Direct Action news reports - Greece 3/08
Rioters news agency | 01.04.2008 12:26 | Free Spaces | Other Press | Social Struggles | London | South Coast
For a better version with photos etc, visit 
http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/search/label/english
Arsons at the ministry of agriculture in Cyprus (Nicosia, 28/3/2008)
Around 3:30 a fire erupted wrecking 4 cars and damaging one more, underneath witch were set incendiary devices with gas canisters, set on fire by cubes of solid oil. Police investigations target the antiauthoritarian milieu.
A related article in greek can be found here: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=849119
Attack against Bank (Thessaloniki, 31/3/2008)
Source (greek only): http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=849650
Today, 31/3/08, at 7 in the morning we attacked Probank, on Al. Svolou street, at Navarinou Square as a gesture of solidarity to the imprisoned anarchist Vaggelis Botzatzis and to the 3 fugitive comrades, prosecuted under the "terror-law"
INTO THE STREETS WE BREAK THE LAW
IT ALL CONTINUES...
Attacks against companies (Athens, 28/3/2008)
The following text is a translation of a communique sent anonymously to
directactiongr@yahoo.gr and also published at http://athens.indymedia.org.
According to the media, a little after 1 in the night, incendiary devices damaged 4 OTE cars, 2 supermarket vehicles and the car of the security guard.
Early at the morning of Friday 28/3, we attacked the Dexim branch at Agioi Anargiroi, Sklavenitis (supermarket) on Panormou and OTE (telecommunications) at Agia Paraskevi, companies that profit from the exploitation of the prisoners basic needs for survival (clothing, food, communication). All those engaged in the function of the prisons have made themselves a target. We couldn't speak against the prisons without attacking the companies that cooperate with them. Imprisonment is a form of repression but also a field of economic interest. Behind the walls and the iron bars, prison as an enterprise of human stock-polling, is also a center of mass-consumption. In democracy, the ideology of repression goes beyond murdering, torturing and punishing to making a profit out of it. That's why the prisoners are expected to be treated as production units. They have to work and consume so that the prison economy functions well. The economic agreements between big businessmen and the ministry of justice turn us to a more total critic of the world of prisons, towards the perspective of their total destruction.
These actions are dedicated to the memory of Haris Temperekidis, who was murdered by the gunfires of EKAM policemen, hunted in the mountains of Korinthia, after a bank robbery, the days of February '.99
Note: Haris Temperekidis was a long-term prisoner of the penal code, as he exercised the art of bank robbing. He has been active in prisoner struggles and resistance. Of a distinct and affectionate rebel conscience.
Molotov attack against bank (Athens, 25/3/2008)
Source (greek only): http://www.e-tipos.com/newsitem?id=30146
3 o' clock in the morning and a group attacked a subsidiary of Emporiki Bank at Varnalis street, Peristeri (Athens). They broke the glass window and threw around 10 molotov cocktails inside the bank, destroying it totally. Also a near by kiosk had some damages.
Claim at "Eleftherotipia" newspaper: http://www.enet.gr/online/online_text/c=112,id=51955472
"In solidarity to the imprisoned anarchist Giannis Dimitrakis, who, with his decent attitude against the barbaric prison system gave the occasion for the wave of insurrections at many prisons around the country. Freedom for the imprisoned fighters. The struggle continues."
Paints against billboard (Athens, 21/3/2008)
Activists threw paints on a billboard advertising the "Mont Parnes" Casino at Parnitha mountain (Athens), lifted a banner and threw leaflets with the slogan "The casino out of Parnitha". Note that, after the summer 2008 arsons that destroyed a larg part of Greece's forests and wildlife, as well as Parnitha, the Casino was unaffected and the state even donated to the casino a former forest area! When activists protested against the casino throwing some paints at its infrastructures, police mobilized helicopters with thermal radars to hunt them in the forest, arrested 27 persons and tortured them!
Source: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843752
Three days of fire (Athens-Thessaloniki, 18-19-20/3/2008)
The following communique was sent to directactiongr@yahoo.gr, and is referring to a three day rampage against among other targets, a Millenium Bank in Pagrati, a security vehicle in Koukaki and a construction company's vehicle in Kifissia, an Emporiki bank subsidiary in Agia Paraskevi, an electric company in Agioi Anargiroi and another security car in Petralona, as well as a security company offices in Galatsi (all of them in Athens, according to http://www.skai.gr/master_story.php?id=76442). The communique:
The conspiracy of cells of fire Thessaloniki-Athens claims responsibility for the three-day (18-19-20/3) arson attacks. The police state constitutes an irrefutable reality. Mobilizing the dogma of security (insecurity) it intensifies its repressive action, penetrating every level of the social tissue and tearing it into pieces. Panoptism is utilized in every expression of the older and the new forms of surveillance and the industry of fear is set for good. Cameras, cops, juries, municipal cops and security patrols safeguard this new complex net of captivity.
In every street corner, snitches in uniforms or without, lawful avengers and police informers give an Orwellian perspective to life, ready to prevent and choke even the tiniest delinquent practice or thought. The punishment of the prison either comes to seclude the delinquent behaviors born in this society or hangs above whoever practically questions and attacks the empire's imperatives.
The target is to create a new type of human-robot having incorporated the vertical relation of authority's surveillance and reproducing it both vertically and horizontally on those around him. The regular circulation of profit and economy, the total entrance of this compromised person in the production-consumption process is a fact in this heaven on earth. Authority seems to have no face, being everywhere with an almost divine nature. Unreachable even when the grotesque mask of the ridiculous, the contemptible, the submissive, appear behind its democracy.
Though, exactly because it does have a face, and it is not unreachable at all, we selected to attack these specific targets:
Tuesday 18/3: Arson against a police bus at Egaleo (Athens).
Wednesday 19/3: Double attack against the city-hall of Thessaloniki, on Venizelou Street and a Security vehicle on Martiou Street.
Thursday 20/3: Series of arson attacks against security companies -that constitute the mercenary servants who spy, intervene, snitch to, and assist the cops-, banks, prison construction companies and electronic security system companies, that undertake the building and the surveillance of human-depositories, the worst form of taking away one's freedom and dignity, in exchange of money.
This 3 day festival of fire is dedicated to the comrades Chrissostomos Kontorevithakis and Marios Tsourapas, detained for attempting to blow up a municipal police vehicle at Paleo Faliro, and facing a jury on July.
It is part of a generalized attack against the current, a part of the defense of our freedom, a part of the destruction of your world.
