Clashes in Athens in educational protest

greece / turkey / cyprus | repression / prisoners | news report Saturday January 10, 2009 14:03 by taxiki pali

Memories of the Colonels’ Junta awake

Clashes in Athens during educational protest-march. Memories of the Colonels’ Junta awake as lawyers and journalists are beaten and arrested by riot-police

Clashes unravel in Athens after riot police attacks protest march. Police repression targets lawyers and journalists who try to help trapped protesters. Many were wounded, and one elderly lady seriously brutalised.

On Friday 9/1/09 protest marches took place in all major cities of Greece in commemeration for the assassination of the communist teacher Nikos Temboneras by Kababokas, a government thug, during the educational movement of 1991 against neoliberal policies.

In Athens, the massive march clashed with numerous police forces that under the orders of the new Minister of Public Order were following a zero-tolerance policy.

The clash started outside the Parliament when riot police forces fired disoriantation grenades in the midst of the march. The clashes quickly spread without any property being destroyed. The situation became critical when riot-police forces trapped 80 protesters in an apartment block in Kolonaki, the old posh quarter of the center. Lawyers from surrounding offices swarmed to secure the exit of the protesters only to be beaten and arrested by the riot-policemen.

One elderly woman of 70 was brutally attacked by the forces of repression, dragged onto the streets and risked her life.

Others trapped in the building suffered from exhaustion and panic. Journalists who tried to record the siege were beaten and arrested by the police. After one hour, the protesters managed to leave the building in formation, after police forces were destructed by an attack on their back by protesters who erected flaming barricades and hurled stones.

The protest march re-gathered later in the evening outside the HQs of the Greek Police shouting “Down with the Junta” and demanding the release of the detained and arrested. A delegation of the Lawyer’s Association tried to enter the building but was attacked by riot-police and beaten with globs leading to a further arrest of 15 lawyers causing an outrage across the country.

Sponteneous protest marches against police brutality formed across greek cities, while renewed riots broke out in Exarheia in the center of Athens.

There are several protesters and reporters seriously injured in hospital, while journalists claim one boy was attacked anew outside an Athens hospital by riot policemen, leaving him in a pool of blood, after he had his head stitched by doctors.

In Ioannnina protester occupied the Trade Union’s Center in solidarity to K. Kouneva, the cleaner syndicalist attacked last month by bosses thugs who is still in a critical state in hospital.

In Thessaloniki during the protest the offices of Addeco, a labour subhire company, were smashed by protesters in solidarity to K. Kouneva.

Protesters attacked riot-police forces guarding the police station of Ano Poli quarter leading to clashes into the center of the city.