CALL FOR SOLIDARITY WITH THE PRISONERS OF THESSALONIKI 21.06 DEMONSTRATIONS

On the 20th till 22nd of June EU summit took place in Porto Carras 120 kilometers from Thessaloniki, Greece. Anarchist/antiautoritarians mobilized for actions against the summit. Already a few days before parts of Aristoteli University in Thessaloniki has been squatted by anarchists in order to create space for discussions, counterinformation and preparing actions. On Thursday 18th of June there was an anarchist/antiauthoritarian demonstration of 4000 in solidarity with the immigrants. The anarchist demonstration on Saturday 21st of June, rejecting dialoge with both authorities and reformist groups, chose an offensive strategy of targeting symbols of power and capital, as well as confronting police forces. During the demonstrations in the centre of Thessaloniki over one hundred persons were detained, beaten, some tortured by police and forced to sign the blank papers to be used for the juridical frame-up. Twenty-nine of those have been charged. On Sunday 22nd a solidarity demonstration with about 200 participants took place in front of the Thessaloniki court. At the same time the media and politicians have been praising police tactics as a demonstration of the “real democracy of Greek presidency”. They attempted to depoliticize the anarchist demonstration defining it as “an act of vandalism “, because it was the only part of the protest to attack the democratic status quo based on dialogue with power and the State. On Wednesday 25th the public prosecutor and interrogating judge held seven of the detainees in provisional imprisonment (maximum 18 months before trial). The other 22 have been released (some of them on very high bail) but are still facing charges and will be put on trial. At this moment two Spanish, one British, one Syrian political refugee living in Greece and three Greek comrades remain in prison. All the prisoners are supposed to be held separate from each other and the three Greek comrades have been put in the juvenile prison known for the terrible conditions. There is a need to extend actions of solidarity all over the world for our imprisoned comrades.

Solidarity is a weapon! By all means necessary!

International anarchists
June 27, 2003