As long as there are fists and howls raised, as long as there is dignity around, we will always stand against your plans, always against you. We'll be back soon.
Conspiracy of Cells of Fire Thessaloniki-Athens
Previous actions from the same group:
http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/2008/02/series-of-arson-attacks-athens.html
http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/2008/01/series-of-incendiary-attacks-athens.html
Actions during the strikers demo (Athens Thessaloniki Heraklion Larissa, 19-20/3/2008)
Source: Athens.indymedia.org, and some e-mails.
Demonstrations were organized after a call by workers unions and syndicates in Greece's larger cities, against the new law on the pension system. Below are gathered some of the reported direct action.
Athens: Workers initiatives and anarchist/antiauthoritarian collectives shut down luxurious shops that were working on a strike day (photos of an action at repo-zine.blogspot.com). The marches start with more than 200.000 people in several blocs. Clashes begin near the parliament, where some surveillance cameras and a few bank glass windows were broken down. Street battles continue near the universities (Propylaia) and Exarcheia area where people build up a few barricades. The cops shoot plastic bullets against the protesters. Around Exarchia square, people attack the riot-police brigades. It's worth mentioning that syndicalist leaders left the marches so as to intimidate people participating. Some photos at:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=844341
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843464
Βίντεο:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843444
Thessaloniki: More than 20.000 protest in the city center. During the demonstration a collective throws garbage and paints against shops that stayed open during the strike (Photos at stasiepisfaleias.wordpress.com).
Also, glass windows and cameras of banks were broken, while an ATM was set on fire. During these actions, leftists clashed with demonstrators who had their faces covered, participating or encouraging such actions. Photos at: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843289#843299
Heraklion, Crete:
Around 4.000 persons participated in the city center, where since early in the morning strikers had forced shops to close down for the strike. During the march groups of anarchists/antiauthoritarians broke down several surveillance cameras outside banks and threw paint at the Nea Dimokratia (ruling party) offices. The march headed towards the Prefecture of Crete offices, where many attempted to occupy the building, while some syndicalist bureaucrat's (friendly to PASOK, ex-ruling and currently opposition party) prevented them and clashed with anarchists who at last broke the Prefecture's entrance.
More photos:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843525#843526
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843569
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843758
Video from a camera sabotage:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843435
Larissa: Clashes erupted when the PAME (a frontal organization of the KKE "communist" party) attacked against anarchists/antiauthoritarians, autonomous and leftists in order to keep their blocs away from the march, though the PAME tough guys were repelled succesfuly.
20/3: During a demonstration outside the parliament, an initiative attempted to break the police line but was repelled with exessive tear gas and riot-policemen attacks. Many demonstrators responded covering their faces and attacking the policemen with stones, while starting fires to minimize tear gas effects. The syndicalist bureaucrats once more, left the area.
News from the strikes (Athens, 10/3/2008)
Sources: http://www.alphatv.gr/index.asp?a_id=90&news_id=28607 - http://www.enet.gr/online/online_text/c=114,id=9561944 -
Garbage men and municipalities' employees continue with their strike up to Wednesday.
GSEE, ADEDY, courthouse employees and OTE telecommunications trade unions call for a strike on 19/3.
On Wednesday trade unions of workers at Metro and Electric Railroad abstain from work for 3 hours and call for a 24hour strike on Thursday.
Wednesday and Thursday, engineers and lawyers go on a strike too.
Meanwhile, there have been some serious problems at the ATM cash supply due to the bank employees strike, against the pension system degradation. Bank employees will continue their strike through the whole week covered by their trade union (OTOE).
Also, around 4,2 million euros costed to the stockmarket the bank employees strike.
12/3: More than 6.000 strikers demonstrate in the center of Athens. During their march, they unload garbage from dust-carts and throw them to the policemen guarding the ministry of employment. The cops' union sues them.
Photos from the march at: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=840411
15/3: Unknown persons set more than 20 piles of garbage on fire, in Thessaloniki. Police prosecutes a 58 year old man.
In Athens, clashes erupted when riot policemen took over the Ano Liosia (Athens) disposal center, to let strike-breakers in. Hundreds of strikers, who had their syndicate's meeting at the time, went to the dump and stopped the dust-carts from entering.
Meanwhile, according to a jury, any similar future mobilization under the same demands is from now on illegal.
17/3: Municipality workers occupied the city hall of Athens, blocking the municipal council meeting, after the strike-breaking mobilizations of the municipality.
Source: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=842229
Also: http://antistasigr.blogspot.com/
Attack on police car (Athens, 9/3/2008)
Source: http://www.alphatv.gr/index.asp?a_id=91&news_id=28618
A report in greek at: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=839901
According to the media, when after a phone call by some neighbors, a police car came to settle a fight between two groups of people in Nea Philadelphia, Athens, they attacked in common the police car with sticks, stones and debris from a near by structure, injuring two cops and forcing them to leave quickly. Later on, the police prosecuted 9 persons from the area.
Banks spray painted during the carnival (Ksanthi, 7/3/2008)
During the local carnival festivities, central banks had their glass-windows spray painted with slogans in solidarity to the anarchist prisoner Nikos Kountardas, who is on a circular hunger strike, demanding his release.
More infos in english at: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=839862
Buildings occupied (Larisa-Patras, 8/3/2008)
Anarchists, antiauthoritarians, autonomous and uncommited people with a help from other comrades from nearby towns occupied the old IKA building in Larissa in order to turn it into a free social/politic zone. They cleaned up the area and distributed the announcement of the new squat ("Social Liberation Virus" - "Ios Koinonikis Apeleutherosis") to passengers and local residents who were quite positive. Photos at: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=839341
A week earlier, an announcement came online about another space inside the university of Patras that was actually occupied one year earlier, in order to hold a coffee place, a lending library, a digital archive and a music studio. The space is self-managed, anti-hierarchical and anti-commercial, and it functions through an open assembly. Infos and photos: http://prokat35.wordpress.com/
Schools' national flags on fire (Thessaloniki, 7/3/2008)
From a report in greek at: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=838460
School teachers in western Thessaloniki, noticed their students about "an issue of some schools in western Thessaloniki (Halastra district) where their flags were brought down and set on fire, while slogans of solidarity to V. Botzatzis and others were spray painted on the walls". Teachers seem to blame students, and warned they will take the case to a state's attorney.
"the passion for freedom is stronger than any school
we are on your side
students"
Communique for the bomb at the ministry of environment (Athens, 24/2/2008)
A media coverage of the action can be found here: http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/2008/02/bomb-exploded-at-ministry-of.html.
