Briefings from Greece: 26/3 – 11/4
March 26
Athens: Riot police attacked the cleaners of the Ministry of economics who tried to enter the premises in an attempt to meet with minister Stournaras. The cleaners are on ongoing protests due to their suspension and dismissal as part of the government’s cuts. Four protesters were injured and taken to hospital.
Athens: Hadim Husein, father of Sehzad Luqman (the 27-year-old from Pakistan who was murdered in cold blood by two Golden Dawn supporters on 17/01/2013) is prosecuted for fraudulent procurement of false official certification. As members of KEERFA (Movement united against racism and fascism) state, this is a concerted attempt of the authorities to incriminate Luqman’s family and prevent them from continuing their presence in the country. It is reminded that the mother and father of Luqman have been staying in Greece since December 2013 to attend the trial of the two murderers, and participate in a number of antifascist and anti-racist demonstrations.
Athens: The four policemen who beat to death 24-year-old Nikos Sakellion in May 2008, were pronounced innocent after their second trial. Sakellion was arrested at Anaxagora street for no apparent reason by cops of the notorious police station Acropolis, and was handcuffed and beaten on the spot while the perpetrators claim that they had found him on the pavement unconscious after trying to swallow bags of heroin. However, no heroin bags were found inside the victim’s throat. The accused were acquitted with the excuse that they were young and inexperienced. This is one of the many recent cases of police impunity.
March 27
Greece: 42-year old prisoner Ilir Kareli from Albania was tortured for two and a half hours (by various means including electrocution) and beaten to death by prison guards, after he stabbed and killed one of the guards at Malandrino prison. Kareli had been imprisoned for several years mainly for theft, and had been denied the right to a leave permit to visit his sick mother. His murder marks a period of protests against the imminent plans of the government for the creation of high security prison cells (type c) where the rights and freedoms of prisoners will be extremely limited.
March 28
Athens: More than 160 migrant workers from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India remain unpaid for 4 to 8 months in one of the largest recycling units in Greece owned by Dimitris Lazopoulos. They are on an ongoing dispute with the management, asking for their remuneration and for better working conditions.
March 30
Thessaloniki: A successful intervention of the Network of Unemployed and Precarious Workers took place at the office of OASTH (Urban buses organisation of Thessaloniki), managing to have their fines canceled. The members of the network have decided to repeat the interventions every month and ultimately to demand for free transportations for the unemployed.
April 5
Patra: Police attacked an anarchist street party at 1.30am. The party had been called in response to an earlier police attack to a self-organised bar. A large police force was mobilised (around 25 bikes and 2 police squads) who attacked the party with chems and chased the people in the surrounding streets. The people responded with barricades and molotof bombs.
April 6
Athens: A demo of 900 people took place outside Korydallos prison in solidarity with inmates, political prisoners and against the type C cells (see March 27). The demo also passed outside the women’s prison and continued in the neighbourhoods of Korydallos.
Domokos: Another action against type C cells and in solidarity with political prisoners took place by 500 people who traveled by bus from Athens, Patra, Trikala, Karditsa, Volos, and Thessaloniki to Domokos prison. The demo was confronted with riot police who used tear gas to prevent the demonstrators from approaching the prison on foot. The bus from Thessaloniki was stopped by police on its way back after the demo and the passengers were told to go one by one into a police van for identification. After they refused to do so (knowing that fascists of Golden Dawn where inside the van in order to identify those who attacked their offices at Farsala the same day) the demonstrators were taken to the police station in Larissa where they were later released. One demonstrator was arrested for aiding to the assault against the Golden Dawn office at Farsala (although the bus never stopped at Farsala).
April 9
Athens: Total conscientious objector D. Hatzivasiliadis was adducted by police for identification and later arrested as there is an arrest warrant against him. He will be put in trial by the Court Martial for refusing to serve the army, although he has already been tried in November 2013 and condemned to a redeemable sentence of 1 year in prison.
Athens: The job centre (ΟΑED) in Amerikis Square was attacked in early morning with gas canister bombs to protest against the ongoing pauperization of the unemployed, the scanty benefits and the co-operation of the job centre with employers which results in the exploitation of workers.
April 10
A car bomb exploded in central Athens, directly outside the Bank of Greece, at 5:55am. At 5.10am and 5.15am Zougla.gr (news website) and Efimerida ton Syntakton (left-wing newpaper) received anonymous calls that a car loaded with 75 kgs of explosives will blow up in 45 minutes. Police was notified and the area was cordoned off. This came just one day before the arrival of Angela Merkel in Athens. It is worth mentioning that in the same building, apart from the Bank of Greece there are the offices of the IMF and the Financial stability fund.
Athens: 11 migrants street vendors and 1 student were badly beaten and arrested by bike cops (DELTA) outside the gate of the Athens School of Economics (ASOE). The gate had been locked by police to prevent the migrants from finding refuge in the school and students from coming to the aid of the migrants. Police were kicking and beating the migrants dragging them from their hair. In the evening, a demo of 400-500 people took place to the police station in Kypseli where the arrested were held. This comes seven days after the last attack of police against migrants at the ASOE, where one migrant was arrested. There has been an ongoing series of attacks by police who aim at removing the street vendors from the yard of the university. The Assembly of migrants and students of ASOE have been resisting the attacks in practice and by issuing written announcements condemning the government’s migration policies.
April 11:
Athens: Approximately 10 hooded, black-clad persons expropriated food and other goods from a supermarket in Vironas, and then left the stuff outside the local job centre (ΟΑΕD). This was an action of solidarity and resistance against the hiking food prices and the exploitation of the workers by the bosses.
via:
http://eagainst.com/articles/briefings-greece-263-114/