Kavala, Greece: For the the upcoming trial of two antifascists comrades

TRIAL OF THE 2 ANTIFASCISTS FROM KAVALA 18 MAY 2016 AT THE COURT OF XANTHI

For the last six years, apart from the golden dawn in Athens, the parastatal organization ‘patriotic movement of Kavala citizens’ has also been calling for a nationwide fascist gathering on the pretext of the incident that took place in Imia. So, each year the town’s antifascists openly call people in an antifascist rally against the Imia celebrations of hate.

One day before the fascist gathering on 26/01/2014 and after a clash had taken place between fascists and a group of people, the contemporary nazi-collaborators of Kavala broke the store-front of the store that belongs to a comrade of ours, targeted for his antifascist action and they then attempted to set fire in its interior, thereby endangering the lives of the building’s occupants.

Our comrade, in the presence of some of his comrades -who had rushed to the store- was informed by the cops that he had to get to the local police department, as arson attempt is a prosecutable ex-officio criminal offence (therefore, as he is the owner of the business, some formalities are required by him). After a 3-hour wait at the police station, he finds out he is arrested because members of the patriotic movement filed a lawsuit against him.

The next morning the organized antifascist rally, called by the Autonomous Collective of Kavala, Vironos 3 squat and individual antifascists, took place in Faliro Park. From the very first moment of the rally, the Park was surrounded by several riot squads (around 8 to 10) and many plain-clothes cops.

With one comrade already held in custody for two days after the ridiculous lawsuit against him by members of the patriotic movement, in the afternoon of Monday 27 January 2014, the second comrade (who is the brother of the first) -also targeted for his antifascist action- is informed that a lawsuit is pending against him as well, also by members of the patriotic movement, and he appears voluntarily at the police department of Kavala.

On Friday, 31/01/2014, after appearing before the magistrate, our two comrades were released on the following conditions: They are not allowed to leave the country and they have to appear at the local police department within the first five days of each month until the trial is held.

The first trial was set for 10/06/2015. Our comrades asked for an adjournment due to the absence of their defending attorneys. The trial was postponed two more times due to the (nationwide) lawyers’ strike. Just before the trial of our comrades on 9/12/15, the fascists once again attempted to target the two antifascists, by writing disgusting slogans in the area where they live, as well as throughout the town (the fascist slogans were referring to them by their full names).

Of course, their activities always come to an end, because of the open antifascist action that makes them flee. Not unexpectedly, the fascists keep on with their provocations and as they are incapable of acting in any other way, they filed two more lawsuits against the comrade whose store they smashed. The one is a lawsuit for defamation and the other one for instigation. The first has already been postponed due to the lawyers’ strike and the second is set to take place on 16/06/2016.

The date of the new trial (for the events described) is

Wednesday, 18 May 2016, 9:00am at the Court of Xanthi.

 LET’S ALL BE THERE

NO COMRADE ALONE IN THE HANDS OF THE STATE

SOLIDARITY IS OUR WEAPON

Autonomous Collective of Kavala

Vironos 3 Squat

In greek