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Athens Greece: Cops murder a 16 year old

Stella... you can finally quote ! :D

The communique of ESIEA in english ... my translation is not the best this time sorry.

The thousands of demonstrators that flooded the streets of Greece on Friday 09/01 proved that fire that started on December has not been put of, neither from the bullets and acid against activists, nor from the ideological terrorism that started during the last days from the Mass Media. For this reason, the only answer of this state against the youth and the workers was for one more time oppression. RIOT police, having the appropriate allowance from their bosses, and the encouragment of the Media for no tolerance, treated with chemicals, beatings and arrest who ever was on their street. When state oppression turns against even to working journalists, cameramen, lawyers, who stay at the streets without being on the murderers side, it is even more evident from the recent uprising events that the issue of our dignity has been raised, of all of us that we rely on our wage in order to live. So some men/women who we are working at the field of media we are taking side next to the fighters(of the uprising). We are taking side with our direct involvement to this struggle but also with our fight at the working place, in order to block the viewpoint of the bosses for this uprising, good example of this being the sack of photojournalist Kostas Tsironis from the newspaper "Free Press" (Eleftheros Typos) because he took a photo of policemen raising their guns one day after the murder of 15 years old Alexandros Grigoropoulos.

We have no delusion that the Mass Media, being the ideological mechanism of the state, will do everything possible in order the public to go back to their homes, we actually know this better than anyone because we are working in the media. We also know that in order any Pretenderis or Tragas (well known greek journalists), or any famous journalist, to manage and present their viewpoint of abolishment of the asylum or to differentiate the demonstrators into "hooligans" and "peacefull", they need our daily silence.

Our position together with the uprising people comes from the daily exploitation at the work place. In the Mass Media industry, as everywhere else, conditions like elastic work relations, no payment/non insured work, overtimes and bosses' arbitrariness do exist. During the last months, because of the financial crisis, sacks or threats to sack have been risen. As all workers, we also witness the betrayal of the syndicates. ESIEA as an institution turn against the struggle of the workers, no mater if this struggle turns against the bosses, or is a struggle that resists against the internal split of the workers and tries to form a unified syndicate. This union, that works even as an employment union, is the main support of the bosses in their effort to split us from the rest working class, with the last example being the denial to strike on the general strike of 10/12/08.
For all these reasons, us, some payed, not payed, unemployed, and student workers at the Mass Media decided to occupy the building of ESIEA and bring forward everything that unites us with the uprising society:

- The alternative information, instead of the ideological propaganda of our bosses at the Mass Media

- The direct action of all workers at the Media, self managed and with direct democratic ways, in order to resist the attack against us that we are witnessing

SOLIDARITY TO THE STRUGGLING WORKER CONSTANTINA COUNEVA

IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ALL ARRESTED OF THIS UPRISING

WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF SACKS, THE BOSSES ARE AFRAID OF WILD STRIKES


Call for an open assembly of ALL Mass Media workers at the occupied ESIEA, Saturday 10/01, 20:00

ESIEA OCCUPATION

* May I inform you that this open assembly has allready started with more than 200 workers attending.
 


8/12/08 in Thessaloniki, 2 days after the murder of Alexandros. We can see on this video, some men, behind police lines, attacking with stones against the anarchists, when police attacks as well.... Who are they?? Police? Police has orders to attack with stones against demonstrators? If they are not police, why police tolerates their existence there?

You can see when the anarchists try to form a road block, with this flaming wheel barrow, they hide on the side... When RIOT police advances, they appear from the back and destroy the road block...

No further comments from me.
 


One more video showing the incidents at Asklipiou str and also the police turning against journalists at the end ... The reason that the ESIEA building was taken over has a lot to do with the last bit of the video, and the fact that the media said nothing, although 4 (2 from MEGA CHANNEL and 2 from ANT1 TV) of their collegues got injured by the police

I wont quit showing you videos of the specific event, it is maybe the most violent police behaviour I have ever witnessed.
 
about the escalation of brutality from the police

after the last video as well, it is painfully obvious that there is a new policy from the police state: "they won't give a damn about the law they're supposed to enforce, they will indiscriminately assault people of all ages, professions, anyone that happens to be in their way". Until yesterday I was of the opinion that this disgusting and illegal response was a sign that they were losing the game, today after the new polls came out, I have to correct my initial explanation. I believe they are doing this to strengthen their own fascist electoral basis. Still that won't have much effect in the end because always they were the minority and they will remain as such. More efforts are needed from the majority of Greeks from all groups and in all ways to keep the movement on the first page, ESHEA's occupation is one positive addition and I hope it's going to be one from the many more to follow.

