Thessaloniki (Greece): Cops evicted the Orfanotrofio squat

Thessaloniki_Orfanotrofio_squat

In the morning hours of September 2nd, 2013 the Greek police conducted another anti-squatting operation, this time against the Orfanotrofio squat, a former orphanage in the district of Toumba, Thessaloniki.

Seven squatters were arrested inside the building and charged with violating the law regarding occupation of public buildings, as well as weapon possession (an air pistol was allegedly found at the squatted house). All comrades were held in custody, scheduled to appear in the Thessaloniki courts.

Last year, it was announced that the ministry of Health handed over the squatted Orfanotrofio to the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki.
Fuck the State and the Church!
Immediate release of our comrades! [Read More]

Thessaloniki: New trial against 6 comrades of Delta squat, that was evicted in September 2012

Delta squat, in Thessaloniki, was violently evicted on the 12th of September 2012. In the subsequent trial-farce, ten arrested comrades received suspended sentences and were ordered to pay fines (7,950 euros in total). One of the arrestees, anarchist immigrant Gustavo Quiroga, remained incarcerated and was even deported to Colombia on the 4th of November. That same month, the Greek State unleashed a new round of prosecutions against 6 of the anarchists that were arrested during the eviction. The 6 comrades are now accused of disturbance of the domestic peace (since 2008), as well as aggravated damages on the building of Delta squat. What’s more, the Alexandreio Technological Education Institute of Thessaloniki, which claims legal ownership of the evicted building, is letting it rot while its administrative board is seeking compensation of 3.5 million euros for alleged damages caused by the squatters.

[Read More]

Thessaloniki, Greece : The machines of self-management have been switched on!

After 3 days of intense mobilization, the factory of Vio.Me. has started production under workers’ control earlier today! It is the first experiment in industrial self-management in crisis-striken Greece, and the workers of Vio.Me. are confident this is going to be only the first in a series of such endeavors.

The mobilization kicked off with a big assembly of the workers and solidary organizations and individuals in a central downtown theater on Sunday evening. Here the course of action of the solidarity movement was discussed, and everyone had the chance to take the microphone and to express their opinion on the workers’ struggle.
[Read More]

Greece, Australia & India: Solidarity actions with Villa Amalias

Solidarity actions with Villa Amalias recently happened in different Greek cities, and in Goa (India) and Sydney (Australia):

Athens: Paint bomb attack against the old city hall, in solidarity with Villa Amalias squat

On the night of December 24th, comrades wanted to add a bit of colour to the miserable Christmas decoration that the mayor of Athens, Giorgos Kaminis, had reserved for the city. We wanted to show him that the lousy political dealings on the repression against Villa Amalias squat will not be left unanswered. He will pay the corresponding price for his choice to cover the back of the prime minister, Antonis Samaras, who wanted to prove that he is equally fascist to the far-right part of his voting audience, which slips off to the Golden Dawn party by now. [Read More]

Thessaloniki: Urgent appeal for international support with Delta squat and imprisoned anarchist immigrant Gustavo Quiroga

UK Indymedia – Statement by Delta squat about the events of eviction
Sunday, September 16th, 2012

A BRIEF CHRONICLE
On September 12th at 6.30 in the morning various different police departments were mobilized for the eviction of Delta squat. EKAM special suppressive antiterrorist units and MAT anti-riot police squadrons bashed into the rooms where the comrades were sleeping, and threw them on the floor when they had already been handcuffed. During this whole operation the comrades suffered both verbal and physical violence. One of them was held so he could be present during the cops’ search of the building though they had his head facing the wall, so he couldn’t see anything. Later on, he declined to sign the search and confiscation report. Some time later all ten arrested comrades were taken to the police headquarters in Thessaloniki.
[Read More]

Thessaloniki: Communique from one of the comrades imprisoned at Delta Squat eviction

Letter from the imprisoned comrades before the trial takes part.
The trial finished the 14-09-2012.
9 comrades released with accusations and 1 probably will be deported from Greece
Translations are welcome, links to/and actions of solidarity, too…

We all live in an economic politic system, tightly closed and illiberal, which defends with every way the interests of the bosses, every kind, of overhead.

