ANARCHIST MAYDAY IN ATHENS

This year’s “official” Mayday was on the 11th of May, because of Easter Day on the 1st of May

Anarchist groups and comrades organized in the Polytechnic school of Athens a successful Anarchist Mayday festival (5-6 May) with discussions about :
 the 1886 revolt in Chicago, a workers and popular revolt in Thessaloniki, May 1936, and the class conflicts in Greece the first years after the military dictatorship
 the blackmail of labour, the murders of workers in the so-called “working accidents” and the special exploitation and oppression of immigrants.

(fotos from the festival : http://thessaloniki.indymedia.org/front.php ?lang=el&article_id=23577 )

On the 10th of May, more than 600 comrades participated in the anarchist-antiauthoritarian Mayday demonstration. One of the banners was dedicated to the 15 years-old comrade who lost his life in the repression of the 1st May demo in Bogota, saying “ WE DON’T FORGET - WE DON’T FORGIVE THE MURDER OF NICOLAS ALVARES BY THE POLICE IN COLOMBIA”. Other banners were “ NO PEACE WITH THE BOSSES - DOWN WITH THE STATE AND WAGE SLAVERY”, “MAY 1886-2005, NOTHING WAS GIFTED - NOTHING IS ENOUGH” and (paraphrasing the old-saying “much work devours the boss”) “MUCH WORK DEVOURS THE WORKER - MANY WORKERS DEVOUR THE BOSS”.

The atmosphere was tensed because of the rage among the comrades for the recent fascist attacks and the strong police presence around the demonstration. There was nearly a conflict with the cops, when the demo stopped for some minutes close to a building where a fascist gang has its office. There was a firecracker and strong slogans and some cops were very provocative.

Some of the slogans in the demo were “SOLIDARITY IS THE PEOPLES WEAPON - WAR AGAINST THE WAR OF THE BOSSES”, “CLASS MAYDAY WITH HANGED BOSSES”, “EVERY WEEK THREE DEAD WORKERS - THE STATE AND THE BOSSES ARE THE ONLY TERRORISTS”, “IMMIGRANT WORKERS - OUR BROTHERS”, “COPS, TV, NEO-NAZI, ALL THE BASTARDS WORK TOGETHER”, « FASCIST BASTARDS GALLOWS COMING FOR YOU” etc...

FOTOS FROM THE DEMONSTRATION : http://thessaloniki.indymedia.org/front.php ?lang=el&article_id=23750

It was the same night after the Anarchist Mayday demonstration that a policeman -escort of a former minister- shot against anarchists in the Polytechnic school, injuring one comrade and resulting in the 8-hour occupation of the university.

ATHENS 10 MAY, POLICE SHOOT ANARCHISTS IN THE POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL

Announcement by a number of anarchist comrades remaining in the Polytechnic school during the night of May 10 :

“Today, May 10, at 9.30 pm, anarchist comrades inside the Polytechnic school located two armed policemen inside the campus. They were the escorts of two politicians and former ministers of the Socialist Party, Verelis and Venizelos, who were participating as speakers in a book-presentation inside a building of the Polytechnic. When anarchists tried to force the cops outside the campus, one of them, whose name is, according to Verelis, CHRISTOFOROS PATSIAS, took his gun out and started shooting, sometimes in the air and others targeting comrades inside the campus. One anarchist was hit by a bullet in the leg. Then the Polytechnic was surrounded by scores of riot police who made use of tear-gas. This moment there are more police escorts inside the building. The state officials who brought their cops inside the campus are accomplices in the murder attempt against our comrade.

DEMOCRACY MURDERS DOWN WITH STATE TERRORISM

PS : We remain inside the Polytechnic for our safety and in order to denounce the police attempt to murder an anarchist.”

Pictures of the bullets + the “trapped” politicians : http://athens.indymedia.org/display.php ?articleId=719

http://athens.indymedia.org/display.php ?articleId=596

Also read : Anarchists trap Greek politicians at university http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php ?story=2005051019034060

A CHRONICLE OF THE EVENTS OF MAY 10 FROM THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA :

21.00 : Book presentation in the Polytechnic. Politicians, former ministers and journalists attending as speakers.

21.10 : Anarchist mayday demonstration has finished and a group of anarchists return in the Polytechnic.

21.25 : A group of 40-50 anarchists locate two cars with armed police escorts of ex-ministers of the Socialist Party inside the campus. They attack the cars with stones to force the cops out of the university.

21.30 : One of the police officers fires with his gun 12-15 times. One of the bullets hits an anarchist in the leg.

21.35 : The policeman who shot runs to escape from anarchists chasing him, shouting “COPS, PIGS, ASSASSINS”. Riot police appears launching tear-gas. Anarchists fight back with stones in the gate of the Polytechnic. Flaming barricades in the street to confront the tear-gas. A placard in front of the main gate says : “THE FASCISTS ARE STABBING, THE DEMOCRATS ARE SHOOTING”. These clashes outside the campus lasted for about an hour.

21.40 : Anarchists demand an ambulance to take their comrade to hospital.

21.45 : Anarchists enter the hall where the book presentation takes place, and announce to the 150 people attending that nobody will leave the place after what has happened, before an assembly decides what will be done.

22.30 : An ambulance enters the campus. After demand of the people occupying the university, an old member of the Socialist Party escorts the injured anarchist to hospital, in order to avoid arrest.

22.45 : The police retreats from the surrounding streets. Before that, a large number of other anarchists who learned about the events, fought their way in the campus. Now that the police has left, hundreds of people keep arriving in the Polytechnic to support the university occupation. An assembly takes place.

23.00 : The elders are allowed to go.

00.00. Anarchists demand from the former minister of transportations Verelis and of culture Venizelos to reveal the name of the police officer who shot their comrade. Verelis says that it was his escort, Christoforos Patsias. Anarchists give to the press an announcement condemning the shooting and giving the policeman’s name. They demand that the announcement is made public. The government’s spokesman declares that no way the name of the police officer will be announced. In the television and many radio stations the anarchists’ announcement is read. The event has gathered the attention of international media, such as the CNN, that speaks about hostage crisis. The trade union of greek journalists, gives permission to reporters to keep covering the story, despite the Mayday strike (11 May) that started after midnight.

00.30 : The university authorities release statement for the press, strongly condemning the police presence in the campus and the shooting of an anarchist, comparing this situation with the 1973 military dictatorship repressing the uprising in the Polytechnic school. They put the blame to the politicians. The Rector gives the announcement to the anarchists who then read it out loud in the room where the politicians and 100 more persons are gathered.

01.00. Anarchists announce that everyone is free to go except the state officials. The politicians are accused by hooded anarchists, full of rage, for state repression and the fascist attacks, the police tortures and shootings against immigrants at the borders and in police stations, the isolation of political prisoners, the shooting against the anarchists few minutes ago...

Assemblies take place all night.

04.30. 300 anarchists leave the Polytechnic in a spontaneous demonstration to Exarchia square, with slogans such as “NO FASCISM, NO DEMOCRACY - DOWN WITH THE STATE, LONG LIVE ANARCHY”.