Statement by Greek and foreign academics against xenophobia
In Greece we witness a xenophobic and racist hysteria fuelled by a wide spectrum of conservative, extreme Right and fascist forces, and supported by the mass media and the government. In an atmosphere of nationalistic fervour, public discourse is pierced by war cries and inhuman declarations offending fundamental moral values. Incredible, hateful and shameless insults are hurled against women and children, and against the weak in general.
This organised and psychotic xenophobia cultivates panic, paralyses rational thought, drowns every call for solidarity, and fills a tired and insecure society with the poisons of the extreme right and misanthropic fascism. It marks the climax of a systematic and insistent effort of capital to impose on Greek society the ideological hegemony of a racist extreme right. It exploits the huge problems created by the harsh liberal policies of the present and previous incumbents of state power.
The text was originally written on the initiative of Greek academics, to circulate among Greek academics in Greece and abroad. It has also been signed by academics from other countries, including several from Turkey who have been expelled from their jobs by the government.
Against the histrionics of the extreme right we declare calmly:
Refugees were never a problem for the Greek people.
Refugees did not cause the world crisis, capital did.Refugees did not lead millions of workers to unemployment, nor hundreds of thousands of businesses in Greece to closure. All over the world, capital did this.
Refugees did not, during the last decade, make states rob their own citizens through taxes earmarked for saving the banks and other oligarchic nodes of world capitalism. Oligarchs did.
Refugees lost everything in the years of the world economic crisis. Oligarchs however continue to accumulate riches by spoliating the planet.
Refugees did not impose on the Greek people mass unemployment and poverty. The Troika did this through its memoranda.
Refugees did not send to emigration half a million children of the Greek people.
Refugees do not manage a system based on exploitation, competition, alienation, and war. Like the migrants they are victims of the dominant capitalist system that organises the class war of rich against poor. They experience all the catastrophes that this system brings to humanity. They are victims of all the wars and interventions organised by the imperialist West - USA, European Union, NATO- in order to impose its dominance.Greece is an integral part of the euroatlantic financial, political and military structures. Through participation in these structures Greek oligarchs advance aggressively their interests, here and elsewhere.
Refugees and immigrants are victims of the financial world war waged by colossal monopolies of imperialist states against producers of the weaker countries, thus causing and recycling underdevelopment and poverty.The extreme Right however, in Greece and everywhere else, ascribes all these scourges to the refugees. In a systematic and organised fashion it turns against refugees the rage of those who don’t notice the real culprits: the forces of war (USA, NATO, European Union), the oligarchy of wealth, and the politicians who serve them.Through xenophobic targeting of refugees the extreme Right cultivates strife among the people. It subverts social solidarity, which has always been the weapon of the exploited and oppressed against exploiters and oppressors.
Faced with an epidemic of xenophobia and racism, we declare emphatically that refugees and migrants are not our enemies. We are not against them! We are not against the weak, the destitute, the paupers of this world! Our enemies are the warmongers – the USA, the NATO, the EU, the capitalist oligarchs in Greece and Turkey, and their political servants. Our enemies are the assorted fascists, racists, and misanthropes.Against a system crushing whole peoples and pulverising their lives, a system that day by day produces more and more “redundant people”, we will always fight for the peoples’ solidarity against their common enemies, for a new society of comradeship and humanity.
