Athens, March 12th: Strengthening reciprocal solidarity

On Sunday, March 11th, several comrades coming from different countries took part in the open assembly of Contra Info in Athens. So, the following day we were able to carry out a symbolic action of both international solidarity and counter-information, placing banners about four important cases in different parts of downtown Athens.

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A small banner reading ‘International solidarity amongst the oppressed’ was put in the entrance of the Polytechnic School in Stournari Street. Also, at the Polytechnic, from the side of Patission Street, we placed a banner for the comrade Tortuga in view of March 20th, international day of solidarity actions with Luciano Pitronello, who is threatened with 15 years imprisonment by the prosecution authorities of the Chilean State, for placing an explosive device in a branch of Santander Bank on June 1st, 2011, in Santiago. The banner read in Spanish/Greek: ‘Freedom for the comrade Tortuga! Solidarity with the hostages of war in Chile.’

In Exarchia Square we put a banner in memory of Oury Jalloh, in German/Greek: ‘Oury Jalloh case; that was murder! Oury Jalloh’s memory is alive! No tolerance for the States-murderers. Solidarity with comrades in Germany.’ Oury was burned alive inside a police station in Dessau, Germany, on January 7th, 2005. From then on, relatives, friends and supporters took the case to the courts, demanding punishment of those responsible for the murder of the 36-year-old refugee from Sierra Leone. During the past few days, under police terror, the case was examined in the district court of Magdeburg.

In Patission Street, outside Athens University of Economics and Business (ASOEE), a banner in Italian/Greek reading ‘NO TAV, NO STATE, NO CAPITAL – Solidarity with Luca Abbà – Sabotage to all high speed lines of the system’ was set for the NO TAV activist in Italy, who is still hospitalized after being injured severely on February 27th, during yet another repressive operation in Val di Susa. Despite the murderous hand of the State and the Capital, the protest remained alive; the struggle against the high speed train line Turin–Lyon wages since early 90s to date.

At the entrance of Panteion (University of Social and Political Sciences), located on Syngrou Avenue, we placed a banner written in French/Greek: ‘Solidarity with Ivan, Bruno, Damien, Inès, Franck, Javier – Hands off our comrades in France!’ These six anarchists have been prosecuted under the anti-terrorist law for the past four years. In short, all six will stand the same trial and be judged under the French terror law. Ivan, Bruno and Damien were arrested in January 2008 for possession of fumigants on their way to a protest outside the detention centre of Vincennes. A few days later, Inès and Franck were arrested in Vierzon for possession of manuals for sabotage techniques, a juvenile prison map and chlorate salts. The authorities used DNA identification and claimed that Inès’ DNA sample matched one of the five traces of DNA found on a bag containing bottles with gasoline in a police tow truck, between the two rounds of the presidential elections in 2007. Both investigations were soon attached in a single file, and anti-terrorist prosecutors took over. Then the cops allegedly discovered Damien’s DNA on that bag. Following this practice of DNA tests, it was not long before Inès’ brother, Javier, was also arrested for the 2007 fact. Moreover, in June 2010 Javier had been indicted for a series of sabotages on electrical cabinets of signaling stations of SNCF, arsons which had paralyzed part of railway traffic during the ‘CPE’ movement in 2006. Once again, Javier’s DNA was found by police at the scene of an attempted sabotage. All six have done 5 to 13 months prison time as pretrial detainees. The main charges against them are: participation in an organization in order to prepare terrorist acts (for the six of them), fabrication of explosives (for three of them), attempted destruction of property belonging to others (for three of them), possession and transportation of explosive or fire products (for four of them), and refusal to submit DNA samples (for three of them). Their trial is due for May 14th, 2012, in Paris —more info in French 1, 2, 3