*the latest polls show the fascist government of new democracy having gained about 2 points since the last poll
 
It is certain that this is the central strategy of the government from now on, it is not just police aggression in light of the recent events. On the public TV channel and radio (ET1, NET and ERA) they are still "debating" and talking about the university asylum, the system tries to oppress the massive public movement that is being built, and on the same time to strengthen their electoral basis, as you very well say.

We are being ruled by a parliamentary oligarchy, as the minority of the greek public has voted and still supports this government. The electoral system is created in such a way, that minorities can actually determine the outcome of the elections. It is evident that the vast majority of the public are against this fascist regime, our goal should be to mobilize them as well and get them to the streets. We need to continue communicating with everybody, student unions, worker unions, even create local neighborhood assemblies and discussion groups.

On the latest polls New Democracy may have gained 2 points, but we must not forget that these polls are made by companies that are working for specific newspapers, some of those being in favour of this government. The way that these polls are set up then, the way that the questions are asked and the answers that are given you to choose from, as well as the way that the results are being presented, are misguiding and give a false image of the situation. I was called once (the phone calls are random) a few days after the murder of Alexandros, by a company, that was making opinion polls on the events that were taking place during that time. After some time and a few questions, I had to complain to them about the way that this poll was set up, as none of the answers that I was supposed to choose from were expressing my views, and I hung up the phone.

Therefore the public's opinion for this government and the current situation, is not directly reflected on those polls and their results should be viewed with critisism. They may show a trend, and maybe a bit explain how the public is thinking, but under no circumstances must be taken for granded.
 
It is certain that this is the central strategy of the government from now on, it is not just police aggression in light of the recent events. On the public TV channel and radio (ET1, NET and ERA) they are still "debating" and talking about the university asylum, the system tries to oppress the massive public movement that is being built, and on the same time to strengthen their electoral basis, as you very well say.

We are being ruled by a parliamentary oligarchy, as the minority of the greek public has voted and still supports this government. The electoral system is created in such a way, that minorities can actually determine the outcome of the elections. It is evident that the vast majority of the public are against this fascist regime, our goal should be to mobilize them as well and get them to the streets. We need to continue communicating with everybody, student unions, worker unions, even create local neighborhood assemblies and discussion groups.

On the latest polls New Democracy may have gained 2 points, but we must not forget that these polls are made by companies that are working for specific newspapers, some of those being in favour of this government. The way that these polls are set up then, the way that the questions are asked and the answers that are given you to choose from, as well as the way that the results are being presented, are misguiding and give a false image of the situation. I was called once (the phone calls are random) a few days after the murder of Alexandros, by a company, that was making opinion polls on the events that were taking place during that time. After some time and a few questions, I had to complain to them about the way that this poll was set up, as none of the answers that I was supposed to choose from were expressing my views, and I hung up the phone.

Therefore the public's opinion for this government and the current situation, is not directly reflected on those polls and their results should be viewed with critisism. They may show a trend, and maybe a bit explain how the public is thinking, but under no circumstances must be taken for granded.

I never take anything for granted, especially when it comes from the mainstream media, like you say it may reflect some kind of trend. Anyway, it seems they're might be getting ready for early elections, especially if this trend continues.
I am definitely for local assemblies taking place, discussions and communicating in all areas!!
 
Back to the topic of Asklipiou str... More videos are available I will post here 2 more. Quite enough of all this material had been given to the TV channel ALTER here in Greece, and it was about to be broadcasted on the news but 10 minutes before the news started the manager of the channell decided that they wont be, so the news got edited.


