Against the harmful effects of the “stay home” ideology for proletarian self-organization
In the time of pandemic (which is certainly favoured by the capitalist mode of production, if not directly arising from it), it is more than ever evident that the function of the capitalist state entails the protection of capital and labour in general, however on terms that will not allow the self-activity of the working class.
Faced with a new “invisible enemy” in the midst of a continuing crisis of reproduction of the capitalist relations, the state chooses to shut down certain sectors (relating to the circulation of non-essential commodities) and imposes measures to protect at the lowest possible cost the largest part of the necessary labour power, having already proscribed a section of it.
The political personnel of capital is well aware of the deplorable state of the public health system as they themselves have implemented policies of extreme austerity, labour depre- ciation and reduction of the workforce, especially in the sectors of the reproduction of labour power. That is why they fear that the high contagiousness of the invisible virus will make the consequences of their own policies all too visible, and that is why they are trying to consign to oblivion and invisibility their successful campaign of slashing state expenses on reproduction over the past years of the so-called “debt crisis”. If the capitalist state could already present itself as an autonomous and neutral organization functioning in the interest of “civil society” and the “nation”, now, in conditions of mass panic that the state itself created, it appears much more as the “guardian of public health” and “protector” of us all, in military terms, though. The imposed quarantine aims additionally at the preventive repression of any questioning of the state policies or any proletarian autonomous, concerted initiative of demands and resistance, especially when it is presented in terms of hygienic policing and discipline, stigmatizing those who violate the dogma of “stay home” as socially irresponsible and criminals.
However, the confinement/self-confinement due to the corona-virus and the prevention- prohibition of rallies/gatherings or, even worse, the voluntary suspension of the functioning of political collectives have disastrous results. Isolation or self-isolation intensifies the feel- ing of weakness and paralysis under conditions of mass panic, at the very time when very serious issues have already arisen, especially concerning labour relations and wages.
Because we do not believe that the proletarian public sphere should retreat in the face of the daily war press releases of the government spokesperson and media terrorism, because the “new sociality” of the slogan “stay home”… alone that the political personnel of capital wants to impose on us prepares the dystopia of the antisocial, individualistic, lonely and helpless person,
because a lot of us are already at health risk in our workplaces,
because a lot of us already stay home unpaid, poorly paid or unemployed,
because labour relations in several sectors have already undergone yet another violent mutation (much more extensive than that of SARS-CoV-2),
because the repression mechanisms find the opportunity to do as they please and sup- press certain structures that the (multinational) proletariat uses to satisfy its “illegal” needs, because no kind of political organizational cooperation can function in conditions of (self)isolation, social-distancing and contemplative monologues on facebook,
and because we do not share the “national solidarity” feelings expressed from Evros to the metropolitan centre in support of the monologue of the bosses,
we choose to continue our meetings (while maintaining self-protection and hygiene mea- sures) to discuss all of these, as well as about collective ways to deal with them.
“INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY” IS A CAPITALISTIC IDEOLOGY AND A DECEIT INCREASE STATE EXPENSES FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM AND NOT FOR THE MILITARY!
WE WON’T BE CONFINED AT HOME
DOWN WITH THE COPS,THE ARMY AND THE BIO-POLITICAL MANAGEMENT OF THE PROLETARIAT!
FULL SOCIAL WAGE TO ALL LAID-OFF OR ON LEAVE WORKERS
IMMEDIATE HIRINGS WITH INCREASED SALARIES AT HOSPITALS AND SUPER- MARKETS SO THAT EXISTING WORKERS DON’T GET COMPLETELY OVER- WHELMED
March 18,
Assembly of Workers and Unemployed from Syntagma Square