Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei
Encyclopedia
The Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei (Greek: Συνωμοσία των Πυρήνων της Φωτιάς also Conspiracy of Fire Cells; Conspiracy of Cells of Fire; Synomosia Pyrinon tis Fotias (SPF)) is a radical anarchist organization based in Greece
. SPF first surfaced on January 21, 2008 with a wave of 11 firebombings against luxury car dealerships and banks in Athens
and Thessaloniki
. Monthly arson waves have been followed by proclamations expressing solidarity with arrested anarchists in Greece and elsewhere. In September 2009, following an escalation to the use of crude time bombs, four suspected members of the group were arrested. In November 2010, two more suspects were arrested while attempting to mail parcel bombs to embassies and EU leaders and organizations.
at the law firm of former Minister for Justice Anastasios Papaligouras
in Athens
at 5:25 PM local time. A woman employee was cut by flying glass. The following day, assailants detonated incendiary devices as part of eight separate attacks across parts of Attica
, targeting banks, an insurance company and several vehicles. A similar incident occurred in Thessaloniki
on March 19 when attackers set a town hall and three security vehicles on fire.
Further attacks struck Athens on April 9–10, 2008, when incendiary devices were detonated overnight at the Italian Institute of Culture, a vehicle repair shop and four automobile dealerships. On December 3, an improvised explosive device
went off at the Athens offices of Agence France-Presse
at 5:50 PM local time.
The group was credited with at least four further attacks in 2009. On July 7, an explosion occurred outside the house of a former Minister of Internal Affairs, Panagiotis Chinofotis
. The bomb, gunpowder in a pressure cooker, was subsequently claimed by the Conspiracy of Fire Cells, asserting that Chinofotis bore some responsibility in the murder of Alexandros Grigoropoulos. On October 30, a similar explosive device denoted outside the Athens home of prominent conservative opposition member of the European Parliament
, Marietta Giannakou
, causing minor damage and no injuries. On November 14, a bomb detonated in front of the home of PASOK deputy Mimis Androulakis in the Kareas suburb of eastern Athens. Conspiracy of Fire claimed the attack, accusing Androulakis of being a traitor to the left wing. On December 28, a more powerful bomb went off in the Athens district of Neos Kosmos/ damaging the Ethniki Asfalistiki insurance building off Syngrou Avenue. The group's proclamation announced a new alliance with another group with access to real explosives.
The group took credit for further attacks in 2010, including the explosion of a makeshift bomb outside the Greek parliament building
causing minor damages and no injuries on January 9 and three bomb attacks on March 20 relating to the immigration issue. The bombs attacked the offices of neo-nazi party Chrysi Avyi, causing significant damage, the home of a Pakistan
i community leader in Athens, causing slight damage and no injuries, and a bus shelter outside a police station along Petrou Ralli Street in Athens that had been implicated in several instances of police violence directed towards immigrants, including the death of two Pakistanis in custody at the station. The explosion caused minimal damage and no injuries.
in the Netherlands, was destroyed in a controlled explosion. Two suspects were arrested after a police cordon of the affected area was established; both suspects were wearing wigs and armed with Glock
nine millimeter pistols, one had a bulletproof vest and the two were in possession of two other explosive parcels addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy
and the Belgian Embassy.
The following day bombs exploded outside of the Swiss and Russian Embassies while suspicious packages that were addressed to Europol
and the Bulgarian, Chilean and German Embassies were recovered and disrupted. One parcel, destined for Italian president Berlusconi, exploded while being examined by Italian authorities following a Greek police warning. Another was retrieved from the outer office of German Chancellor Merkel
. No one was injured.
Greek authorities halted international airmail for 48 hours, from November 3–4, 2010, following the mail bombings, and the police were reported to be searching for members of the Conspiracy of Fire Cells in relation to the attacks. A trial date of 17 January 2011
, contrasting it with social anarchism
and insurrectionary anarchism
. SPF proclamations, sent to athens.indymedia.org following each operation, quote from T.S. Eliot or Dylan Thomas to convey their authors' alienation as well as hostility to society as a web of repressive relations. SPF rejects class struggle and other collective categories—the war against the state and its institutions is a battle for individual self-actualization. One duty SPF willingly embraces is solidarity with imprisoned anarchists in Greece and other countries. SPF, uniquely among Greek armed groups, uses the word "terrorist" favorably. Some of its writers refer to themselves as nihilists
.
