Call For Solidarity With Criminalized Anarchists In Greece
On November 18, 1995, the group Anarchic Proposal/Anarchist
Black Cross (AP/ABC) in Athens, Greece sent out an urgent fax
calling for solidarity with hundreds of arrested anarchists.
On November 16 and 17, anarchists occupied the Polytechnic
school in Athens to protest the imprisonment of their comrades
George Balafas, George Kritikopoulos, and Odysseas Kambouris
(serving 5-12 years on different charges), as well as Kostas
Kalaremas (on hungerstrike since November 10). The occupation was
also in solidarity with the prison rebellion in Korydallos. More
than 500 people were brutally beaten by special police units and
then arrested. Thousands of cops were deployed; several people
were seriously injured and others suffered from tear gas
inhalation.
Those arrested were taken to various police detention
centers and were not allowed to contact lawyers. Many of those
arrested, some as young as 12 years old, are facing heavy charges
such as attempted murder and explosives possession.
The Anarchist Black Cross has called on comrades around the
world to target Greek consulates or embassies for protest
actions.
Protest letters can be sent to the following address:
Greek Justice Minister
Ministry of Justice
Katehaki Street
Athens, Greece
Fax: +30-1-7796055
Send copies of your faxes to:
AP/ABC
8 Aristidou Street
105 59 Athens, Greece
Tel/Fax: +30-1-3224770
Background Information
During the eviction of the Polytechnic in Athens, 515
anarchists were arrested. Of those, 80 were set free because they
were younger than 18. Felony charges have been levied against all
the others, including explosives possession, conspiracy, and
riotous activity.
The Polytechnic was occupied on Saturday afternoon on
November 17. The day November 17th has a long history as a day of
struggle for the Greek left. On that day in 1974, an uprising
began in the Polytechnic which eventually brought down the
military dictatorship in Greece. Ever since then, the school has
been a symbol of resistance to dictatorship. Normally under Greek
law, police are not allowed to enter the Polytechnic, for
historical reasons. This created a free-space which allowed the
Polytechnic to develop into a focal point of militant anarchist
activity. The police storming of the grounds in 1995, the result
of a temporary lifting of the ban, marked the first time in 21
years that police have entered the Polytechnic.
Each year on November 17, anarchists hold militant street
demonstrations in Athens and occupy the Polytechnic. Clashes with
police are common. This year's occupation was in solidarity with
anarchist prisoners in Greece, one of whom had been on a long
hungerstrike. The occupiers were also expressing solidarity with
a week-long prison rebellion in Athens. Confrontations with
police took place all week long.
Greek comrades are asking for rallies to be held outside of
Greek missions overseas. Also, the ABC needs money for the
anarchists still in custody (lawyers fees, publicity work, etc.)
