Mobilizations against the new memorandum between the Greek government and the troika – Syntagma square Athens #30MGR
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Athens [22:20] Many protesters have left. A few hundreds remain outside the greek parliament.
Athens [21:45] In front of greek parliament photo
Athens [21:25] PAME (All-Workers Militant Front) has left the demonstration.
On May 5th 2010, the day of the enactment of the first memorandum and right after the country’s recourse to the Troika mechanism and the announcement of the first cutbacks, a general strike was declared and half a million people are out on the streets protesting, in a raging mood trying to reach the parliament. The rage of the people is such that it looks like they are even able to raid the parliament. Conflicts arise between the protestors and the forces of repression, with the latter seeming powerless to halt the momentum of the people. A few hours later information is disseminated about an incident at the Marfin bank at Stadiou street; 3 workers died due to a fire that broke out. The moment the information is confirmed the protesters freeze, and the rage is converted into disappointment and sadness causing the end of the promising protest.
On April 29th 2011, approaching the anniversary of May 5th, four people including three comrades are detained in a Hollywood-like police operation and they are called to testify as suspects for the arson at the Marfin bank. At the same time inspections take place at their houses during which clothes and personal belongings are confiscated. The media has already started talking about arrests and targeting the anarchist/antiauthoritian space even though the “leads” the police actually have are a anonymous and incoherent note with personal information about the prosecuted (names, phones, car plates, home addresses), holding them accountable for the death of the three employees caused by the fire at the bank and the attempted murder of all the people present there. The other so-called lead is a set of photos taken from cameras which, however, do not connect any of the prosecuted with the arson. After testifying the prosecuted are set free and the initial “leads” as well as the testimonies are sent to the public prosecutor who is not able to charge them. Consequently, he sends the file back to the police and it is ruled a cold case.
On May 5th 2013, on the anniversary (once again) and without any new evidence the investigator decides to press felony charges against the comrade Thodoris S. regarding the Marfin bank case, as well as against one of the four people accused of involvement in the Ianos bookstore case. No charges were pressed against the other two comrades. In his testimony on May 2013 the comrade repeated what was already stated from the start: “The case file clearly demonstrates, through the witnesses’ statements as well as the photo gallery and videos, that I have absolutely nothing to do with any attack that took place on that day in Athens.” After appearing before the prosecutor, he is released on bail (with one condition stating the prohibition of his participation in future protests). We are therefore waiting for a trial in which our comrade Thodoris S. will have to prove that he is not superman nor an elephant.
On September 17th 2013 Pavlos Fyssas is murdered by G. Roupakias and other Golden Dawners in the presence of a DIAS police squad. Roupakias is arrested since there are too many witnesses that can not be silenced. Since the state can’t conceal this murder as it has done with so many others, it chooses to take advantage of it by presenting an antifascist mask. The media game starts with the arrests of their sometimes former partners i.e. Golden Dawn party members and continues in harmony with media outlets by bringing back the horseshoe theory. The state’s agenda remains the same fascist agenda as that of Golden Dawn (medieval working conditions, concentration camps for immigrants and marginalized social groups, pillorying of seropositive women, zero tolerance towards any form of resistance) and always with the media’s support, was seeking to wash themselves clean in the antifascist pool of Siloam. So all those who welcomed and promoted the fascist ideology are now portrayed as antifascists. Among others, MEGA TV channel, partially owned by Bobolas who also is one of the main shareholders of HELLAS GOLD which with violence tries to impose gold mining in Chalkidiki calling the resisting residents terrorists. In addition to this, Proto Thema newspaper, partially owned by Anastasiadis (partner of Restis and Pallis), which was promoting Golden Dawn’s “contribution to society”. All those supposedly disgusted from the fascist murder and startled from the fascist raids are now trying to play the role of social normality’s sole guarantor aiming to maintain and strengthen their power, equating the “violence of the two extremes”.
Only a few days after Fyssas’ assassination the authorities dragged up the Marfin bank case once again in an attempt to equate the two events. The other extreme of violence, which is mirrored in Thodoris and consequently in every anarchist/antiauthoritian, must apparently be stamped out. Without any respect towards the memory of the dead or the mourning of their relatives, the state’s blatant scheme is promoted and the authorities initiate another witch hunt alongside the media. It is not coincidental that a report, in Chatzinikolaou’s tabloid Real News, publishes the personal information of our comrade labelling him in advance as guilty, long before the court case was set, painting him in a negative light.
On our part as anarchists/antiauthoritarians, we will not condemn violence regardless of the causes behind it. Because we do not accept any kind of equation between the social class counter-violence and police violence, bosses’ violence in working spaces, fascists’ violence against immigrants and all those who do not fit in their “Aryan” vision. We do not accept the equation between the violence that comes from the oppressors and the violence the oppressed use to fight for their beliefs. It goes without saying that the expression of social counter-violence on the streets is always targeted against the state and capitalism. The rationale which indiscriminately devalues human life is alien to us. We, as anarchists, never embraced terms such as “collateral damage” or “unfortunate incidents”. These are the state’s and bosses’ justifications of the assassinations committed by the repression mechanisms, the murders in sweatshops, and the fascist attacks. This is the rotten world of exploitation and barbarism which we try to destroy in order to create from the ashes a world of equality, solidarity and freedom.
We don’t need any bourgeois jury’s finding to convince us that out comrade is innocent. If they are looking for murderers they just have to look in the mirror.
We, comrades of Thodoris are going to stick in solidarity with him until the end of this prosecution, until this ridiculous case collapses. We will not become the scapegoats in this absurd game played by those who consciously ride roughshod over people and their struggles.
Solidarity assembly for comrade Thodoris S.
