New clashes between locals and riot police erupt in the south Corfu town of Lefkimi over the construction of open refuse dump.
In the afternoon of Thursday 20/11/08, the residents of Lefkimi in south Corfu staged yet another demo against the construction of the open refuse dump (XYTA) imposed by Athens in the vicinity of their town.
During the sit-in that blocked the way of the bulldozers to the construction site, the residents were attacked by large numbers of riot police forces (MAT) that have been stationed in the area since the beginning of the environmental struggle last year.
When the riot police threatened to drive their armoured vehicle over the sit-in, local women stood up against them. The police responded with force and use of tear gas, attacking the women and arresting one.
Enraged, the local protestors attacked the riot forces, torching a police van, while trapping two riot policemen, disarming them and stripping them naked in a move of public humiliation. In their call of defiance during the demo that ensued outside the local police station where the arrested woman is being held, the residents of Lefkimi declared: "It is time for a general uprising in the island of Corfu for the first time against actions that are no longer merely a threat to local interests, but to everyone's human rights".
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