On the other side of the scale, there are the oppressed, all who face daily the problem of survival. The biggest part of the society, a few hundred million, are on the limits of poverty, receives daily attack from the small class of the bosses, with their protectors of their wealth, their command applicators, the state and the authority. Especially the last years, with the new economic crisis invented by the bosses, which is nothing but an obvious restructuring and re-accumulation of wealth for their benefit, and an attempt of total control of every aspect of society, more and more people find themselves in a desperate situation and they decide to take their lives in their hands.

So they decide to create unmediated social structures, away from the coercive logic of capitalism and the relationships which defined by money. [Read More]

Thessaloniki: Delta squat evicted

At approximately 7.30am on Wednesday, September 12th, in Thessaloniki, at least five MAT anti-riot police squadrons and two jeeps with EKAM special suppressive antiterrorist units lined up outside the anarchist squat Delta and stormed the building soon thereafter.

Ten people were arrested inside the building and others who arrived in solidarity were detained on the street. Also, more solidaritarians who gathered near the squat were surrounded and cut off by the police. [Read More]

Thessaloniki (Greece): Texts about the Public Power Corporation’s attempts to cut off Delta squat’s electricity supply

Since late July, Delta squat is being actively repressed by DEI (Public Power Corporation, PPC) that attempts to cut off the space’s electricity supply. The electric power company got the green light from the Alexandreio Technological Education Institute (ATEI) of Thessaloniki, which is the legal owner of the building (squatted for 5 years already).

This squat hosts an array of autonomous political projects that act aggressively towards the existing system of exploitation and try to contribute to individual and social liberation. [Read More]

Greece: Major crackdown in Thessaloniki

On July 2nd, 2012, an extensive police operation was launched across the city of Thessaloniki, with raids in two squats, house searches and massive preemptive detentions (people were caught even in their private residences, and on several streets, and after few hours were released from police departments), as well as arrests. There are reportedly 25 arrestees, and it is possible that they will be charged with felonies.

Specifically, police forces stormed the anarchist hangout Nadir at approximately 6.30am, detaining people from inside the building. Cops then also stormed the Orfanotrofio squat, also detaining people there. [Read More]

Thessaloniki (Greece): Banner drop by the anarchist Radio Revolt in solidarity with squatted spaces

“On Thursday, August 2nd, we dropped a solidarity banner in solidarity with occupied spaces, in the context of ten anti-repression days declared by the translation counter-information network Contra Info.

In the same context of propaganda actions, late in the evening of Sunday, August 5th, at 22.00 (GMT+2) the anarchist radio-revolt will broadcast a thematic radio show regarding the authorities’ strenuous efforts to suppress (once again) Delta squat in recent days, with the assistance of the public electric power corporation (DEI), which has attempted to cut off the squat’s electricity supply. The live radio broadcast will include updates on repressive attacks against other squats and self-organized spaces.” [Read More]

Thessaloniki (Greece): Communiqué by Orfanotrofio squat

This is a first text written by the squatters –urgent diffusion asked

Ownership transition of Orfanotrofio squat, from the Ministry of Health to the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki (head of the Greek Orthodox Church in the city)

On January 31st a decision made by the Ministry of Health was posted on the governmental website diavgeia.gov.gr (diavgeia means ‘clarity’!), by which it was announced that the squatted Orfanotrofio (a former abandoned orphanage) is granted to the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki, on the purpose of creating a foundation for the chronically ill.

In a period of crisis, while the bosses attack against even wider parts of society, having the maximization of their profits as main target, in a period when even more people are led to poverty and misery, and the unemployed and homeless rise in bigger numbers every day, the State and the Church start their ‘charity’ engine. [Read More]

Thessaloniki: Police intimidation against Libertatia squat

On Friday midday, September 9th, 2011, more than 100 police motorcycles appeared on the streets that surround Libertatia squat. Solidaritarians immediately reached the squat in fear of eviction. Cops invaded only the building’s front yard, but two comrades were detained and held in the city’s police headquarters. Both have now been released. This police operation was intended to intimidate a part of the radical social movement, just one day before the scheduled gatherings, manifestations and demonstrations ahead of the 76th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF).

The presence of repressive forces in the streets of Thessaloniki is already immense. From Saturday, traffic will be blocked in downtown streets, and all vehicles will be forbidden to approach the facilities of TIF. [Read More]