On Tuesday October 15th at 5pm we organized a manifestation with microfoniki and distribution of brochures in Victoria square on the occasion of Paulos Fyssas’ murder. The intervention was organized by the assembly of immigants and solidarians, the auto-administered squat of ASOEE university and the assembly of Victoria square. Victoria square was filled with music and brochures were distributed to locals and immigrants. Two hours later, and while the manifestation reached to its end, two trucks with cops “MΑΤ” appeared at the top of the square. Shortly after their disembarkation, the cops made their moods clear and lined up opposite the protesters. Two cops in shirts approached us in order to let us know about their demands. We immediately surrounded the cops in charge of social relations and we demanded to know why they prohibited the manifestation. Despite the pressure, the cops persisted in the order from on high, “to evacuate the square” (pogrom?) without ever explaining to us the reason. Eventually, despite the fact that the cops threatened us with arrests, we decided to leave under no escort. We have to mention that a few hours earlier the arrest of 15 members of the “Antifascist Front” had taken place, while they were placarding posters in Patission avenue in order to propagandize the anti-fascist moto protest carried out on Wednesday 23/10 in Keratsini. The strong police presence in the area is a very old story, but until now we were not accustomed to the ban of demonstrations, distribution of brochures etc.
The cops’ provocations were repeated on October 19th when a group of “DIAS” arrested 6 members of the Antifascist Coordination of Athens and Piraeus outside the Attiki train station, while they were going to an action of contra info at the open-air market in Michail Voda street (they carried brochures and a bucket in order to placard posters), on the occasion of the antifascist demonstration at Agios Panteleimonas on October 26th. The cops claimed that they had orders from on high to arrest whoever distributes leaflets, and so they checked if the brochures provoked violent actions, for instance because of their slogan or photos. We must note that fascists of the Golden Dawn had thrown too many flyers on Liosia avenue that day, but the police didn’t arrest them…The cops led the antifascists in a police van in Omonia and they checked their identities without taking them to the police station. Later, they released them. Finally, the antifascist coordination made the intervention in Michail Voda street, with the participation of 50 people, along with those who had been arrested earlier in Attiki. The distribution of the brochures was successful, because they distributed lots of them to natives and immigrants, but on the corner of Michail Voda and Pipinou, Giannatos, the known fascist of the Golden Dawn and also the chairman of the “committee of residents of Agios Panteleimonas”, together with 2-3 people they started to insult and provoke the antifascists, who responded. Therefore, the situation reached a point of high tension. The fascists’ hysteria was so big, that the cops arrested Giannatos outside the local police station. The antifascist action continued with slogans, distribution of brochures and placarding of posters for some time after the above episode and ended at 15:00 pm.
We are not terrified and we will be in the streets for as long as necessary.
COMMON STRUGGLES OF NATIVES AND IMMIGRANTS
Cops and fascists, listen well:
THE STREETS AND SQUARES BELONG TO THE PEOPLE WHO RESIST