On this video you see the journalists that were on the end of Asklipiou str but were not allowed to approach by a police line. Before the start of this video there was an attack against some journalists that were there, the specific video though does not show it. Police really tried to block journalists from entering the area in order not to take any videos of what was happening. At the end you see all the journalists and lawyers that were there sitting down. They did that in order to block the police van that was leaving Asklipiou str, with some arrested inside, mostly lawyers. The video stops there, but what happened next is that RIOT police started spraying chemicals to these people, hopefully if any video of that event will come up I will post it here as well.


This one is from the people that are accross the street, some journalists and some lawyers, who were taking videos of the event or trying to tell the cops to stop. It shows the period of the negotiations that were taking place with the shopowner there saying to the cops "arrest me but leave them to go"...
At the end of the video you can see a police line formed in front of them as well blocking their view of what was happening opposite where we were trapped, as I will proove to you later deliberately...


Something that you may notice on all videos and I have forgotten to comment. You may see on all videos policemen with green uniforms but also some in blue. The ones in blue are again 2 "categories" some that have the police sign on their shoulder and a big POLICE on their back, but also some others that clearly have NOTHING on their uniform. No police badge, no police numbers nothing... This lot also has no shield. This specific uniform existed on the streets up to the early 80s. It is the first time that we see policemen with that specific uniform since then. It is evident that these policemen are not really RIOT police, but maybe ordinary police, but were called to be on the streets as well and because there were no uniforms for them they found the old ones and gave them .... It is "normal" of Greek police to appear in demos with no police numbers, some policemen are even covering their faces with full face scarfs. This is of course illegal, some of the lawyers that got hit by police on that day want to press charges but cannot as they dont know which policeman hit them, or who was commanding them ...

This was the police formation during the end of the demo

xartis.jpg


With the green arrow it is us, returning back to Propylaia, where the red arrow shows. The blue lines that you can see left and right and on the top is the police formation. Normally this is not their formation, they form themselves parallel with the demo on the sides. This time though they were blocking streets, creating road blocks, as their clear intention was not to follow the demo but trap the demo in that area. The star on the top right shows Asklipiou str, where we finally got trapped. The yellow arrows show how we were moved to that specific point. The police that is blocking the street in front of Propylaia, is the lot that made us move to the right as the yellow arrows show.

Police were hiding in alleys and narrow passings left and right of the demo, at a point even inside a building as this photo shows


All this info and videos are not on the news, and you will not find any BBC or MSNBC articles describing them ..... This is why I said that what you get on the mainstream media is not always what is happening on the streets.


A new workers and student demo has been organised for Saturday, but this time in Larisa and not Athens. In Larisa some of the arrested on last month's demos there, are being charged according to the counter terrorism law and are facing big time in prison...
 
The ballistic tests- autopsy to the magistrate

It was given ,just a while ago, to the magistrate the ballistic testing - autopsy about the circumstances under which Alexandros Grigoropoulos was murdered.
According to information ( from zougla.gr ) the autopsy's conclusions agree in general with those of the ballistic testing.

There are mentioned three possible points from which the 15-year-old could have been shot at. One possibility is from a ricochet from the cemented ball (third in a row) that is at the pavement of Tzavela str towards Zoodohou Pigis str.
According to the ballistic autopsy the distance between the cemented ball and the ground is 36.5 cm
 
In the streets again tomorrow the education community but also the police

In the streets again the education community with a demo ( at 1 pm) but also the police with their own demo

New call for a demo from students and teachers tomorrow Thursday, at Propylea, while the police are planning their own separate demo in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier an hour earlier. According to an announcement from the police syndicalist groups (POASY, POAXIA) they are calling their members to the demo in order to condemn the violent phenomena wherever they come from, and in order to state categorically that social problems are not solved with repressive measures.

At Propylea
An hour later (1 pm), schoolchildren, students and teachers will meet again at Propylea. Yesterday, Tuesday, at the student's general assemblies they decided for renewal of occupations. So, at the already 25 university departments under occupation, there were added the Philosophical Department, The Medical department, the department of Media studies and the department of Pre-school studies of the University of Athens

from ta nea (greek newspaper)
 
????? The photos that I put with the img command on this thread are dissapearing ??? Or it happens only on my pc ?
 