Because these proclamations are inconsistent with traditional ideological positions found within anarchism, namely communitarianism and solidarity with the working classes, some anarchists do not believe SPF should be considered an anarchist organization. However, as written in their published text "The Sun Still Rises", they assert their redefining of the concept of revolutionary "organization", as an entity consisting of many groups and individuals of various backgrounds, united through a common critique of capitalist society and commitment to fight it, and create "immediate freedom" through urban guerrilla tactics.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. SPF first surfaced on January 21, 2008 with a wave of 11 firebombings against luxury car dealerships and banks in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
. Monthly arson waves have been followed by proclamations expressing solidarity with arrested anarchists in Greece and elsewhere. In September 2009, following an escalation to the use of crude time bombs, four suspected members of the group were arrested. In November 2010, two more suspects were arrested while attempting to mail parcel bombs to embassies and EU leaders and organizations.
History
The Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei (SPF) conducted its first wave of nearly simultaneous firebombing (gas-canister bombs) around 1 AM local time on 21 January 2008, in solidarity with an arrested anarchist. The next attack wave in the series, on February 20, included an incendiary deviceIncendiary device
Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus....
at the law firm of former Minister for Justice Anastasios Papaligouras
Anastasios Papaligouras
Anastasios Papaligouras is a Greek lawyer and New Democracy politician and was Minister for Mercantile Marine and Island Policy....
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
at 5:25 PM local time. A woman employee was cut by flying glass. The following day, assailants detonated incendiary devices as part of eight separate attacks across parts of Attica
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
, targeting banks, an insurance company and several vehicles. A similar incident occurred in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
on March 19 when attackers set a town hall and three security vehicles on fire.
Further attacks struck Athens on April 9–10, 2008, when incendiary devices were detonated overnight at the Italian Institute of Culture, a vehicle repair shop and four automobile dealerships. On December 3, an improvised explosive device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
went off at the Athens offices of Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
at 5:50 PM local time.
The group was credited with at least four further attacks in 2009. On July 7, an explosion occurred outside the house of a former Minister of Internal Affairs, Panagiotis Chinofotis
Panagiotis Chinofotis
Admiral Panagiotis Chinofotis is a Member of Parliament with the New Democracy party, a former Vice-Minister of the Interior and a former Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff.Born in Athens, Chinofotis graduated from the Hellenic Naval Academy and was commissioned an...
. The bomb, gunpowder in a pressure cooker, was subsequently claimed by the Conspiracy of Fire Cells, asserting that Chinofotis bore some responsibility in the murder of Alexandros Grigoropoulos. On October 30, a similar explosive device denoted outside the Athens home of prominent conservative opposition member of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, Marietta Giannakou
Marietta Giannakou
Marietta Giannakou is a Greek politician, member of New Democracy. She is the former Minister for National Education and Religious Affairs of Greece....
, causing minor damage and no injuries. On November 14, a bomb detonated in front of the home of PASOK deputy Mimis Androulakis in the Kareas suburb of eastern Athens. Conspiracy of Fire claimed the attack, accusing Androulakis of being a traitor to the left wing. On December 28, a more powerful bomb went off in the Athens district of Neos Kosmos/ damaging the Ethniki Asfalistiki insurance building off Syngrou Avenue. The group's proclamation announced a new alliance with another group with access to real explosives.
The group took credit for further attacks in 2010, including the explosion of a makeshift bomb outside the Greek parliament building
Syntagma Square
Syntagma Square , is located in central Athens, Greece. The Square is named after the Constitution that King Otto was forced to grant the people after a popular and military uprising, on September 3, 1843....
causing minor damages and no injuries on January 9 and three bomb attacks on March 20 relating to the immigration issue. The bombs attacked the offices of neo-nazi party Chrysi Avyi, causing significant damage, the home of a Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i community leader in Athens, causing slight damage and no injuries, and a bus shelter outside a police station along Petrou Ralli Street in Athens that had been implicated in several instances of police violence directed towards immigrants, including the death of two Pakistanis in custody at the station. The explosion caused minimal damage and no injuries.
