On the police brutality incident in Ioannina, Greece on 17th November
–
On the
17th November, thousands of people around Greece tried to commemorate
the Polytechnic uprising against authoritarianism and the military junta
in 1973 and at the same time protest against the currect government’s
incompetent management of the pandemic and its anti-labor policy.
In
Ioannina (Northwest of Greece), the anti-riot police attacked, without
warning, college students of the university of Ioannina who attempted to
exercise their constitutional right of commemorating that honorable
day. Despite the fact that all the disease prevention measures were
implemented (masks, keeping distance, etc.), the police furiously
attacked with batons, seriously injuring three students- two on the head
and one in the ribs- while a total of six were taken to hospital with
severe injuries. It should be noted that the anti-riot police had an
utterly brutal attitude towards girls who were shoved to the ground and
still be beaten mercilessly! Police made more than 30 arrests, 23 of
which are prosecuted with severe charges.
The
conscious deception employed by the police escalates by charging all the
persecuted with heavy fines, 900 euros each, because protesters were
allegedly not wearing masks! They didn’t even hesitate to lie that the
protesters were armed while wearing helmets (something that is
completely untrue and proved by the cranial injuries of the victims and
the footage and photographs). The lies that the police fabricated have
ended up being completely ridiculous in order to justify the “savage”
attack that they exerted on the protesters. The intentions of the police
are beyond questioning, even before the beginning of the gathering,
they were launching unprovoked attacks and imposing fines on people who
were trying to approach.
The
students were illegally apprehended under horrible conditions. They were
under arrest, for more than 10 hours without being announced any
charges while their right to be represented by a lawyer was illegally
forbidden to them! The overwhelming majority of the arrested students
were badly hurt but only a few of them were given any medical support.
At the same time, there was absolutely no care about the implementation
of the disease prevention measures by the police officers who so…
“eagerly” were trying to defend! They were the ones that didn’t wear any
masks while forcing 24 of the students to be crammed in only one cell!
We utterly
condemn the murderous attack and outrageous suppression of the police.
We demand the complete acquittal of all charges of our colleagues. All
persecutions must be removed. The impotent and dangerous government of
Mitsotakis, instead of enhancing the public health system and taking
actual protection measures against the pandemic, along with the Head
chief of Police, banned, for the first time in the Metapolitefsi, the
gatherings of more than three people in view of the anniversary of the
Polytechnic. All over Greece, the police attacked with unprecedented
violence, with auras, chemicals and flashbag grenades, to disperse any
attempt to commemorate the Polytechnic Uprising. The Mitsotakis
Government and the Police, on November 17, 2020, undoubtly, commemorated
and imitated the 7-year-old dictatorship!
We must
get to the streets demanding the cease of the police brutality and state
suppression. This is the only way to dignify the sacrifices of the
students of the Polytechnic uprising. With our struggles and
self-organization, building a front of the youth, the work-people, the
poor , all in unity must act for our social and democratic liberties and
fight against the Emergency State.
We call on
the youth, the workers and the poor, the unions and the proletarian and
radical organizations to condemn the police brutality incident and show
their solidarity to the 23 persecuted students.
–
– Immediate acquittal of all charges
– Uncompromising defence of social and democratic liberties