First of all, I want to say that I support and stand alongside my comrade and friend Andreas Tsavdaridis and my ten comrades and friends of the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire.
As far as the circumstances of this trial are concerned, I want to comment on two things:
I) The fact that a trial, a political trial, is taking place in special courtroom, inside Korydallos prison.
II) The fact that our comrades, in order to attend the trial, they have to give their identities to the authorities.
As far as my case is concerned, what I have to say is, that my targeting and my arrest took place in the context of an atmosphere of fear, imposed by the State on anarchists and especially on the current of which I am also a part, the current of New Anarchy.
With my case, in this trial, it will be high-lightened the fact that without a single solid evidence, I am being accused of taking part in a terrorist organization due to the public gatherings I have organized while being a member of the Anarchist Squat Nadir, in Thessaloniki.
It will be proven, that democracy doesn’t consider above ground projects a lesser threat in comparison with direct action, but in the end it criminalizes them ad prosecutes them, since above ground projects make a very important contribution in the continuous anarchist insurrection.
Besides, this is not the first time. I would say, that this tends to become an international practice. The repressive campaign concerning “Phoenix” project, bears a strong resemblance to operations “Ardire” and “Shadow”, in Italy two years ago. When some comrades, who were managing web sites and zines were prosecuted for the context of these projects.
As far as my thesis and my view on urban guerrilla and the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire is concerned, it is the following: anarchist insurrection is carried out with every means possible whether it is a book, a bomb or a political execution. I may not be part of CCF or the Informal Anarchist Federation but this does not mean that I disagree with this type of action. Keep away from me the aphorisms of armed struggle and the fetishism of non-violence.
So, my arrest, aims to isolate armed groups from being publicly diffused and to destroy the bridge between above the above ground and the underground part of the continuous anarchist insurrection.
Lastly. I want to say that I won’t have any relatives and friends as defense witnesses, to say what a good guy I am etc., because when being politically prosecuted, the only defense that I accept is the promotion of my political action by me.
Spyros Mandylas
4th of June 2014