Initial signatories
Greek signatories
Aarbakke Vemund, Assistant Professor, AUTh Aidinis Thanasis, Professor, AUTh Albanoudi Angeliki, Lecturer at AUTh Angelatos Roni, Emeritus Professor, University of Patras Arkolakis Manolis, SEP, Hellenic Open University Benos Alexis, Professor, AUTh Bibu Anna, Professor, AUTh Bocaris Themis, Associate Professor, University of Ioannina Bougiukos Costas, Assistant Professor, Université de Paris. Chrisis Alexandros, Professor, Panteion University Chrysochou Xenia, Professor, Panteion University Costagios Petros, Assistant Professor, Ionian University Dafermos Manolis, Associate Professor, University of Crete Dalakroglou Dimitris, Professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Damigos Dimitris, Professor, NTUA Desli Despina, Associate Professor, AUTh Dimoulas Kostas, Associate Professor, Panteion University Fyssa Artemis, Researcher, Universität Basel, Switzerland Gaganakis Kostas, Associate Professor, NCSR Georgoulas Stratos, Professor, University of the Aegean Gerogiafas Grigoris, Professor, Sorbonne Université Giotti Lambrina, Assistant Professor, AUTh Gouvia Dionysis, Associate Professor, University of the Aegean Grammenos Theofanis, Assistant Professor, University of Thessaly Grillia Stella, Lecturer, University of Utrecht Grollios George, Professor, AUTh Gryllias Konstantinos, Assistant Professor, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Gunari Panayota, Professor, University of Massachusetts Iliopoulos Dimitris, University of Patras Ioannidou Alexandra, Associate Professor, University of Macedonia Kaliambakos Dimitris, Professor, NTUA Kallergis Dimitris, Lecturer, University of Western Attica Kaltsonis Dimitris, Associate Professor, Panteion University Karagianni Yiotas, Associate Professor, AUTh Karakantza Euphemia, Associate Professor, University of Patras Karandreas Nikos, Emeritus Professor, NCSR Kargas George, Associate Professor, Agricultural University of Athens Katsiaboura Yianna, Lecturer at AUTh Kioupkiolis Alexandros, Assistant Professor, AUTh Kougioumouzakis Fotini, Lecturer, AUTh Koukoutsakis Aphrodite, Panteion University Kousouris Dimitris, Assistant Professor, Vienna University Kouvelakis Stathis, University of London Kouzis Giannis, Professor, Panteion University Lampropoulou Dimitra, Assistant Professor, NCSR Lapavitsas Kostas, Professor, University of London Loukis Hassiotis, Associate Professor, AUTh Marchetos Spyros, Assistant Professor, AUTh Master Yannis, Assistant Professor, NTUA Mavridis Heracles, Assistant Professor, Panteion Mavroudas Stavros, Professor, Panteion University Michalopoulou Eleni, Senior Lecturer, University of Liverpool Michelioudakis Dimitris, Assistant Professor, AUTh Milios Giannis, Emeritus Professor, NTUA Nikanou Niki, Associate Professor, University of Thessaly Papadaki Polyxeni, Associate Professor, Panteion University Papadimitriou Fotini, Associate Professor, AUTh Papatheodorou Christos, Professor, Panteion University Paradise Maria, Associate Professor, Panteion Patelis Dimitris, Associate Professor, University of Crete Pavlidis Periklis, Associate Professor, AUTh Pavlopoulos Dimitris, Associate Professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Politis Takis, Associate Professor, University of Thessaly Potamianos Nikos, Historian, Institute of Mediterranean Studies (Rethymnon) Psimenos Iordanis, Professor, Panteion University Roussis George. Emeritus Professor. Panteion University Samaris Nikolaos, University of Patras Sampanikou Evi, Professor, University of the Aegean Sarigiannis Marinos, Historian, Institute of Mediterranean Studies (Rethymnon) Serdedakis Nikos, Associate Professor, University of Crete, Sirinidou Vaso, Assistant Professor, NCSR Skordoulis Kostas, Professor, NCSR Sotiris Panagiotis, SEP, Hellenic Open University Souvatzis Styliani, SEP, Hellenic Open University Souvlis George, Lecturer at Democritus University of Thrace Spathis Gerasimos, Emeritus Professor, NTUA Stamatopoulos Dimitris, Professor, University of Macedonia Stouraitis Giannis, Assistant Professor, University of Edinburgh Stravelakis Nikos, Teacher at the NERC Toulumi Yota, Professor, NCSR Trimberis George, Emeritus Professor, NCSR Turtouras Christos Assistant Professor, AUTh Tympas Aristotelis, Professor, NCSR Vassalos Giorgos, researcher, Universityk of Strasbourg Velissariou Sissi, Professor, NCSR Zacharopoulos Nikos, Lecturer, University of the Aegean Zarkadis Giannis, Professor, University of Patras Zorbala Tina, Assistant Professor, University of the Aegean