Note by directactiongr: Below there are some parts of a more extensive text, available in greek at http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/2008/03/2422008.html. If there is a better or more extensive translation in the future, I shall replace this one.
"Athens, March 2008
Concerning our action
We decided to attack the Forest Office of Attiki prefecture. Our aim was to bring on the issue of the fire arsons, a phenomenon that has taken immense aspects, during the last decades. I climaxed last summer with millions of acres of forest burnt, villages wiped off the map, and more than 70 people losing their lives (in Greece).
For us, a fundamental reason of this situation is with no doubt the hunt of profit through the exploitation and the economic utilization of the earth. All other reasons that are projected as possible, from the negligence and carelessness, to the conspiracy theories and the "asymmetrical threats" aren't capable of explaining the amplitude and the intensity of the phenomenon. That is to say, the ones to blame are the economic interests in all of their spectrum, from minor enterprises (residential, touristic, constructions) to the owners of large or small pieces of Earth.
We come into this conclusion through a simple observation of the Greek reality. We note, without coming into more specialized details, that Greece, privileged by the international developments in the wider area, and despite all the crises, walks into a phase of capitalist growth. Dynamic aspects of this growth are the constructions, the purchase of land, and of course tourism, activities that have no meaning without available land. Within this context, a large percentage of Greeks is in a relative, even fake, prosperity. Given the central place small ownership, and even more possessing one or even two residencies, has for the Greek mentality, it is easy to understand the fact that many Greeks invest their money in buying land.
A consequence of the factors above, is the upright raise of the demand for land, especially for residential reasons. A huge field for speculation is opened, since the entire of Greece is built up: Residencies or hotels, legal or illegal, with loans or with earnings, deep in the forest or by the sea. If the space demanded cant be found, the interests will create it from the beginning. The forests, that aren't so profitable anyway, will be turned to the no 1 target: burnt, trespassed, and finally built upon. It is characteristic that during the last decade, more than 2 million requests were filled, claiming previously forest fields for construction, the biggest part of them right after forest arsons. In Attiki only around Ymittos mountain, trespassers, the Church being one of them, claim 25.000.000 square meters, for the construction industry, while another 10.000.000 square meters are claimed by construction industries.
While the forest are under such a pressure, the state, in duty for the forest protection, is non-existent in both tactical and institutional level. As far as it concerns the tactical part, even the last resident of this country knows that the state is neither preventing, nor puting out any fires. The situation is saved only due to the earnestness and the self-sacrifice of the ordinary firemen, both casual and seasonal. In other words, the proper services act as any other public service: total absence of organization and meritocracy, money dissipation, hiring personnel with party member/customer criteria. The reasons of such tragedies as the one recently, when we add to these above the complete incompetence of every political chief of these services. The last summer, it happened to be the grotesque samurai Polydoras. A samurai only in words, of course, since, if was that devoted to the samurai code, he should have perform a hara-kiri a long time ago.
[...]
(The communique goes on with an analysis on the legal system and how it lead to the 30% of the country's forests de-characterized as forest areas and put into exploitation, while the afforestation only affect a 10% of the burnt area. The prefectures' role is also put into question. Alsomentions the hypocricy of the state that invests on the war industry, and has its minister building illegally inside forest areas, torturing activists protesting against the casino in Parnitha forest, and exploiting the pain of people's lives affected by the arsons. The communique goes on considering two forest arson cases).
[...]
Regarding this service as responsible for the degradation of Attiki's forestal environment and willing to end it's supervisors and the responsible ministers this message, that for every inch of forest that is built on, they will have to face the relative cost, we decided to realise this attack. We underline the fact that the attack does not affect the ecologists and forestry scientists working for the Prefecture, that do their job with conscience.
On the effects of capitalism on the natural environment
With a further analysis on the greek reality, the relative with the forest catastrophe, we came to the conclusion that the responsibility is between the voracious capital and the political power. This of course, does not take all responsibility off of the alienated greek society. The destruction of forests in Greece is a small tile of the global environmental destruction pattern, for wich the exclusive responsible is capitalism itself, as an economic-political system, and also as a dominant ideology.
Capitalism's central ideas are the unlimited and by all means development of the economic means and the total domination upon nature. All things receive a price as economic measures, capable of producing wealth. The natural environment is not en exception in this. It is an economic parameter that has to become managed under the most profitable way. In parallel, capitalism, in order to survive and reproduce, diffuses its values and its moral in the whole of society, creating in this way the comparative type of humans. A human individualized, greedy consumer, irresponsible and short-sighted, facing nature as a complete alien. It is the dominant type of human inside the capitalist societies, and of course the Greek. In its best, he sees nature as a decoration for his recreation time, and in its worst, he wont hold back from destroying and polluting, in order to satisfy his petit interests.
[...]
It is now visible that capitalism has reached a point where he doesn't affect simply the rights and freedom of the people, but hurts the whole of human survival in its most essential form. The harmless legitimate ecology fighting only for the protection of the environment does not give a response, not reaching the essence of the question. The essence is that the destruction of the environment is not a minor malfunction that can be fixed, is a nessecary term and an inevitable consequence of the existence of capitalism. The fight to save the environment can only be a part of a more total fight against capitalism, the political structures and the social relations that support it. This realisation that will nessecarily be connected with a wider change of the way people live and think, is the only hope for the planet and human societies that inhabit it.
A few words on armed struggle
The capitalist barbarism, in order to endure, forearms itself in every level. It created monstrous police-state patterns, arms its military, imposes its ideologies of confusion, apathy and defeat. All these, because it knows it has its adversaries. It knows that inside the societies there still is an opposite force, standing against its plans and seeking for its subversion. There is, to say, a war, between the economically-politically dominants and those parts of the society that want the revolutionary change of the social organisation. This war can be obvious or even undergound, sometimes offensive and some others defensive, it passes its phases of explosion and others flat, but it's always there.
A simple component of this opposite force is also the armed struggle. A form of fight against the capitalist barbarism as any other. There is no matter of putting the one before the other. We do not propose that it is the only one drastic, but we don't accept it is harmfull. The armed struggle doesn't substitute the massive movement in any case, but it still is useful.
When the enemy poses against us allmighty police-military complexes and panoptic systems, when every non-integrated resistance is dealed with cynic state violence, when the capitalists, in lack of class struggles, constantly invent new ways to suck on the workers blood, when whole peoples are annihilated because they stand in the way of the dominants' geo-strategic games, when the environment is wasted, the peaceful-legal protests are not enough. Against this totalitarian war, resistance should also be violent.
