Since February 5th, Aristotelis Chantzis, a resident and member of the Community of Squatted Prosfygika on Alexandras Avenue, is on a hunger strike until death. On May 1st, the resident and member, Suzon Doppagne, has joined the defence of life, the relationships, culture, and model of self-organization, self-sufficiency, and direct democracy that the community has established over the past 16 years.
The eight historic building blocks that constitute the neighborhood of Prosfygika on Alexandras Avenue, right in the heart of the metropolis between the General Police Directorate and the Athens Court of Appeals, were built in 1933–1935 to house refugees from Minor Asia. For the past 16 years, the neighbourhood has been shaped by the vibrant community of 400 people, and their different cultural religious, linguistic, political, and ideological histories. The members and residents organize in open assemblies, based on the premise of horizontality and solidarity, to cover their needs collectively, and live together respectfully.
For the common good and self-sufficiency, the Community of Squatted Prosfygika has established 22 autonomous, open social structures for the residents of the neighborhood,
and the wider Ambelokipi area. With the daycare center, the accommodation facility for patients and their companions at the nearby cancer hospital, the health center and communal pharmacy, the structure for collective self-education, food production and logistics, the clothing or technical structure, and divers cultural activities, the community is the largest self-organisation initiative in Greece. At the same time, it has established a web of horizontal relationships to counter the dominant culture of competition, oppression, and
individualization, fostering a collective culture and politics of life and struggle.
Since June 2025, the Greek state is seeking once again to destroy the community, displacing its 400 residents and hand over the historic neighborhood to state, capital, and business interests. A programmatic agreement, signed by the Region of Attice, the Ministry of Culture, and the Regional Authority of Attica, is bringing forward a gentrification plan that will lead to a comprehensive transformation of Prosfygika, and the character of the Ambelokipi area in general.
The residents are currently fighting collectively on multiple levels against the violent implementation of the plan, to ensure the web of relationships of the community, and the relative autonomy and self-sufficieny it has built from buttom-up over the years. At the
forefront of this struggle is Aristotelis Chantzis’ and Suzon Doppagnes’ hunger strike until death, putting their lifes for the community and its political proposal at risk.
IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT THE INTERNATIONALIST STRUGGLE FOR PROSFYGIKA:
- ORGANISE EVENTS or SOLIDARITY ACTIONS in your locality.
- SUPPORT BY INITIATING GATHERINGS in front of embassies
- PRESSURE THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT by participating in the Email-Flooding
(s. Website), sending Postcards …. - REACH OUT TO JOURNALISTST, NGOS, RESEARCHERS
- SIGN THE PETITION for the community.
- DONATE TO THE FIREFUND for the Community’s plan to restore and maintain the exterior facades of the buildings
- COME TO PROSFYGIKA to get to know the Community, and help with the technical and other works.
- JOIN THE ONLINE CALL for the Defence of Prosfygika to stay tuned.
- GET IN TOUCH with us, and BECOME PART of the Internationalist Committee, and the campain.
- FOLLOW Internationalist Committee, and the campaign on all social media platforms.
- SHARE to spread the word.
For printing, distribution and else, you can find the PDF version of this text here.