It was March 2017 when we first opened the door of 45 Matrozou str. and began repairing the building so that it could house our struggles, desires, needs and bodies. And when these, a few months later, could no longer fit in one building we opened two more buildings that were rotting abandoned in the neighborhood of Koukaki, 21 Panaitoliou str. and the Blue House (3 Arvali str.). This is how Koukaki Squats Community was created in the center of Athens.
From then until 2020, Koukaki Squats Community had been a political community that combined anarchist struggle with communal life. The doors of its houses were open for those who wished to fight back against state violence and injustice, for people who needed shelter or wished to use its public structures, for those who sought a collective way of life. It was also an open political and social space accessible to the inhabitants of one of the most gentrified neighborhoods in Athens. Τhe community participated in struggles of the squatting and anti-fascist movement, in solidarity with political prisoners, against gender violence, patriarchy, racism, exploitation of nature, against the gentrification of the neighborhood and the privatization of the nearby Philopappos Hill. In addition to political assemblies and events that were hosted, a number of public structures were operating in the houses, such as a lending library, public baths & laundries and a free clothing bazaar.
Our political position and action had been the reason why we faced arson attacks from fascist groups several times, as well as the state repression. The last one occurred in the form of evictions in three waves, 2018, 2019 and 2020, when at last the community lost the buildings once and for all. On all occasions the community mounted combative resistance to state attacks and tried to reoccupy the buildings.
The repressive forces used rubber bullets, flash grenades, physical violence and chemical weapons in the buildings and throughout the neighborhood, in response to our resistance. Neighbors and comrades that stood in solidarity were arrested as well. Most of the evictions led to courts with plenty of accusations, intending to intimidate the squatters while exhausting them psychologically and economically.
We should refer especially to the last eviction of Matrozou building in 2020, when the cops hired lawyers (including a member of the government) to support the charges in court. The court of first degree convicted our comrades to 6,5 years of imprisonment without suspension, based on 3 misdemeanor charges. Τhis was the result of a great mediatic campaign carried on by the state, where even the president of greece was publicly asking for the felony “attempt of murder” to be charged to the detainees. The sentence is only suspended until the appeal court. It’s the first time in history of Greece that squatters are at risk of going to prison, and the first time that political activists in general are at risk of going to prison without being charged with felonies. The appeal court will be happening on December 2, 2025, and we call the international squatting and anarchist movement to solidarity action for political support.
We believe that this maneuver serves the government’s purpose to eliminate the squatting movement in Greece, when at the same time inaugurates a “new reality” – connected to the New Penal Code, 2024 – where anyone who resists may be imprisoned for any charge.
For all the court cases we have gone through [which are 5 in number] we have already paid more than 10.000 euros of expenses, which have been covered by solidarity events we organized, as well as through the contribution of the comradeship of collectives and individuals. Two out of five court cases ended with an acquittal, but the rest three led to conviction and they have been appealed to a higher court.
We are now called upon to solve the problem of covering the court costs for the remaining three cases, which are estimated to total an enormous amount of 25.000 euros. This includes court fees, lawyers’ fees, as well as the court expenses in case of final conviction. For this reason we created this campaign to inform comrades and collectives in Greece and abroad, as all kinds of contribution and solidarity are important. We are available to share more details on court expenses or/and the progress of the cases. We are also open to remotely support any initiative of organizing informative events about the squats and state repression against them.
https://www.firefund.net/koukaki
We are here and we will keep fighting. Solidarity is our weapon !
With comradeship,
Koukaki Squats Community
Athens, Greece
m45community [at] riseup [dot] net
https://radar.squat.net/en/koukaki-squats-community
Some squats in Greece: https://radar.squat.net/en/groups/country/GR/squated/squat
Groups in Greece: https://radar.squat.net/en/groups/country/GR
Events in Greece: https://radar.squat.net/en/events/country/GR
Firefund https://www.firefund.net/koukaki