Only in that way can we spread to the sensible social parts the message that the regime is vulnerable, unlike what it seems to be, that it can be wounded by simple means in every level, that we can, even symbolically, respond to the strikes we receive. In this way, we force it to show its real face, without its liberal paints. The message of these actions has also more receivers. We speak of course for the state official themselves, who should realise they are not immune and their unconsciousness will have its concequencies. Of course, such is the pachydermy that authority causes, that we doubt it. In these difficult times that societies receive a harsh expoitative and ideological attack and authority names as "terrorists" all those that resist, hiding away the fact that reign through terror is its own monopoly, the continuance of the armed struggle is a nessecity, once it emphatically declares, with well considered and well defined attacks, that resistance by any means is feasible.
It is a mistake for an armed revolutionary group to consider itself an unsolicited avenger and a protector of popular interests, especially in societies so contradictory as modern day's. We too don't consider we act in the name of the popular class or of the massive movement. We are just parts of this society that our concience doesn't allow us to tolerate the existing barbarism. For us, there is no other decent way to live, than to fight against it.
We believe in a society that will self-manage democratically its affairs, will distibute fairly its wealth to everyone, will live in harmony with nature and where the central essence will be for freedom, solidarity and human care.
To conclude, we want to be in the side of those that share the same collective dreams with us.
Armed Revolutionary Action (ENopli Epanastatiki DRAsi - ENEDRA)
We also claim responsibility for the attack against the tax service office in Argyroupoli on 22.2.07."
Source: To Pontiki newspaper, 6.3.2008: http://www.topontiki.gr/
Protesters cancel cement-industry sponsored event (Volos, 4/3/2008)
Source: http://www.indy.gr/
More than 400 people gathered outside the municipal theater of Volos, protesting atmospheric pollution, holding banners and pickets, and chanting slogans against AGET, and invaded the theater.
After one and a half hour of minor clashes, the manager of the industry announced that the event is canceled. State and city official who were supposed to be awarded, didn't appear even near the theater.
Is should be noted that the city of Volos suffers from AGET's polluting the atmosphere, while no measures are adopted for the protection of the environment.
A "Residents' Initiative" calling for the protest, characterizes AGET industry as shameful, honoring local rulers for the Mediterranean Games, they managed to hold, in a city, so full of dust and fume, rulers that have been allowing for years AGET to pollute however they want to, while receiving their sponsorships for their vain plans (Mediterranean Games, "Argo") and share a common aim: Cement it all! They also mention the city halls hypocrisy, planting little trees, near natural trees and bushes uprooted by the bulldozers, concluding in the fact we have nothing good to expect from those people, so let in our turn "honor" AGET and all those that bribe us with their poisons, and all those that mock us, with our constant struggle for clean air, and our rage for their hypocrisy.
Nationalists beaten up (Thessaloniki, 6/3/2008)
A report in greek at: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=837901
During the nationalist demonstrations for the copyright of the word "macedonia" to be used exclusively by the greek capital, organized by right-wing and cleric 'notables' of the city (LAOS party, ex-PASOK politician Papathemelis, eparch Anthimos, 'thinker' Zouraris and others) 2 persons on a bike carrying around a huge greek flag got themselves a spanking and had their flag taken away. They later on appeared on a few tv channels, in an effort to start a witch hunt against anarchists/antiauthoritarians.
Attack against Municipal Police station (Athens, 6/3/2008)
From "Eleftherotipia" newspaper, republished at:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=838318
According to an anonymous phonecall, the attack against the building of the municipal police on Imittou 251, Pagrati district, Athens, was a sign of solidarity to Marios Tsourapas and Chrissostomos Kontorevithakis. Unidentified persons attacked with sticks and stones and other objecs the buildings glass windows, as well as a municipal police vehicle. In their way out, they turned upside down a patrol car of the municipal police, throwing leaflets writing on them: "If the innocent do worth our solidarity, the guilty deserve it even more" and demanding for the liberation of Marios Tsourapas and Chrissostomos Kontorevithakis, under pre-trial imprisonment, accused of an arson attempt against a municipal police patrol car, on 5/6/2007, in Paleo Faliro, Athens.
Actions during the strike (Athens, 5-6/3/2008)
As a response to the planned degradation of the pension system, the strike of the PPC workers set 19 power plants out of order, causing local black-outs in several districts of the country, while mobilizations and sit-down strikes (covered by the OTOE syndicate) paralysed the stock market and many banks for hours. The management in both cases, takes the legal way to set the strikes "illegal and abusive". Dock warkers already left their jobs for a day, causing a halt to cargo operations. More people are willing to support the strike, like students, prefecture workers and garbage storage workers who won't go to work for the weekend, while the city council of Athens is planning on employing "emergency stuff" for the strike!
Some reports (in greek) from:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=837950
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=838288:
Clashes erupted on 5/4 outside Maksimou mansion, where the government's committee for the pension system had a conference, when the police repelled the 1000 protesters with batons and tear gas, while they tried to break the police lines.
On 6/4 PPC linemen clashed with the cops outside the "Evelpidon" courthouse, during the decision of whether their strike would be declared as "illegal and abusive".
Environmental action in Lesbos island (Mytilini, 4/3/2008)
Source-Photos: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=837586
Members of the collective "Nautilus in action" and local residents in a symbolic action threw debris at the entrance of the local prefecture council, invaded in and demanded from the vice prefect to answer to their questions and take a stance towards the continuous degradation of the island's environment and the piling of debris at the lagoons of Lesbos.
Police attacks solidarity to palestinians march (Athens, 4/3/2008)
Source and Photos: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=837950
Police forces blocked a march of a few houndreds, in solidarity to the palestinian people, and attacked them. They repelled the policemen and face-to-face clashes erupted, lasting for a few minutes. The march left the area in a bloc.
Residents prevent antenna installation (Sparti, 1/3/2008)
More photos and a report in greek at: athens.indymedia.org
Teachers, pupils, residents and local anarchists/antiathoritarians/autonomous and social ecologists raised their voice against the "illegal" installation of a mobile phones antenna near the 3rd public school of Sparti, on a nearby appartment block's roof, programmed for 1/2/2008. Since then, residents had taken legal measures against the installation and even the mayor of Sparti was obliged to prevent the setting of the antenna, but no action was undertaken untill this demonstration.