2010 Parcel Bombs and Arrests
On November 1, a package addressed to the Mexican Embassy in Athens exploded in the office of a courier company, scorching the hands of the employee who handled it. A second package, containing a similar bomb (a small quantity of gunpowder from fireworks) addressed to offices of EurojustEurojust
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union dealing with judicial co-operation in criminal matters....
in the Netherlands, was destroyed in a controlled explosion. Two suspects were arrested after a police cordon of the affected area was established; both suspects were wearing wigs and armed with Glock
Glock
Glock Ges.m.b.H. is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock...
nine millimeter pistols, one had a bulletproof vest and the two were in possession of two other explosive parcels addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
and the Belgian Embassy.
The following day bombs exploded outside of the Swiss and Russian Embassies while suspicious packages that were addressed to Europol
Europol
Europol is the European Union's criminal intelligence agency. It became fully operational on 1 July 1999....
and the Bulgarian, Chilean and German Embassies were recovered and disrupted. One parcel, destined for Italian president Berlusconi, exploded while being examined by Italian authorities following a Greek police warning. Another was retrieved from the outer office of German Chancellor Merkel
Merkel
-Surnames:*Angela Merkel , the current Chancellor of Germany*Alexander Merkel , German footballer*Charles Emanuel Merkel, , American inventor, manufacturer*Crawford Merkel, American bobsledder...
. No one was injured.
Greek authorities halted international airmail for 48 hours, from November 3–4, 2010, following the mail bombings, and the police were reported to be searching for members of the Conspiracy of Fire Cells in relation to the attacks. A trial date of 17 January 2011
2010 Athens courthouse bombing
On 30. December 2010 a motorcycle-bomb cause huge damage to a Athens courthouse, but caused no injuries as police had evacuated the area after a warning call. The online proclamation was signed as Conspiracy Nuclei of Fire.2011 Police Shootout
In May 2011 a shootout occurred in an Athens suburb between police officers and an individual suspected to be linked to Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei. Two officers were wounded in the shootout as well as the suspect. The suspect's fingerprints were allegedly found in an apartment in Volos where numerous members of Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei had been previously arrested. A second suspect was allegedly involved in the shootout but it is unclear if that individual was apprehended.Ideology
Two SPF proclamations published in athens.Indymedia.org on May 19, 2010 explained that SPF represented a "third pole" of anarchist thought in Greece, anarcho-individualismIndividualist anarchism
Individualist anarchism refers to several traditions of thought within the anarchist movement that emphasize the individual and his or her will over external determinants such as groups, society, traditions, and ideological systems. Individualist anarchism is not a single philosophy but refers to a...
, contrasting it with social anarchism
Social anarchism
Social anarchism is a term originally used in 1971 by Giovanni Baldelli as the title of his book where he discusses the organization of an ethical society from an anarchist point of view...
and insurrectionary anarchism
Insurrectionary anarchism
Insurrectionary anarchism is a revolutionary theory, practice and tendency within the anarchist movement which emphasizes the theme of insurrection within anarchist practice. It is critical of formal organizations such as labor unions and federations that are based on a political programme and...
. SPF proclamations, sent to athens.indymedia.org following each operation, quote from T.S. Eliot or Dylan Thomas to convey their authors' alienation as well as hostility to society as a web of repressive relations. SPF rejects class struggle and other collective categories—the war against the state and its institutions is a battle for individual self-actualization. One duty SPF willingly embraces is solidarity with imprisoned anarchists in Greece and other countries. SPF, uniquely among Greek armed groups, uses the word "terrorist" favorably. Some of its writers refer to themselves as nihilists
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
.
Because these proclamations are inconsistent with traditional ideological positions found within anarchism, namely communitarianism and solidarity with the working classes, some anarchists do not believe SPF should be considered an anarchist organization. However, as written in their published text "The Sun Still Rises", they assert their redefining of the concept of revolutionary "organization", as an entity consisting of many groups and individuals of various backgrounds, united through a common critique of capitalist society and commitment to fight it, and create "immediate freedom" through urban guerrilla tactics.
External links
- Who are the Conspiracy of Fire Cells? by Brady KieslingBrady KieslingJohn Brady Kiesling is a former US diplomat and the author of "Diplomacy Lessons: Realism for an Unloved Superpower" . He was the first of three U.S. foreign service officers to resign, on February 25, 2003, to protest the 2003 invasion of Iraq. His letter of resignation to Secretary of State Colin...