It was given ,just a while ago, to the magistrate the ballistic testing - autopsy about the circumstances under which Alexandros Grigoropoulos was murdered.
According to information ( from zougla.gr ) the autopsy's conclusions agree in general with those of the ballistic testing.

There are mentioned three possible points from which the 15-year-old could have been shot at. One possibility is from a ricochet from the cemented ball (third in a row) that is at the pavement of Tzavela str towards Zoodohou Pigis str.
According to the ballistic autopsy the distance between the cemented ball and the ground is 36.5 cm

If it bounced on the cemented ball (as I was thinking) it is clearly a direct shot which "missed" the target. We are definately not talking about "warning" shots any more especially because warning shots are meant to be shot at the air.

It also means that Corconeas (the cop) apart from being a murderer he is also crap at shooting.
 
????? The photos that I put with the img command on this thread are dissapearing ??? Or it happens only on my pc ?

No, some of the images you posted don't show up on mine either (the photo from the ESIEA and the police formation after the demo don't show up)
 
No, some of the images you posted don't show up on mine either (the photo from the ESIEA and the police formation after the demo don't show up)

Yes it was these 2. I think I fixed the problem by changing the host... at least for now
 
latest from Athens

Thursday, 15 January 2009

The demonstration of schoolchildren, students and teachers is starting

About 1000 people that have gathered at Propylea are starting to go down on the street. The demonstration that was called by the students from the occupied universities joined mainly young people, students and some schoolchildren, while this call wasn't as propagated as last week's demo. So far the police haven't made themselves obvious around the assembly.

From the Group of anti-reporting at the occupied ESIEA (the journalists at the occupied building of ESIEA- syndicalist group of journalists)
Updated from ESIEA's blog : http://katalipsiesiea.blogspot.com/2009/01/blog-post_2518.html


21.00 p.m. Open General Assembly at the occupied Building of ESIEA and presentation of pre-edited (for safety reasons, anonymity etc) material from the anti-reporting (in contrast to the biased reporting of the main stream media) of today's demonstration of the education community

*4.00 p.m. from live feed from ta nea (greek newspaper)
Traffic obstructed at the centre of Athens
All roads around Syndagma are closed.

live feed from Propylea now (from zougla.gr)
http://www.zougla.gr/news.php?id=18305

live feed from Syndagma now (from zougla.gr)
http://www.zougla.gr/news.php?id=18054
* the live cameras don't show any more
 
from reports to Indy media Athens : http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=970627

The front part of the demo has reached Syndagma square, while the end part is still at Kolokotroni street (at least 300 metres away).

More than 3000 people are taking part at the demo, while the cops are everywhere in the surrounding streets creating a choking atmosphere of police presence.
6 riot squads in total at Syndagma square ( 2 in the square, 1 at the hotel Great Britannia, more at the end part of the demo and some following along the demo)

From the anti-reporting team of the occupied ESIEA

first photo of the demo, from zougla's site : http://www.zougla.gr/news.php?id=19944
 
About the assembly of the syndicalist police groups at Syndagma square.

Around 300 police men took part at an assembly against violence, holding banners and shouting slogans for the strengthening of the police force. The call for this assembly supported the syndicalist police groups POASY and POAXEA.
(from zougla's gr site)
Another estimation about the assembly from Indy is that no more than 100 police men took part at the assembly and some of the slogans shouted were "no to violence" and "stand by the side of the Greek police" :eek:

from a radio station (sto kokkino) earlier : it was awkward to say the least when riot squads were guarding the Parliament and Syndagma square from the assembly of their own syndicalist groups...
 
first video clip from today's demo

from mega's tv site : http://www.megatv.com/summaries.asp?catid=14161&tag=10706

on the clip there are the first feeds from the students' demo and also the meeting of academics and politicians about the "alert" about the University Asylum because of today's demo as well as the recent occupations of unis all over Greece (at least 60 university departments are occupied)

* scroll down on the video box where it says :" Συναγερμός λόγω συλλαλητηρίου " and it is the clip from the demo and the academics' meeting, otherwise it shows the whole video from the news at 3.00 p.m. (it is the 6th clip from the top, they may add more later, but now- 5.42 pm- it is the 6th clip)
 
More photos from the students' demo (15/1/09)
from Athens IMC : http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=971251