Antiauthoritarians participated in the demo chanting slogans and throwing leaflets and distributing a communique against mobile phone antennas, with a briefing on the residents of Sparti organizing against the antennas and forming an action committe, and also mentioning other cities' residents initiatives and spots in Sparti where there are antennas installed and to the health and social effects of antennas.
directactiongr.blogspot.com
http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/search/label/english Arsons at the ministry of agriculture in Cyprus (Nicosia, 28/3/2008)
Around 3:30 a fire erupted wrecking 4 cars and damaging one more, underneath witch were set incendiary devices with gas canisters, set on fire by cubes of solid oil. Police investigations target the antiauthoritarian milieu.
A related article in greek can be found here:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=849119 Attack against Bank (Thessaloniki, 31/3/2008)
Source (greek only):
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=849650 Today, 31/3/08, at 7 in the morning we attacked Probank, on Al. Svolou street, at Navarinou Square as a gesture of solidarity to the imprisoned anarchist Vaggelis Botzatzis and to the 3 fugitive comrades, prosecuted under the "terror-law"
INTO THE STREETS WE BREAK THE LAW
IT ALL CONTINUES...
Attacks against companies (Athens, 28/3/2008)
The following text is a translation of a communique sent anonymously to
directactiongr@yahoo.gr and also published at http://athens.indymedia.org. According to the media, a little after 1 in the night, incendiary devices damaged 4 OTE cars, 2 supermarket vehicles and the car of the security guard.
Early at the morning of Friday 28/3, we attacked the Dexim branch at Agioi Anargiroi, Sklavenitis (supermarket) on Panormou and OTE (telecommunications) at Agia Paraskevi, companies that profit from the exploitation of the prisoners basic needs for survival (clothing, food, communication). All those engaged in the function of the prisons have made themselves a target. We couldn't speak against the prisons without attacking the companies that cooperate with them. Imprisonment is a form of repression but also a field of economic interest. Behind the walls and the iron bars, prison as an enterprise of human stock-polling, is also a center of mass-consumption. In democracy, the ideology of repression goes beyond murdering, torturing and punishing to making a profit out of it. That's why the prisoners are expected to be treated as production units. They have to work and consume so that the prison economy functions well. The economic agreements between big businessmen and the ministry of justice turn us to a more total critic of the world of prisons, towards the perspective of their total destruction.
These actions are dedicated to the memory of Haris Temperekidis, who was murdered by the gunfires of EKAM policemen, hunted in the mountains of Korinthia, after a bank robbery, the days of February '.99
Note: Haris Temperekidis was a long-term prisoner of the penal code, as he exercised the art of bank robbing. He has been active in prisoner struggles and resistance. Of a distinct and affectionate rebel conscience.
Molotov attack against bank (Athens, 25/3/2008)
Source (greek only):
http://www.e-tipos.com/newsitem?id=30146 3 o' clock in the morning and a group attacked a subsidiary of Emporiki Bank at Varnalis street, Peristeri (Athens). They broke the glass window and threw around 10 molotov cocktails inside the bank, destroying it totally. Also a near by kiosk had some damages.
Claim at "Eleftherotipia" newspaper:
http://www.enet.gr/online/online_text/c=112,id=51955472 "In solidarity to the imprisoned anarchist Giannis Dimitrakis, who, with his decent attitude against the barbaric prison system gave the occasion for the wave of insurrections at many prisons around the country. Freedom for the imprisoned fighters. The struggle continues."
Paints against billboard (Athens, 21/3/2008)
Activists threw paints on a billboard advertising the "Mont Parnes" Casino at Parnitha mountain (Athens), lifted a banner and threw leaflets with the slogan "The casino out of Parnitha". Note that, after the summer 2008 arsons that destroyed a larg part of Greece's forests and wildlife, as well as Parnitha, the Casino was unaffected and the state even donated to the casino a former forest area! When activists protested against the casino throwing some paints at its infrastructures, police mobilized helicopters with thermal radars to hunt them in the forest, arrested 27 persons and tortured them!
Source:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843752 Three days of fire (Athens-Thessaloniki, 18-19-20/3/2008)
The following communique was sent to
directactiongr@yahoo.gr, and is referring to a three day rampage against among other targets, a Millenium Bank in Pagrati, a security vehicle in Koukaki and a construction company's vehicle in Kifissia, an Emporiki bank subsidiary in Agia Paraskevi, an electric company in Agioi Anargiroi and another security car in Petralona, as well as a security company offices in Galatsi (all of them in Athens, according to http://www.skai.gr/master_story.php?id=76442). The communique: The conspiracy of cells of fire Thessaloniki-Athens claims responsibility for the three-day (18-19-20/3) arson attacks. The police state constitutes an irrefutable reality. Mobilizing the dogma of security (insecurity) it intensifies its repressive action, penetrating every level of the social tissue and tearing it into pieces. Panoptism is utilized in every expression of the older and the new forms of surveillance and the industry of fear is set for good. Cameras, cops, juries, municipal cops and security patrols safeguard this new complex net of captivity.
In every street corner, snitches in uniforms or without, lawful avengers and police informers give an Orwellian perspective to life, ready to prevent and choke even the tiniest delinquent practice or thought. The punishment of the prison either comes to seclude the delinquent behaviors born in this society or hangs above whoever practically questions and attacks the empire's imperatives.
The target is to create a new type of human-robot having incorporated the vertical relation of authority's surveillance and reproducing it both vertically and horizontally on those around him. The regular circulation of profit and economy, the total entrance of this compromised person in the production-consumption process is a fact in this heaven on earth. Authority seems to have no face, being everywhere with an almost divine nature. Unreachable even when the grotesque mask of the ridiculous, the contemptible, the submissive, appear behind its democracy.
Though, exactly because it does have a face, and it is not unreachable at all, we selected to attack these specific targets:
Tuesday 18/3: Arson against a police bus at Egaleo (Athens).
Wednesday 19/3: Double attack against the city-hall of Thessaloniki, on Venizelou Street and a Security vehicle on Martiou Street.
Thursday 20/3: Series of arson attacks against security companies -that constitute the mercenary servants who spy, intervene, snitch to, and assist the cops-, banks, prison construction companies and electronic security system companies, that undertake the building and the surveillance of human-depositories, the worst form of taking away one's freedom and dignity, in exchange of money.
This 3 day festival of fire is dedicated to the comrades Chrissostomos Kontorevithakis and Marios Tsourapas, detained for attempting to blow up a municipal police vehicle at Paleo Faliro, and facing a jury on July.
It is part of a generalized attack against the current, a part of the defense of our freedom, a part of the destruction of your world.
As long as there are fists and howls raised, as long as there is dignity around, we will always stand against your plans, always against you. We'll be back soon.
