The Greek courts (following the verdict of corporate media that had decided since 2012) sentenced today the Anarchist Tasos Theofilou to 25 years in prison for a bank roberry in the island of Paros that he never did. One of the strongest evidence used by the court was the fact that Theofilou when arrested in Athens had a backpack writing the name of Paros island on it. So although no witness recognised him, no fingertips were found (the robber was not wearing gloves) while there are several people who testified that Theofilou was with them when the roberry took place, he is sent to prison.
Thousands of people march -under rain- in the centre of Athens against the state of emergency that Greek Police and the minister of Police Nicos Dendias are trying to implement against the Anarchists. A few weeks ago Christodoulos Xiros the member of the communist armed struggle group ’17November’ escaped from Korydalos prison. Since then the police started a witch hunt against Anarchists supposedly looking for Xiros. At least 26 houses of Anarchists have been raided so far, with the police and the attorenys general destroying the homes they attack.
Future Suspended is the 32 minute-long documentary by the crisis-scape.net/ team on Athens, from Olympic spectacle to the dawn of the authoritarian-financial complex. Released online mid-February 2014.
A few hunderd neo-Nαzis of Golden Dawn gathered in front of the club of army officers, next to the parliament. Thousands gathered to the anti-Nazi demonstration in Syntagma Square, suddenly riot police attacked to the anti-Nazis injuring seriously a Kurdish anti-Nazist, who lives as political refugee in Greece.People were chased until Monastriaki Square where the police entered the underground rail station, throwing cheimcal gases to demonstartors who had been trapped in there. Demonstrators managed to defend themselves effectivelly against the attack of the police, but there are moe than 40 detains from the streets around the demonstration. Meanwhile the neo-Nazis gathered and marched peacefully under heavy polie protection.
Last week (on January 24) 80-100 Golden Dawn nazis provocatively marched in Keratsini, to the spot where they had murdered Paulos Fyssas, where they attacked the impromptu memorial that had been set up in his memory, before they headed to the local anarchist space, Resalto, which they tried to attack, but were pushed back from people defending the building.
In response, 3-4,000 anarchists, leftists and other anti-fascists marched through the neighbourhood on January 31st, closely followed by police – while of course the GD were nowhere to be seen.
From Tuesday, January 21st, until the evening of Thursday 30th of January, 2014, 26 raids in houses of anarchist comrades have been recorded in the wider Athens area.
Out of these 26 comrades, 8 have so far been arrested and charged with misdemeanours. Of these, 5 have been sentenced to convictions varying between 5 and 16 months, while two have also been handed an additional fine of 600 euros, under the charge of “weapon possession” and “disobedience”. The 6th comrade is on trial on the 5th of February (the case was suspended in order for the police’s criminological research unit to pose an expert opinion on a confiscated item), the 7th comrade was given a court date and the 8th one is on trial today, January 31st.
How a mining conflict led to the political emancipation of a community in Northern Greece.
By Evi Papada
Mining conflicts are increasingly surfacing globally due to complains over mines and pollution of water, soil and land occupied as well as over transport and waste disposal. The Skouries forest in Halkidiki has been at the center of a hot dispute between the mining company, Hellas Gold, a subsidiary of the Canadian mining giant Eldorado Gold and local communities. The company claims that an ambitious plan for mining of gold and copper in the area- including deforestation and open pit mining with excavation and everyday use of explosives- will benefit the region through the creation of some 5,000 direct and indirect jobs, while local residents argue that the planned investment will cause considerable damage to the environment and livelihoods, resulting to many more jobs losses in the existing sectors of the local economy (farming, pasture land, fisheries, beekeeping, food processing and tourism). The residents’ claims are supported by research conducted by various independent scientific institutions including the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Technical Chamber of Macedonia. In addition to legitimacy questions underpinning the transfer of mining rights from the Greek state to the aforementioned company[1], the Environmental Impact Assessment produced by El Dorado has been found to contain gross methodological discrepancies and whilst the public consultation process could be at best described as cosmetic[2].
Local communities have been mobilizing against the expansion of mining activities long before El Dorado was given the green light to begin works on site. Small scale mining had been taking place almost uninterrupted since the end of Second World War and residents have had first experience of its impact on their livelihoods and the environment. During the 90′s the Greek government had made several attempts at reviving mining activity in the region but following an appeal by the people the State Council decided that the potential risks of the proposed investment were higher than the potential benefits for the community and the environment and operations came to a halt in 2002 . The case of mining in Halkdiki took a definite political dimension owing to the following events. In December 2003 the mines were transferred to the Greek state through a law ratified by the Greek Parliament for 11 million euros and were sold the same day and for the same price to Mr George Bololas, owner of Hellas Gold S.A for the same price and without an open procurement process. The concessions relieve the company in advance from any tax transfers and from any financial obligation concerning environmental damage resulting from previous operation of the mines. It also stipulates that the mining company has possession of all minerals in the concession granted and there are no royalties for the state.