International signatories Giuseppe Acconcia, Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche, Giuridiche e Studi Internazionali SPGI, Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy Ceren Akyos, Centro de Estudos Sociais, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal Latife Akyuz, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany Alessandra Algostino, Professoressa ordinaria di Diritto costituzionale, Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza, Università di Torino, Italy Hakan Altun, Visiting Professor, Goethe University Frankfurt AM, Germany Hacer Ansal PhD, Academics for Peace, Turkey Ari Aydın Ph.D, İzmir Dayanışma Akademisi, İzmir, Turkey Angelo Baracca, Retired Professor of Physics and History of Physics, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Fiorentina Studiorum Universitas, Italy Funda Başaran PhD, Academics for Peace, Turkey Luciana Bohne, Emerita Professor, English and Commonwealth Literature, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, USA Yanis Bonos, editor TurkeyToday.gr , Turkey Emanuele Braga, Prof. Big Data, Università degli Studi di Milano Statale UNIMI, Italy Dario Bursztyn, Sociologist, editor of Cuadernos de Crisis, Buenos Aires, Argentina George Caffentzis, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Southern Maine, USA Meral Camcı PhD, Academics for Peace, Turkey Sergio Caserta, Faculty Member, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, dei Materiali e della Produzione Industriale, Università di Napoli Federico II, Italy Özlem Caykent PhD, Academics for Peace, Turkey Serdar M. Değirmencioğlu, Academics for Peace, Turkey Claudio Deluca, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna, Italy F. Dilara Demir, Department of Sociology, The School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA Dilsa Deniz, Social Anthropologist, Visiting Scholar, International Institute, University of California in San Diego, USA İrfan Eroğlu PhD, Lecturer (expelled), Maltepe University, Academics for Peace, Turkey Silvia Federici, Professor Emerita, New College, Hofstra University, Long Island NY, USA Ozlem Goner PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Staten Island, City University of New York, USA Ahmet Kerim Gültekin PhD, Phillip Schwartz Fellow, The Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Leipzig University, Germany Emrah Günok PhD, Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi (expelled), Academics for Peace, Turkey Mariya Ivancheva, Lecturer in Higher Education Studies, University of Liverpool, UK Zeynep Kaşlı, Academic researcher, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands Egemen Kepekçi, Bayreuth University, Germany Lülüfer Körükmez PhD, Academics for Peace, Turkey Özlem Köseoğlu Örnek PhD, Academics for Peace, Turkey Profesör Doktor Kuvvet Lordoğlu, Kocaeli Dayanışma Akademisi KODA, Turkey Stefano Lucarelli, Professore di Politica Economica, Università degli Studi di Bergamo, Italy Redi Muçi, Lecturer, Polytechnic University of Tirana, Albania Marcello Maneri, Professore di Sociologia, Università di Milano – Bicocca, Italy David McNally, Distinguished Professor of History, University of Houston, USA Sandro Mezzadra, Associate Professor of Political Theory, University of Bologna, Italy Özgür Müftüoğlu PhD, Academics for Peace, Turkey Esra Mungan PhD, Boğaziçi University, Turkey Gaye Onurer, Department of Sociology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada Gözde Özdikmenli PhD, Psychological Counselling Center, Academics for Peace, Mugla, Turkey Oktay Özel, retired historian, Bilkent Üniversity, Ankara, Turkey H. Neşe Özgen PhD, Visiting scholar, Department of Cultural Anthropology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA Onur Özgür, rechercheur, Sciences Po Aix, France Prof. Dr. Salvatore Palidda, Dipartimento di Scienze della Formazione-Universitˆ degli Studi di Genova, Italy Pier Luigi Papini, Department of Mathematics, University of Bologna UNIBO, Italy Andreas Petrossiants, Independent scholar, New York, USA Tamar Pitch, Professor of Legal Philosophy and Sociology of Law, Law Department, University of Perugia, Italy Sevin Gulfer Sagnic PhD, Department of Sociology, University of California, San Diego, USA Pietro Saitta, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Messina, Italy Alessandro Sarti, Directeur de Recherche CNRS/EHESS, Paris, France Mauro Sentimenti, Costituzionalista, Componente Comitato nazionale per il NO al Referendum costituzionale, Modena, Italy Leyla Şimşek-Rathke PhD, sociologist Associate Prof., Marmara University (expelled), Academics for Peace, Turkey M. Oğuz Sinemillioğlu PhD, Dicle Üniversitesi, Diyarbakir (expelled), Academics for Peace, Turkey Prof. Semra Somersan PhD, expelled, Academics for Peace, Turkey Professor Helena Sheehan, Dublin City University, Ireland Aslı Telli, Research Associate, Universität Siegen, Germany Nilgün Toker PhD, Academics for Peace, Turkey Ahmet Tonak PhD, Economics Department, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, USA Tolga Tören PhD, University of Kassel, Germany Michael Tortorella, Sociologia del Diritto e dell'Economia, Università di Bologna, Italy Eric Toussaint, Universities of Liege and Paris VIII, ex-scientific coordinator of the Debt Truth Committee of the Hellenic Parliament, spokersperson CADTM international, Belgium Jana Tsoneva PhD, independent reearcher, Sofia, Bulgaria Barış Ünlü, Philipp Schwartz research fellow, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany Süha Ünsal, Department of History, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey Hakan Yüksel PhD, Universite de Lille, France Mustafa Kerem Yüksel PhD, Atılım University, Turkey
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