Conspiracy of Cells of Fire Thessaloniki-Athens
Previous actions from the same group:
http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/2008/02/series-of-arson-attacks-athens.html http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/2008/01/series-of-incendiary-attacks-athens.html Actions during the strikers demo (Athens Thessaloniki Heraklion Larissa, 19-20/3/2008)
Source: Athens.indymedia.org, and some e-mails.
Demonstrations were organized after a call by workers unions and syndicates in Greece's larger cities, against the new law on the pension system. Below are gathered some of the reported direct action.
Athens: Workers initiatives and anarchist/antiauthoritarian collectives shut down luxurious shops that were working on a strike day (photos of an action at repo-zine.blogspot.com). The marches start with more than 200.000 people in several blocs. Clashes begin near the parliament, where some surveillance cameras and a few bank glass windows were broken down. Street battles continue near the universities (Propylaia) and Exarcheia area where people build up a few barricades. The cops shoot plastic bullets against the protesters. Around Exarchia square, people attack the riot-police brigades. It's worth mentioning that syndicalist leaders left the marches so as to intimidate people participating. Some photos at:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=844341 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843464 Βίντεο:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843444 Thessaloniki: More than 20.000 protest in the city center. During the demonstration a collective throws garbage and paints against shops that stayed open during the strike (Photos at stasiepisfaleias.wordpress.com).
Also, glass windows and cameras of banks were broken, while an ATM was set on fire. During these actions, leftists clashed with demonstrators who had their faces covered, participating or encouraging such actions. Photos at:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843289#843299 Heraklion, Crete:
Around 4.000 persons participated in the city center, where since early in the morning strikers had forced shops to close down for the strike. During the march groups of anarchists/antiauthoritarians broke down several surveillance cameras outside banks and threw paint at the Nea Dimokratia (ruling party) offices. The march headed towards the Prefecture of Crete offices, where many attempted to occupy the building, while some syndicalist bureaucrat's (friendly to PASOK, ex-ruling and currently opposition party) prevented them and clashed with anarchists who at last broke the Prefecture's entrance.
More photos:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843525#843526 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843569 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843758 Video from a camera sabotage:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=843435 Larissa: Clashes erupted when the PAME (a frontal organization of the KKE "communist" party) attacked against anarchists/antiauthoritarians, autonomous and leftists in order to keep their blocs away from the march, though the PAME tough guys were repelled succesfuly.
20/3: During a demonstration outside the parliament, an initiative attempted to break the police line but was repelled with exessive tear gas and riot-policemen attacks. Many demonstrators responded covering their faces and attacking the policemen with stones, while starting fires to minimize tear gas effects. The syndicalist bureaucrats once more, left the area.
News from the strikes (Athens, 10/3/2008)
Sources:
http://www.alphatv.gr/index.asp?a_id=90&news_id=28607 - http://www.enet.gr/online/online_text/c=114,id=9561944 - Garbage men and municipalities' employees continue with their strike up to Wednesday.
GSEE, ADEDY, courthouse employees and OTE telecommunications trade unions call for a strike on 19/3.
On Wednesday trade unions of workers at Metro and Electric Railroad abstain from work for 3 hours and call for a 24hour strike on Thursday.
Wednesday and Thursday, engineers and lawyers go on a strike too.
Meanwhile, there have been some serious problems at the ATM cash supply due to the bank employees strike, against the pension system degradation. Bank employees will continue their strike through the whole week covered by their trade union (OTOE).
Also, around 4,2 million euros costed to the stockmarket the bank employees strike.
12/3: More than 6.000 strikers demonstrate in the center of Athens. During their march, they unload garbage from dust-carts and throw them to the policemen guarding the ministry of employment. The cops' union sues them.
Photos from the march at:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=840411 15/3: Unknown persons set more than 20 piles of garbage on fire, in Thessaloniki. Police prosecutes a 58 year old man.
In Athens, clashes erupted when riot policemen took over the Ano Liosia (Athens) disposal center, to let strike-breakers in. Hundreds of strikers, who had their syndicate's meeting at the time, went to the dump and stopped the dust-carts from entering.
Meanwhile, according to a jury, any similar future mobilization under the same demands is from now on illegal.
17/3: Municipality workers occupied the city hall of Athens, blocking the municipal council meeting, after the strike-breaking mobilizations of the municipality.
Source:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=842229 Also:
http://antistasigr.blogspot.com/ Attack on police car (Athens, 9/3/2008)
Source:
http://www.alphatv.gr/index.asp?a_id=91&news_id=28618 A report in greek at:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=839901 According to the media, when after a phone call by some neighbors, a police car came to settle a fight between two groups of people in Nea Philadelphia, Athens, they attacked in common the police car with sticks, stones and debris from a near by structure, injuring two cops and forcing them to leave quickly. Later on, the police prosecuted 9 persons from the area.
Banks spray painted during the carnival (Ksanthi, 7/3/2008)
During the local carnival festivities, central banks had their glass-windows spray painted with slogans in solidarity to the anarchist prisoner Nikos Kountardas, who is on a circular hunger strike, demanding his release.
More infos in english at:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=839862 Buildings occupied (Larisa-Patras, 8/3/2008)
Anarchists, antiauthoritarians, autonomous and uncommited people with a help from other comrades from nearby towns occupied the old IKA building in Larissa in order to turn it into a free social/politic zone. They cleaned up the area and distributed the announcement of the new squat ("Social Liberation Virus" - "Ios Koinonikis Apeleutherosis") to passengers and local residents who were quite positive. Photos at:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=839341 A week earlier, an announcement came online about another space inside the university of Patras that was actually occupied one year earlier, in order to hold a coffee place, a lending library, a digital archive and a music studio. The space is self-managed, anti-hierarchical and anti-commercial, and it functions through an open assembly. Infos and photos:
http://prokat35.wordpress.com/ Schools' national flags on fire (Thessaloniki, 7/3/2008)
From a report in greek at:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=838460 School teachers in western Thessaloniki, noticed their students about "an issue of some schools in western Thessaloniki (Halastra district) where their flags were brought down and set on fire, while slogans of solidarity to V. Botzatzis and others were spray painted on the walls". Teachers seem to blame students, and warned they will take the case to a state's attorney.
