DECLARATION OF GREEK CONSCRIPTS AGAINST WAR

national | miscellaneous | news report

Wednesday April 09, 2003 07:46

by ANTIWAR INTERNATIONALIST MOVEMENT Greece - ANTIWAR INTERNATIONALIST MOVEMENT Greece

The following document is an antiwar declaration of Greek conscripts from 31 units of the Greek army, navy and air force. We call all soldiers conscripts and proffessionals from all Europe to follow their example.

We are all soldiers serving our military duty in the Greek army and we wish to join our voices with the voices of millions of people who demonstrate every day showing their opposition to the on going war in Iraq.
We condemn unequivocally the murderous attack of USA and their allies against Iraq. We place our selves wholeheartedly on the side of the Iraqi people.
We also condemn the involvement of our country in the military operations. This involvement is being expressed by the presence of Greek battleships in the Persian Gulf and in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, the presence of Greek pilots in the AWACS patrolling over northern Iraq and the use of the military base of Souda-Crete as well as other naval and air bases by the American and British killers. We are also very much concerned by the intention of the Greek government to send a whole brigade to Iraq after the war in order to act as an occupying force. Even the health of the conscripts and officers of the Greek army seems to be a dispensable item in this war for the government. This is proven by the plans of the military leadership to inoculate the crew of the battleship “KOYNTOYRIOTIS” (that is patrolling in the Persian Gulf by the dangerous anthrax vaccine. On the other hand the cost of the Greek involvement in this war as well as in the various “peace keeping” forces around the world is about 235.000 euros per month placing a heavy economic burden on the Greek people.
Unfortunately, the state of alert situation imposed to the army by the government due to the ongoing war in Iraq has caused a serious deterioration of our living conditions inside the army. The bombs dropped on Iraqi civilians result also in the increase of our duties, the exercises with real fire and the pressure on the soldiers.
WE DECLARE THAT:
- WE WILL REFUSE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY WAY IN THE MILITARY OPERATIONS AGAINST IRAQ AND IN ANY KIND OF OCCUPATIONAL FORCE AFTER THE WAR WITH OR WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL.
- WE WILL REFUSE TO PROVIDE ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ASSISTANCE TO THE NATO KILLERS IN OUR CAMPS.

WE CALL THE GREEK GOVERNMENT:
- To withdraw from the Middle East all the Greek military forces involved in the war. To shut down all American and NATO military bases that exist in Greece.
- To condemn in public the murderous attack of USA and their allies against the people of Iraq.

This declaration is signed by conscripts from 31 units of the Greek Army.

Comments (1 of 1)

And a personal statement from a conscript

by The same

Wed Apr 09, 2003 12:24

STATEMENT OF THE GREEK CONSCRIPT (MEDIC)
STEPHANOS MALTEZOS

Dissected bodies, crippled children’s souls and earth steeped in with blood. This is the history of mankind according to the “godsend” protectors of “security” and “civilization” that they decided to print on the body of the Iraqi people. And this is only the beginning. The beginning of a totalitarian war against the “evil powers” as the modern absolute monarchs named them.
Trapped in an autistic behavior they set manichaeist dilemmas to the whole world and threaten humanity with a series of preemptive wars until every human value born before 1776 is wiped out so that we will live in their virtual reality; In a uniform and castrated world consisting only of slaves and traitors, with profit being its only value.
As a human I refuse to justify this “schizophrenic” war. Only anger can emerge in the sight of the innocent bodies dissected by “civilized murderers – liberators” who vision their expansive reconstruction on wasted human bodies. Only rage against the exploitation and the humiliation of fundamental human values such as freedom and peace that are being transformed into deadly weapons against the will of the nations for life and independence. Capable supporters to this genocide are the political leaders of Europe (and not only them) that are hiding behind verbal embellishments while in reality they assist the bestiality of death to spread. The Greek leadership is also involved in these crimes by facilitating the “work” of murderers with constant support such as refueling aircrafts, ceding ports (such as Souda – Crete) and sending military forces to the scene of crime (the battleship “KOUNTOURIOTIS”).
As a human and as a medical doctor I fear and I am infuriated with the deadly indifference by which they deaden the future of millions of people dropping radioactive substances so easily. They leave behind a heritage of cureless diseases such as cancer and they deprive the planet of every possibility of normal biological development. Even nature constitutes an enemy and an object of rape for them.
The Greek government recently decided to follow the example of the “allies” and inoculate Greek conscripts and officers of the battleship “KOUNTOURIOTIS” – that “are not involved” in the war (!!!) – with the controversial anthrax vaccine. The use of this vaccine has been connected with the appearance of many illnesses such as diabetes, asthma and cancer. As it is already known, many American soldiers have refused to be inoculated with this vaccine.
As a citizen, every day I experience the shrinking and abolishment of many fundamental political and social rights along with the application of oppressive measures in the name of imaginary enemies that “threaten” security and peace. No wonder that those who impose the measures are the same murderers who kill indiscriminately and ravage everything that the nations have achieved shedding their own blood in their struggle for freedom.
War concerns every one of us. We have no right to remain unconcerned, to wait for the death toll. Our only hope is resistance. Our active involvement in an internationalist antiwar movement will make the voices of the people for peace and life grow gigantic and will disarm those corrupted murderer brains that spread death all around the planet with dollars and EUROs as their only vision.
I take the responsibility of declaring as a conscript called to defend the sovereignty of my country like many more alarmed Greek soldiers from many units, that I condemn this war and those who wage or support it and I request the immediate return of all Greek soldiers from the scene of the crime. I also take the responsibility of declaring that if as a conscript I am ordered to support the murderers in the war against the Iraqi people I will refuse to do so.

CONSCRIPT (MEDIC) MALTEZOS STEFANOS.

51 INFANTRY REGIMENT
GREVENA- GREECE