2 videos from today's demos, the first is from the students' demo (from Propylea) and the second from the syndicalist groups of the police that gathered at Syndagma square. From zougla's gr site : http://www.zougla.gr/news.php?id=19944

There is another call for the 23rd for a massive demonstration of the education community outside the Parliament, the same day when the subject of education is for discussion in the Parliament
 
Lawyers have filed suits against the men of the riot squads

22 lawyers, most of whom were members of the Legal Team
(a team in support of anyone arrested during the riots, providing legal help),
filed lawsuits against the men of the riot squads that ,
on Friday 9/1/09 after the end of the demonstration by the education community,
showed their brutality against them by first violently attacking them at Asklipiou street and later by arresting them without reason and taking them to GADA(the central police department), because the dynamic presence of the lawyers at Asklipiou st didn't allow the arrests of many protesters and some passer-bys against whom they sprayed first their deadly chemicals.

The accusations in the lawsuit are for verbal abuse by them as a group, infringement of their duties, putting people in danger, uncalled for bodily harm by them(the riot squads) as a group.
Witnesses for the lawyers are from many groups, journalists and passer-bys.


Translating from this blog : http://o-dromos.blogspot.com/2009/01/blog-post_4340.html (greek blog)
 
video (in Greek) that was shown during the occupation of a tv channel in Xanthi

The video was shown on Friday 16/1/09 on the tv station CHANNEL 6 around 10 pm, while there was an occupation of the studio / channel that lasted a few hours

the video link :
http://athens.indymedia.org/local/webcast/uploads/teliko_video.wmv

and what it says on it :
WEDNESDAY 14/01/09 OCCUPATION FROM THE "INITIATIVE FOR SOLIDARITY TO THE ARRESTED IN DECEMBER" OF THE LABOUR CENTRE OF XANTHI (city in northern Greece)
WEDNESDAY 14/01/09 IT WAS DECIDED AT THE STUDENTS' GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO TAKE OVER THE POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL OF D.P.TH.

STUDENTS , SCHOOLCHILDREN, WORKERS, UNEMPLOYED, EVERYONE IS CONTRIBUTING SEPARATELY WITH THEIR PRESENCE AT THOSE TWO CENTERS OF STRUGGLE
WE CALL ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR OWN IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS. FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION IN THE STRUGGLE ABOUT ISSUES CONCERNING EDUCATION, WORK, OPPRESSION- STATE OPPRESSION
AFTER THE MURDER OF THE STUDENT
ALEXANDROS GRIGOROPOULOS
FROM THE SPECIAL GUARD THERE WAS AN IMMEDIATE DEMONSTRATION THAT FACED THE VIOLENT OPPRESSION BY THE "SECURITY FORCES" WITH THE RESULT OF MASSIVE ARRESTS.
EVEN TODAY 67 OF THE PROTESTERS ARE STILL IN CUSTODY AND FACING TRIAL BURDENED WITH A PACKET OF FALSE ACCUSATIONS.
WE ARE ALSO EXPRESSING OUR SOLIDARITY TO KONSTANTINA KOUNEVA , SECRETARY OF THE SYNDICALIST GROUP OF CLEANERS OF ATHENS WHO WAS ATTACKED WITH DEADLY INTEND BY ACID FROM THE CIRCLES OF BOSSES BECAUSE SHE WAS FIGHTING FOR THE WORKERS RIGHTS IN THEIR FIELD

DEMONSTRATION OF ALL GREEKS FOR SOLIDARITY TO THE ARRESTED IN DECEMBER
SATURDAY 17/01/09 AT LARISA

(3.00 p.m. the main demo, earlier 1.00 pm pre-gathering before the demo from anarchists and radical left groups)
and it ends
DON'T BE AFRAID OF THEM
GET DOWN TO THE STREETS WITH US
THEY'RE AIMING OUR BRAIN
THINK...
By Katerina Gogou
 
DEMONSTRATION OF ALL GREEKS FOR SOLIDARITY TO THE ARRESTED IN DECEMBER
SATURDAY 17/01/09 AT LARISA

(3.00 p.m. the main demo, earlier 1.00 pm pre-gathering before the demo from anarchists and radical left groups)
and it ends
DON'T BE AFRAID OF THEM
GET DOWN TO THE STREETS WITH US
THEY'RE AIMING OUR BRAIN
THINK...
By Katerina Gogou

I am off for this one, I will catch the train for Larisa in about an hour.