"the passion for freedom is stronger than any school
we are on your side
students"
Communique for the bomb at the ministry of environment (Athens, 24/2/2008)
A media coverage of the action can be found here:
http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/2008/02/bomb-exploded-at-ministry-of.html. Note by directactiongr: Below there are some parts of a more extensive text, available in greek at
http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/2008/03/2422008.html. If there is a better or more extensive translation in the future, I shall replace this one. "Athens, March 2008
Concerning our action
We decided to attack the Forest Office of Attiki prefecture. Our aim was to bring on the issue of the fire arsons, a phenomenon that has taken immense aspects, during the last decades. I climaxed last summer with millions of acres of forest burnt, villages wiped off the map, and more than 70 people losing their lives (in Greece).
For us, a fundamental reason of this situation is with no doubt the hunt of profit through the exploitation and the economic utilization of the earth. All other reasons that are projected as possible, from the negligence and carelessness, to the conspiracy theories and the "asymmetrical threats" aren't capable of explaining the amplitude and the intensity of the phenomenon. That is to say, the ones to blame are the economic interests in all of their spectrum, from minor enterprises (residential, touristic, constructions) to the owners of large or small pieces of Earth.
We come into this conclusion through a simple observation of the Greek reality. We note, without coming into more specialized details, that Greece, privileged by the international developments in the wider area, and despite all the crises, walks into a phase of capitalist growth. Dynamic aspects of this growth are the constructions, the purchase of land, and of course tourism, activities that have no meaning without available land. Within this context, a large percentage of Greeks is in a relative, even fake, prosperity. Given the central place small ownership, and even more possessing one or even two residencies, has for the Greek mentality, it is easy to understand the fact that many Greeks invest their money in buying land.
A consequence of the factors above, is the upright raise of the demand for land, especially for residential reasons. A huge field for speculation is opened, since the entire of Greece is built up: Residencies or hotels, legal or illegal, with loans or with earnings, deep in the forest or by the sea. If the space demanded cant be found, the interests will create it from the beginning. The forests, that aren't so profitable anyway, will be turned to the no 1 target: burnt, trespassed, and finally built upon. It is characteristic that during the last decade, more than 2 million requests were filled, claiming previously forest fields for construction, the biggest part of them right after forest arsons. In Attiki only around Ymittos mountain, trespassers, the Church being one of them, claim 25.000.000 square meters, for the construction industry, while another 10.000.000 square meters are claimed by construction industries.
While the forest are under such a pressure, the state, in duty for the forest protection, is non-existent in both tactical and institutional level. As far as it concerns the tactical part, even the last resident of this country knows that the state is neither preventing, nor puting out any fires. The situation is saved only due to the earnestness and the self-sacrifice of the ordinary firemen, both casual and seasonal. In other words, the proper services act as any other public service: total absence of organization and meritocracy, money dissipation, hiring personnel with party member/customer criteria. The reasons of such tragedies as the one recently, when we add to these above the complete incompetence of every political chief of these services. The last summer, it happened to be the grotesque samurai Polydoras. A samurai only in words, of course, since, if was that devoted to the samurai code, he should have perform a hara-kiri a long time ago.
[...]
(The communique goes on with an analysis on the legal system and how it lead to the 30% of the country's forests de-characterized as forest areas and put into exploitation, while the afforestation only affect a 10% of the burnt area. The prefectures' role is also put into question. Alsomentions the hypocricy of the state that invests on the war industry, and has its minister building illegally inside forest areas, torturing activists protesting against the casino in Parnitha forest, and exploiting the pain of people's lives affected by the arsons. The communique goes on considering two forest arson cases).
[...]
Regarding this service as responsible for the degradation of Attiki's forestal environment and willing to end it's supervisors and the responsible ministers this message, that for every inch of forest that is built on, they will have to face the relative cost, we decided to realise this attack. We underline the fact that the attack does not affect the ecologists and forestry scientists working for the Prefecture, that do their job with conscience.
On the effects of capitalism on the natural environment
With a further analysis on the greek reality, the relative with the forest catastrophe, we came to the conclusion that the responsibility is between the voracious capital and the political power. This of course, does not take all responsibility off of the alienated greek society. The destruction of forests in Greece is a small tile of the global environmental destruction pattern, for wich the exclusive responsible is capitalism itself, as an economic-political system, and also as a dominant ideology.
Capitalism's central ideas are the unlimited and by all means development of the economic means and the total domination upon nature. All things receive a price as economic measures, capable of producing wealth. The natural environment is not en exception in this. It is an economic parameter that has to become managed under the most profitable way. In parallel, capitalism, in order to survive and reproduce, diffuses its values and its moral in the whole of society, creating in this way the comparative type of humans. A human individualized, greedy consumer, irresponsible and short-sighted, facing nature as a complete alien. It is the dominant type of human inside the capitalist societies, and of course the Greek. In its best, he sees nature as a decoration for his recreation time, and in its worst, he wont hold back from destroying and polluting, in order to satisfy his petit interests.
[...]
It is now visible that capitalism has reached a point where he doesn't affect simply the rights and freedom of the people, but hurts the whole of human survival in its most essential form. The harmless legitimate ecology fighting only for the protection of the environment does not give a response, not reaching the essence of the question. The essence is that the destruction of the environment is not a minor malfunction that can be fixed, is a nessecary term and an inevitable consequence of the existence of capitalism. The fight to save the environment can only be a part of a more total fight against capitalism, the political structures and the social relations that support it. This realisation that will nessecarily be connected with a wider change of the way people live and think, is the only hope for the planet and human societies that inhabit it.
A few words on armed struggle
The capitalist barbarism, in order to endure, forearms itself in every level. It created monstrous police-state patterns, arms its military, imposes its ideologies of confusion, apathy and defeat. All these, because it knows it has its adversaries. It knows that inside the societies there still is an opposite force, standing against its plans and seeking for its subversion. There is, to say, a war, between the economically-politically dominants and those parts of the society that want the revolutionary change of the social organisation. This war can be obvious or even undergound, sometimes offensive and some others defensive, it passes its phases of explosion and others flat, but it's always there.
A simple component of this opposite force is also the armed struggle. A form of fight against the capitalist barbarism as any other. There is no matter of putting the one before the other. We do not propose that it is the only one drastic, but we don't accept it is harmfull. The armed struggle doesn't substitute the massive movement in any case, but it still is useful.
When the enemy poses against us allmighty police-military complexes and panoptic systems, when every non-integrated resistance is dealed with cynic state violence, when the capitalists, in lack of class struggles, constantly invent new ways to suck on the workers blood, when whole peoples are annihilated because they stand in the way of the dominants' geo-strategic games, when the environment is wasted, the peaceful-legal protests are not enough. Against this totalitarian war, resistance should also be violent.
