A protest march against the police killing of the 25 year old plumber Nikolas Toddi a few weeks ago in Byronas, Athens, was subject of brutal police repression with 11 people arrested and many badly wounded, with one of the arrested hospitalised
riot cops charging in Byronas
The protest march against the police killing of Nikolas Toddi, the 25 year old plumber who fell dead by nine police bullets on the back and the head two weeks ago has been met by brutal police repression.
The 500 strong protest march started in Tapitourgeiou square in Byronas, the eastern Athens suburb on the slopes of Mt Imitus where cops killed Nikos during a shootout with alleged bank robbers. The majority of the protesters were anarchists but also some Coalition of Radical Left and Communist Party of Greece M-L (Maoists) members attended. The march took to the streets of the old guerrilla stronghold chanting slogans against the police murder enjoying wide popular support with the cops even receiving eggs on their heads from the balconies. At the spot of the murder, the protesters sprayed a memorial message, while on the way two officers of the ruling party PASOK were smashed. At the moment that the protest march reached its end destination at Deliyannis square, and after most flags had been gathered and removed from the scene, it came under unprovoked attack by riot police and motorised Delta forces. The motorised cops hit the crowd in full speed while riot cops sprayed the densely residential area with tear gas. During the brutal police attack dozens of people were injured and 11 protesters were arrested, one of them hospitalised with heavy cranial injuries. The police has issued a false announcement talking about it being attacked with molotov cocktails although not a single petrol bomb fell during the march. It is expected that the announcement is used in order to incriminate people arrested. Most comrades estimate that today's brutal attack is a response to the public humiliation of the police during the march of the general strike.
At the time of writing it is not certain what what are people arrested charged with, but solidarity demos have already been called for tomorrow at the courthouses and on the streets of Athens as the following communique demonstrates:
THE STRUGGLE FOR DIGNITY AND FREEDOM CANNOT BE REPRESSED OR TERRORISED
Saturday 27/2 in the neighbourhood of Byronas a march was realised against state terrorism on account of the assassination of the 25 year old worker Nikolas Toddi from Albania by cop bullets. N. Toddi was murdered in the neighbourhood where he works because the Greek Police set up a war operation of arrest of "notorious criminals". The march walked the streets of Byronas in a dynamic manner informing the residents about the even of the state murder and the wider repression plan of the Ministry "of Citizens Protection". At the end of the march, in Deliolani square riot police squads and motorised cop forces that were following the march terrorising the bystanders attacked the protesters and chased them all the way to Pagrati. They beat up and waged chemical warfare in our neighbourhoods and realised 18 detentions out of which 11 have been transformed into arrests (as of Saturday afternoon). One of the arrested is hospitalised in Evangelismos hospital wounded on the head by the cops' globs. The residents stood by the side of the protesters heckling the cops who had taken over the streets, or throwing eggs and other objects against them. The [state's] intention is clear. Whoever raise their heads and resist, breaking the veil of silence and consent are placed at the target of the repressive mechanisms. Their aim is the rule of fear, the smashing of every focus of resistance that reveals the terroristic and exploitative nature of the regime. At the time of economic crisis, the need to control social discontent becomes ever more urgent, since the ghost of the social-class uprising of December and of all those who are approaching continues to haunt the minds of the bosses and their state. Following the war operation of the police in Byronas which killed with 9 bullets on the back a bystander, now the police has made a comeback by repressing all those who have not consented and have not kept silent. We shall not allow them to roam the streets, not turn our neighbourhoods into camps. One way or another the security they "provide" us with is translated to bullets.
IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF THE ARRESTED OF THE PROTEST MARCH OF 27 FEBRUARY
COPS OUT OF OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD
NO TOLERANCE TO STATE TERRORISM
DEMO AT DELIOLANI SQUARE SUNDAY 28/2 12:00
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Update: According to all
Update: According to all available sources the heavily injured and hospitalised protester has been charged with both the anti-hood law and for use of molotov cocktails although not a single bottle fell during the protest march in Byronas. The juridical scheme is a classic way for the greek police to cover up its brutality. All the accused will present their case in court during the following week, although the precise procedure is yet unclear. The police continues its propaganda war of lies claiming that during the unprovoked police attack 11 cops were injured.
On other news, a riot police squad was attacked with molotov cocktails and rocks during Saturday night near by the national PASOK headquarters. Meanwhile, clashes erupted in Nea Michaniona between Communist Party protesters in solidarity to the struggle of the Egyptian fish-workers and fish-boat owners. 20 fishboat bosses attacked the demo without the slightest provocation, injuring an egyptian fish-worker. The fishermen's strike has been judged legal by the courts which will be ruling on the fishboat bosses appeal on Monday morning.
On the student struggle front, Mr Manthos the notorious rector of the Aristotelian University has defended the police invasion of the university asylum giving the cops a carte blanche to breach it whenever they feel like it. Having learned nothing of his earlier punishments at the hands of students, the nationalist scum took the unprecedented measure tonight of cutting off electricity of the occupied rectorial headquarters. The act is expected only to further fuel the struggle against his tyrannical rule.
Finally, the government has announced that it will air its decisions on new austerity measures in the midst of the new week. Already unions are warning of a new general strike for the 8th of March.
Update2: One of the arrested,
Update2: One of the arrested, an underage man, has been released, the rest are expected to be seing the judges tomorrow.
On other news, in Chania, Crete, immigrants formed a demo in protest to the continuing racist attacks by parastate thugs against immigrants in the city. Meanwhile in Athens clashes developed between leftist demonstrators and riot police, when the former broke the iron fences of the Ministry of Labour and tried to get in to occupy it in protest to today's talks of the PM with EU commissioners pressing for more austerity measures. The chairman of ADEDY, the umbrella public sector union, has warned that any measures cutting the 14th salary will be considered a cause of war by the civil servants.