I will keep you posted of any news later today.

ON THE ROADS TO BREAK THE TERROR
 
Hello all.

With one day delay I will inform you of what happened on the demo yesterday in Larisa. It was a not a local demo, but comrades and people from all Greece gathered there, to protest against police brutality, in solidarity to the arrested demonstrators in Larisa, who are waiting for trial, being charged according to the anti terrorism law !!

There were general assemblies and meetings throughout the whole week, in order this demo to be arranged. Although in the beginning, it was decided that people from the left and anarchists will be on a common demo on 15:00, the left movements and groups decided to call for a different time on 13:00, splitting the demo and the movement in 2. Not the best decision according to the most of us.

Anyway, I reached Larisa at about 14:40 and went for the anarchist demo. Our block was big, with more than 1500 comrades participating. We started with a small delay, and more comrades were coming during our way, either because they arrived late at Larisa, or it was people from Larisa who for various reasons could not join earlier. Nearly at the beginning of the demo, a lot of comrades got in 2 big supermarket outlets and took a lot of food stuff, that were then given away to people, even demonstrators or passing by citizens. CCTV cameras and ATM machines were smashed, a lot of slogans were written on walls, leaflets given to people. People from their balconies were out looking at something different than they firstly expected, as the police had informed them that anarchists are coming to their town to destroy everything, and they were scared.

The earlier demo of the left movements, that was still on the streets, doing the same route as us, had started reaching us from the back and approaching steadily. I estimate that it was as big as ours, so I estimate that the total number of demonstrators in the streets of Larisa, was maybe even more than 3500 people. A very big number of demonstrators for a city like Larisa.

While we were on our way, and the left demo was approaching us, when the distance between us was about 20 meters, the police decided to attack in order not to let the 2 demos become one. I happened to be near the back of the demo at that time, so pretty close to this attack. Quickly enough, us that we were at the back, but also the front part of the left movements' demo, attacked the police, making them to move backwards, and we joined together, not letting the police to approach. A big quantity of beverages, grocery and milk was thrown at the police, all of what we had taken from the 2 supermarkets. Because of the big number of comrades in the anarchist block, the ones that happened to be in the front of the block did not realize what happened at the back, but they only found out about it later, when they were told by us !

So the 2 demos finally became 1 and a demo of more than 3500 people (some say that we were even more than 4500 but I think that it is too much) was going on the streets of Larisa. The demo of the left at that point finished though, the most of them did not decide to continue with us and left.

We continued and arrived outside the main court house of Larisa. There a symbolic attack against the police and the building happened, mostly with red paint but also some stones. They police tried to respond, but our block was solid and well protected, so they did not even try to break us. We continued and the demo stopped at the main square of Larisa.

After this point I left, as I had to take the train back, so I will describe you what happened next according to what I was told... A lot of comrades after the demo, mostly the ones from Larisa and the nearby towns, after the end of the demo went to the university department of Medicine and stayed there. More than an hour after we had left, plain clothes police together with fascists, estimating that not a lot of comrades where in the department, decided to attack. The comrades counter attacked immediately though, using clubs and stones, and the police together with the fascists had to run on the nearby streets. The comrades from Larisa started calling us, on our mobiles to return back, because they could see that the fascists were cooperating with police... Of course I had no way to return, but some comrades that were with a small hired bus going towards Athens, and some others from Volos (a nearby city) returned and joined the other comrades, chasing the fascist at the streets of Larisa. The fascists were quick to disappear though, so the whole incident finished there.