Only in that way can we spread to the sensible social parts the message that the regime is vulnerable, unlike what it seems to be, that it can be wounded by simple means in every level, that we can, even symbolically, respond to the strikes we receive. In this way, we force it to show its real face, without its liberal paints. The message of these actions has also more receivers. We speak of course for the state official themselves, who should realise they are not immune and their unconsciousness will have its concequencies. Of course, such is the pachydermy that authority causes, that we doubt it. In these difficult times that societies receive a harsh expoitative and ideological attack and authority names as "terrorists" all those that resist, hiding away the fact that reign through terror is its own monopoly, the continuance of the armed struggle is a nessecity, once it emphatically declares, with well considered and well defined attacks, that resistance by any means is feasible.
It is a mistake for an armed revolutionary group to consider itself an unsolicited avenger and a protector of popular interests, especially in societies so contradictory as modern day's. We too don't consider we act in the name of the popular class or of the massive movement. We are just parts of this society that our concience doesn't allow us to tolerate the existing barbarism. For us, there is no other decent way to live, than to fight against it.
We believe in a society that will self-manage democratically its affairs, will distibute fairly its wealth to everyone, will live in harmony with nature and where the central essence will be for freedom, solidarity and human care.
To conclude, we want to be in the side of those that share the same collective dreams with us.
Armed Revolutionary Action (ENopli Epanastatiki DRAsi - ENEDRA)
We also claim responsibility for the attack against the tax service office in Argyroupoli on 22.2.07."
Source: To Pontiki newspaper, 6.3.2008:
http://www.topontiki.gr/ Protesters cancel cement-industry sponsored event (Volos, 4/3/2008)
Source:
http://www.indy.gr/ More than 400 people gathered outside the municipal theater of Volos, protesting atmospheric pollution, holding banners and pickets, and chanting slogans against AGET, and invaded the theater.
After one and a half hour of minor clashes, the manager of the industry announced that the event is canceled. State and city official who were supposed to be awarded, didn't appear even near the theater.
Is should be noted that the city of Volos suffers from AGET's polluting the atmosphere, while no measures are adopted for the protection of the environment.
A "Residents' Initiative" calling for the protest, characterizes AGET industry as shameful, honoring local rulers for the Mediterranean Games, they managed to hold, in a city, so full of dust and fume, rulers that have been allowing for years AGET to pollute however they want to, while receiving their sponsorships for their vain plans (Mediterranean Games, "Argo") and share a common aim: Cement it all! They also mention the city halls hypocrisy, planting little trees, near natural trees and bushes uprooted by the bulldozers, concluding in the fact we have nothing good to expect from those people, so let in our turn "honor" AGET and all those that bribe us with their poisons, and all those that mock us, with our constant struggle for clean air, and our rage for their hypocrisy.
Nationalists beaten up (Thessaloniki, 6/3/2008)
A report in greek at:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=837901 During the nationalist demonstrations for the copyright of the word "macedonia" to be used exclusively by the greek capital, organized by right-wing and cleric 'notables' of the city (LAOS party, ex-PASOK politician Papathemelis, eparch Anthimos, 'thinker' Zouraris and others) 2 persons on a bike carrying around a huge greek flag got themselves a spanking and had their flag taken away. They later on appeared on a few tv channels, in an effort to start a witch hunt against anarchists/antiauthoritarians.
Attack against Municipal Police station (Athens, 6/3/2008)
From "Eleftherotipia" newspaper, republished at:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=838318 According to an anonymous phonecall, the attack against the building of the municipal police on Imittou 251, Pagrati district, Athens, was a sign of solidarity to Marios Tsourapas and Chrissostomos Kontorevithakis. Unidentified persons attacked with sticks and stones and other objecs the buildings glass windows, as well as a municipal police vehicle. In their way out, they turned upside down a patrol car of the municipal police, throwing leaflets writing on them: "If the innocent do worth our solidarity, the guilty deserve it even more" and demanding for the liberation of Marios Tsourapas and Chrissostomos Kontorevithakis, under pre-trial imprisonment, accused of an arson attempt against a municipal police patrol car, on 5/6/2007, in Paleo Faliro, Athens.
Actions during the strike (Athens, 5-6/3/2008)
As a response to the planned degradation of the pension system, the strike of the PPC workers set 19 power plants out of order, causing local black-outs in several districts of the country, while mobilizations and sit-down strikes (covered by the OTOE syndicate) paralysed the stock market and many banks for hours. The management in both cases, takes the legal way to set the strikes "illegal and abusive". Dock warkers already left their jobs for a day, causing a halt to cargo operations. More people are willing to support the strike, like students, prefecture workers and garbage storage workers who won't go to work for the weekend, while the city council of Athens is planning on employing "emergency stuff" for the strike!
Some reports (in greek) from:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=837950 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=838288: Clashes erupted on 5/4 outside Maksimou mansion, where the government's committee for the pension system had a conference, when the police repelled the 1000 protesters with batons and tear gas, while they tried to break the police lines.
On 6/4 PPC linemen clashed with the cops outside the "Evelpidon" courthouse, during the decision of whether their strike would be declared as "illegal and abusive".
Environmental action in Lesbos island (Mytilini, 4/3/2008)
Source-Photos:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=837586 Members of the collective "Nautilus in action" and local residents in a symbolic action threw debris at the entrance of the local prefecture council, invaded in and demanded from the vice prefect to answer to their questions and take a stance towards the continuous degradation of the island's environment and the piling of debris at the lagoons of Lesbos.
Police attacks solidarity to palestinians march (Athens, 4/3/2008)
Source and Photos:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=837950 Police forces blocked a march of a few houndreds, in solidarity to the palestinian people, and attacked them. They repelled the policemen and face-to-face clashes erupted, lasting for a few minutes. The march left the area in a bloc.
Residents prevent antenna installation (Sparti, 1/3/2008)
More photos and a report in greek at: athens.indymedia.org
Teachers, pupils, residents and local anarchists/antiathoritarians/autonomous and social ecologists raised their voice against the "illegal" installation of a mobile phones antenna near the 3rd public school of Sparti, on a nearby appartment block's roof, programmed for 1/2/2008. Since then, residents had taken legal measures against the installation and even the mayor of Sparti was obliged to prevent the setting of the antenna, but no action was undertaken untill this demonstration.
Antiauthoritarians participated in the demo chanting slogans and throwing leaflets and distributing a communique against mobile phone antennas, with a briefing on the residents of Sparti organizing against the antennas and forming an action committe, and also mentioning other cities' residents initiatives and spots in Sparti where there are antennas installed and to the health and social effects of antennas.
directactiongr.blogspot.com
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