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#95 | Four youths arrested and charged under the anti-terrorist law in Athens

from "occupied london" | 27.09.2009 23:32 | Repression | World

#95 | Four youths arrested and charged under the anti-terrorist law in Athens; six more warrants issued; media anti-anarchist frenzy: It must be election time!

On September 24, in an operation of unprecedented scale in recent years, the anti-terrorist unit of the greek police raided at least two houses in the suburbs of Athens. In total four young persons of up to 21 years old were arrested and are interrogated by the anti-terrorist unit. The police claim that some findings from house searches that followed link the arrested to the group “Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire – Nihilist Splinter” without however publishing any specific information, as is customary in such occasions. The arrested were taken to the attorney general who charged them with three felonies and four misdemeanours. The same attorney general issued an order allowing for the publication of the names and photographs of the four arrested, who deny all charges.

At the same time a witch-hunt has been declared by the majority of corporate media. The arrested has been characterized as “terrorists” by the media, while a direct implication of the anarchist movement as a whole has been communicated (eg. Mega TV) even if no specific findings have been presented justifying this implication. Once again, the anarchist movement is being targeted as a whole by media demanding the erosion of hard-won liberties, more policing and repression.

Under this climate another six arrest warrants have been issued for the same case. This means that more arrests are likely to follow. What is more, media “leaks” directly from the police headquarters are trying to suggest that the fugitives might be hiding in university grounds or anarchist squats, in an attempt to lay the ground for raids of either that could follow.

Updates on the case will be published here as they become available.

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Loose translation of a comment posted on Athens IMC at  http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1084076#1084077

So, the youth revolts. It places gas-bombs on select targets. That is the only thing that is rational and real, the
only thing one can do, should they want to continue to truly exist in this world. In all these attacks there was no human loss, neither an intention for anything like that. In a regime where you see armed units all around, it is only logical that you will want to oppose yourself – let alone when this regime murders, lies, exploits. For sure, many communiques express these thoughts much better than I do, including those of the “Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire”.

In short I cannot see what is damnable: Against a well organised plan, executed in such a violent way, for anyone to respond with violence – and with much lighter violence too; the cells of fire did not assassinate migrants outside the migrant visa office in Athens or in the port of Igoumenitsa; they did not throw acid to anyone; neither did they assassinate a prisoner. Konstantina Kuneva, the Kurdish migrant assassinated in Igoumenitsa, and every other nameless who have received the violence of the state are not so helpless after all…

[The cells] care about all those for which the society remains numb. They take the risk of all possible consequences, all in order to shout to the people: WAKE UP! And nothing else. No assassinations, no injuries, only material damage.

Right, let’s take a look at this, how much damage was caused from all the attacks?

Compared to the Orthodox Church scandals for example? Or to the “Siemens” scandal?

I read in a newspaper that Athens will fill with bombers like them. You say so yourselves. I wonder why? Is it because the Cells are just about right in what they say? Today, Sunday 27.9, the case has just about made it in the back pages of the Sunday papers – propaganda and misinformation, drugs and what have you…

These kids are our future. They raised their voice, nothing more.

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The four people arrested so far will appear at the prosecutor on Tuesday (30.09), which is when it will be decided whether they will enter pre-trial detention or not. It is expected that at least some anarchist comrades will be at the court, in solidarity.

from "occupied london"