Some photos from the demo at Larisa can be seen here:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=973212
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=972598


Let me also inform you of the following event... Before the demo, 2 comrades from Athens were in Larisa and were walking around the streets, as they were there early for the demo. As they did not know the streets, they happened to pass outside the police station of Larisa. There MAT (RIOT police) was getting ready to get in the buses in order to go towards the city center. Immediately some cops, surrounded the 2 comrades, asking then who they were and what they were doing there... When they told them that they were there for the demo, the cops immediately grabbed them and started beating them... They started pulling them from their hair, to the police department. There other cops that were inside the police department, continued beating them, with clubs, shields, fists and kicks and put them in detention at a cell. There they were searched, and when they found out that they had gas masks on them, beatings started again. They stripped them COMPLETELY naked, in order to "search them for explosives" and as they found nothing they left them there in the cell for more than an hour waiting... They had taken their mobile phones, so they could not communicate with anyone, their friends outside they were looking for them ... About 1 and a half hours later, the cops decided to let them go, as they had called Athens and they got informed that the comrades had not been involved in anything up to now .... When the 2 comrades went to the chief officer of the police department in order to complain, they got the response that "eh some times a kicking around is always good" ..... !!!!!
 
next demo 23/1/09 from the education community

All education departments - Demonstration

Athens, Friday 23 January 2009, 12.00 noon at Propylea

There are many local assemblies taking place before the demo and general assemblies at different students' unions all over Greece about the continuation of the occupations and other ways to continue to support the movement as well as ways to show our support and solidarity to Konstantina Kouneva and all the arrested of December

**Account info for support to Konstantina Kouneva

5012 019021 277 (Τράπεζα Πειραιώς) Peireos Bank

DECHEVA ELENA KUEVA KOSTADINKA NIKOLOVA (her complete name)


On Friday the demo will head towards the Parliament where there is the discussion about education on the same day
 
Yesterday the memorial for Alexis

At the cemetery of Paleo Faliro a memorial service for the 40 days since Alexis' death took place yesterday. Family and close friends and his fellow students attended the ceremony at which it was requested to be without any police presence around the area.

There were 2 plaques at his grave. One had some verses from Hamlet :
Had I but time--as this fell sergeant, death,
Is strict in his arrest--O, I could tell you--
But let it be. .. I am dead;
Thou livest; report me and my cause aright
To the unsatisfied.
...And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,
To tell my story.
...

the other plaque had a message from his family :
Alexandros Gigoropoulos , 15, murdered on the 6th of December 2008

and for any Greeks reading this post the verses in a free translation, the way they were written on the plaque ,
from this link : http://www.tvxs.gr/v3523
 
Greek anarchists pay for senior's torched kiosk
THESSALONIKI, Greece - Two months after her kiosk was torched in local riots an elderly woman from Thessaloniki has received an unlikely cash gift from anarchists to rebuild her life, a press report said on Tuesday.

"As anarchists, we felt we should support a fellow human victimized by blind violence," an organization calling itself Anarchist Initiative said in a statement sent to Eleftherotypia daily.

The anarchists set up a special bank account to support 74-year-old Harikleia Ananiadou and collected 13,000 euros ($18,000 US) for the cause.

"We gave what we could, even beyond our means, because we know that it would be difficult for her to make a new start at her age," initiative member Panagiotis Papadopoulos told Angelioforos daily.

"It was an act of solidarity to a woman who could be our mother," he added.

Ananiadou's kiosk burned down in November during clashes between youths and police on the sidelines of a street demonstration.

The government recently announced compensation packages for business owners who suffered damage in the wave of violence that swept the country in December following the fatal shooting of a teenage boy.

But Ananiadou says she missed out because her kiosk was gutted a month earlier.

"I received only empty promises (from the state) ... I feel very fortunate that these boys came along to help," she said.
Fair play to 'em. Who are the Anarchist Initiative though? Are they a pre-existing group or something new?
 
No the anarchist initiative is not someting new... This in particular is the Anarchist Initiative from Athens Korinthos and Ahaia, who have been active and on various other occasions in the past, especially being against the industrialization of the area around then Korinthian gulf. Other anarchist initiatives also exist, as the one of Egaleo, the Solidrity Initiative in Lamia, the anarchist initiative "Black and Red" etc

http://anarxikoiaigaleo.blogspot.com - Egaleo Anarchists Initiative
http://www.geocities.com/protovulia_all_lamia - Solidarity Initiative, Lamia

Unfortunately these 2 links are in greek and I cannot find any other link of anarchist initiatives, although they exist ....
 
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