text of the online petition:

Men dressed in khaki, armed with guns, are roaming the streets in the night during a curfew and repress people. What does that remind us of? Before dawn, at 6:30 in the morning, the government sent the crew of DEH (Greek electrical company) to cut-off the electrical supply at VIOME. Accompanied by the swat-team, securing the attempt to suppress our struggle. As it was expected, the curfew applies less to some people than others. If the workers of VIOME gather to protest they will be considered illegal, while the swat-teams and the few willing employees of DEH are allowed to gather in order to cut-off the electrical supply. They are cutting-off the electrical supply by claiming that we are illegal. Let us unveil the crimes we have committed in the last few weeks ever since the pandemic started. We produced soap to send it to Moria, to people who don’t have any. We produced cleaning products to send them to the prisons, which the state has left completely unprotected within the pandemic. And of course we continued producing cleaning products in order to send them to working families, which do not have the right to protect themselves from the virus, since they must get stacked up in their working places to continue producing for the profit of the big-heads. There is a common denominator here. The wise thing to do for them is to “stay at home”, of course unless we don’t have a home because we are staying in a concentration camp. For the state and the employers there is no profit in looking after the worker, the refugee, the prisoner. So they are left completely unprotected during the pandemic, but when it comes to collective struggles the curfew is inviolable. The state wants to shut down the VIOME factory, to halt a unit which is producing cleaning articles in the midst of the corona-crisis. It is ordering the shut-down of a factory that is taking all the protective measures for the safety of its workers, while it lets the big employers completely uncontrolled. It is of course not the first time that they are trying to cut-off the electrical supply. The previous administrations attempted the same thing. And this happens as we have time after time proposed for the electrical bill to be registered in our names, so that we can pay for the consumption ourselves. We understand why they went to shut down the electrical supply before the break of dawn. Because the moment the sun rose, a wave of solidarity arrived at our door. People from all over the world are determined to support our effort. Allies are translating and sharing our letters and petitions. They are asking to buy our products. VIOME is not going to shut down because of two electrical cables. The solidarity has already brought us an electrical generator and we are continuing to function, we are starting to produce again and we our working on the full reinstatement of our function with any means necessary. Immediate reconnection of the electrical supply under the name of the collective VIOME (CO.VIO.ME), full legalization of the factory and unhindered operation of the production. You can help our cause by buying the VIOME products using the following link: https://www.viomecoop.com/ VIOME will stay in working hands #power2viome

A great thanks to Dimi for the free and spontaneaous translation from the original article published 3rd if April at www.documentonews.gr.

Please share!!
Union Coop // Föderation
Gemein & Nützlich – Vertriebskollektiv

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Sie können hier die Petition unterschreiben: https://tinyurl.com/wj67hdw

Früheres statement von Vio.me in deutsch:

Männer in Kampfmontur und bewaffnet patrouillieren in der Dunkelheit, nutzen die Ausgangssperre und ziehen ihre Repressionspolitik durch. Woran erinnert uns das? Noch vor dem Morgengrauen, um 6:30 Uhr morgens, hat eine Kolonne des staatlichen Stromversorgers (DEI) im Auftrag der Regierung die Stromversorgung der VIOME abgeschaltet. În der Nähe standen Spezialeinsatzkräfte der Polizei, die übereifrig und untertänig darauf warteten, wieder einmal unser Projekt lahmzulegen. Wie zu erwarten war, gilt die Ausgangssperre für manche weniger als für andere. Sollten die VIOME-Arbeitnehmer*innen sich versammeln, um zu protestieren, handeln sie illegal, während die Mannschaften der Spezialeinsatzkräfte und manche übereifrige Mitarbeiter des staatlichen Stromversorgers (DEI) zusammenkommen können, um uns den Strom abzuschalten.

Sie haben den Strom unter dem Vorwand abgeschaltet, dass wir illegal seien. Wir werden euch das Verbrechen verraten, das wir in den letzten Wochen seit Beginn der Pandemie begangen haben. Wir haben Seifen hergestellt, um sie nach Moria zu schicken, an Leute, die keine haben. Wir haben Reinigungsmittel für Gefängnisse, die der Staat der Pandemie ausgeliefert hat, produziert. Und natürlich haben wir weiterhin Reinigungsmittel hergestellt, um Familien der ärmsten sozialen Schichten zu beliefern, die eigentlich vor dem Virus kaum geschützt werden, denn sie müssen in eng zusammengepferchten Produktionsstätten für die Profite der Arbeitgeber schuften.

Wir kommen hier zur folgenden Einschätzung. Für sie wird es als sinnvoll erachtet, wenn wir „zu Hause bleiben“, es sei denn, wir müssen für ihre Profite arbeiten. Wir sollten „zu Hause bleiben“, es sei denn, wir haben kein Zuhause und leben in Lagern (Flüchtlingslagern und Massenunterkünften). Es ist für den Staat und die Arbeitgeber nicht rentabel, die arbeitenden Menschen, die Flüchtlinge, die Gefängnisinsassen zu schützen. Aus diesem Grunde sind sie der Pandemie ausgeliefert, doch wenn es um kollektive Kämpfe geht, dann sind solche Verbote rigoros anzuwenden. Der Staat will die Fabrik schließen, will die Produktion mitten in der Corona-Krise stoppen. Er ordnet die Schließung einer Fabrik an, die die Sicherheitsmaßnahmen für die Gesundheit der Arbeitnehmer*innen sorgfältig beachtet, während große Arbeitgeber nicht kontrolliert werden.
Dies ist nicht das erste Mal, dass sie versuchen, uns den Strom abzuschalten. Das haben auch frühere Regierungen versucht. Und das alles, während wir immer wieder vorgeschlagen haben, einen Stromzähler auf unseren Namen einzubauen, um unseren Stromverbrauch abzurechnen. Wir verstehen, warum sie im Morgengrauen erschienen sind. Denn bei Tagesanbruch kam sofort eine Welle der Solidarität. Menschen auf der ganzen Welt sind entschlossen, unser Projekt zu unterstützen. Solidarische Aktivist*innen übersetzen und verbreiten unsere Aufrufe. Sie fragen nach unseren Produkten.

Wegen zwei Stromkabeln wird VIOME nicht dichtmachen. Die Solidaritätsbewegung hat uns kurzfristig einen Generator besorgt und wir arbeiten weiter. Wir beginnen erneut mit der Produktion und werden mit allen Mitteln versuchen, einen Wiederanschluss an die Stromversorgung zu erreichen.

SOFORTIGER WIEDERANSCHLUSS AN DIE STROMVERSORGUNG DES STAATLICHEN STROMVERSORGERS (DEI) MIT EINEM STROMZÄHLER AUF UNSEREN NAMEN UND MIT DER STEUER-IDENTIFIKATIONSNUMMER DER SE.VIOME.

VOLLE LEGALISIERUNG DER FABRIK FÜR EINE UNGEHINDERTE PRODUKTION.

WIR BITTEN ALLE UNTERSTÜTZER*INNEN IN GRIECHENLAND UND IM AUSLAND UM IHRE SOLIDARITÄT.

UNSER PROJEKT KANN DURCH DEN KAUF UNSERER PRODUKTE UNTERSTÜTZT WERDEN:

In Deutschland beim Gemein & Nützlich Vertriebskollektiv

oder direkt: https://www.viomecoop.com/oder EMAIL : seviome@gmail.com
VIOME bleibt in den Händen der Arbeiter!
#power2viome

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